Mastera “Goluboj Rozy“ : katalog vystavki (Masters of the “Blue Rose” : Exhibition Catalogue)

Print run 500 copies.

Good condition: creases across outer corners and edge-foxing throughout the book, wrappers detached at spine were restappled, cover shows some soiling and staining.

Golubaya Roza (the Blue Rose) was a Symbolist artist association organized in Moscow in 1907. Members included the ideologist of the group Pavel Kuznetsov, Anatolii Arapov, Petr Bromirsky, V. Drittenpreis, Nikolai Feofilaktov, Artur Fonvizen, Nikolai Krymov, Ivan Knabe, Nikolai Milioti, Vasilii Milioti, Aleksandr Matveev, Nikolai Ryabushinsky, Nikolai Sapunov, Martiros Saryan, Serge Sudeikin and Petr Utkin. Their style was inspired by the Russian Impressionist Viktor Borisov-Musatov. The only exhibition of the group was opened on March 18, 1907 in Moscow, and had become a legendary cultural event. The Blue Rose turned pre-eminent due to the fact that its artists managed to figuratively convey the non-material categories of emotions, moods, and deep heartfelt experiences. Having made Neo-Primitivism its part and parcel, The Blue Rose came to be the forerunner of the Russian Avant-garde. Its concepts and ideas were picked up and developed by Natalya Goncharova, Mikhail Larionov, and Kazimir Malevich in their own ways. The association ceased to exist in 1910.

The group members gathered once again at the reprospective exhibition 'Masters of the Blue Rose' at the Tretyakov Gallery in 1925. Although several important works were missing at this show - were represented 72 artworks by only ten out of sixteen participants, it still provided an indication of what the Blue Rose artists had stood for and produced, the moreso since their mentor, Boris-Musatov, was also represented.

The accompanying catalogue contains foreword by Russian artist, art historian, in 1924-29 curator of new Russian art at the Tretyakov Gallery - Viktor Midler (1888-1979), providing an overview, concept and historical background of the exhibition, which is followed by list of exhibits with indication of artwork title, used technique, year of creation, size, exhibitions at which artwork was displayed before.