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[November 2004]
Major Lomonosov Porcelain Exhibition in London
'Circling the Square: Avant-garde Porcelain from Revolutionary Russia' is an
exhibition celebrating an extraordinary period in 20th century art and
design. It presents, for the first time in Britain, a comprehensive survey
of the porcelain produced at the world renowned Lomonosov Porcelain Factory
in St Petersburg, formerly the Imperial Porcelain Factory, during the years
following the Russian Revolution of 1917.The exhibition is jointly organised by The State Hermitage Museum, St
Petersburg and the Courtauld Institute of Art, London and opened at the
Hermitage Rooms, Somerset House, Strand, London on 18 November 2004. The
exhibition runs until 31 July 2005. The exhibition and catalogue have been
made possible by the generous support of the Russian financial corporation
URALSIB.Circling the Square comprises some 300 pieces of porcelain and a total of 70
design drawings, all dating from 1918 to the mid-1930s. Objects and designs
come from the prestigious historic collection of the Lomonosov Porcelain
Factory Museum. In addition, there are three important objects which have
been generously lent from private collections: a saucer and cup and saucer
with abstract compositions after designs by Wassily Kandinsky; and a plate
by Nikolai Yankin, which will be shown alongside the artist's preparatory
design.The factory was privatised in 1993 and in 2001 its prestigious historical
collection was transferred to the care of The State Hermitage Museum, of
which it now forms the department known as the Porcelain Museum. Today, Mrs
Galina Tsvetkova, Chair of the Board of the Lomonosov Porcelain Factory,
owns 75.61% of the factory, with minority shareholders holding the
remainder. The collection, which is still physically housed on the site of
the Lomonosov Factory, is open to visitors.
ENDS