In vino veritas? My Sentimental Journey into Russian Art

Abstract The focus of this memoir is on the state of Soviet art historical studies, especially during the 1960s–70s, and on the scholars, critics and collectors who, in spite of untoward circumstances, made essential contributions to the rediscovery of the Russian avant-garde, among them Nikolai Khardzhiev. The memoir also describes what it was like to be a Western postgraduate student (with a special interest in the poetry of Aleksandr Blok and Symbolism) at Moscow State University and the conflicts between ubiquitous Party propaganda and individual academic enquiry, especially into the then mysterious areas of scholarship such as Formalism and Modernism. Mention is also made of the more guarded sources of information such as the spetsfondy at the Lenin Library and the zapasniki at the State Tretyakov Gallery and the State Russian Museum which, in those days, were difficult to access and largely unfamiliar. The memoir offers a particular appreciation of the activities of collectors Khardzhiev and Georgii Kostaki, and scholars Evgenii Kovtun, Alla Povelikhina and Dmitrii Sarab’ianov.