Institute of the Russian realistic art of IRRI

The Institute of the Russian Realistic Art (IRRA) is the private museum, at the heart of fund and the first exposure – a private collection of the businessman Alexey Ananyev, founder and head of Technoserv company.

At the heart of a collection – performing painting of the Soviet and Russian masters of the XX—XXI centuries — S.V. Gerasimova, A.A. Plastova, A.A. Deyneki, Yu.I. Pimenova, G.M. Korzheva, V.E. Popkova, N.I. Andronova, G.N. Gorelov, brothers Alexey and Sergey Tkachyov, N.F. Novikov, Victor Ivanov lighting historical stages of life of the Soviet society. The meeting of Institute of the Russian Realistic Art was considered as one of world-best.

The museum complex occupies one of the ancient body of the Moscow print factory located in Zamoskvorechye opposite to the Moscow New and Spassky monastery.

2019

Loss of pictures

In June, 2019 court ushers carried out an inspection of a distrained property of the Institute of the Russian Realistic Art (IRRA), and it became known that many pictures did not appear in storages of the museum and exposure. It became clear that the arrested works by such authors as Georgy Nissky, Isaak Brodsky, Alexander Deyneka, Alexander Gerasimov whose cost reaches hundreds of millions of rubles were shot from exposure.

Staff  of Institute of the Russian realistic art told that works transferred to Cyprus company of Diolelta Investments Limited related to Ananyev's spouse.

Closing of the museum

On June 4, 2019 the Institute of the Russian Realistic Art (IRRA) founded at the initiative of Alexey Ananyev announced closing after a seizure of property of the entrepreneur.

The museum is closed for indefinite time. We apologize — it is said on the website of organization.[1]

The reasons of closing are not stated. The representative of IRRI  told  Dozhd TV channel that he does not know when the museum resumes work. What closing is connected with, he answered a question: "Just we are closed".

Alexey Ananyev's museum was closed after a seizure of property of the businessman

Earlier the administrator of the museum  told  the Snob magazine that IRRI does not work only till June 11 because of technical works, tincturing and retrofitting.

We knew before that we work since Tuesday the next week [since June 11], but, perhaps, something changed. Meanwhile the message from administration did not arrive. It is quite possible that tomorrow and we will open, – the administrator told.

The building and collection of the museum IRRI were included into the list of property of ex-owners of Promsvyazbank — brothers Dmitry and Alexey Ananyevykh — which Arbitration court of the city of Moscow seized in the claim of credit institution.

Works by such authors as Georgy Nissky, Isaak Brodsky, Alexander Deyneka, Alexander Gerasimov whose cost reaches hundreds of millions of rubles belong to a meeting of the objects of art which are in management of IRRI and belonging to Alexey Ananyev.

As the director of the museum Nadezhda Stepanova reported Forbes Life in spite of the fact that the museum is closed, all pictures remained on the places.

Due to the issued judgment and imposing of interim measures to the works which are in management of IRII we made the decision to temporarily close the museum and to stop work of a temporary exhibition "It is time to understand. Alexander Kamensky's archive — the director of IRRI told.[2]

2016

Opening in the updated type

On December 1, 2016 IRRI celebrated the fifth anniversary and opened after large-scale reexposure (for this purpose it was closed since August 1, 2016). The museum updated a collection: got earlier not exposed works from store rooms and prepared the Stories exhibition. According to the museum, in its exposure – about 500 pictures, and Alexey Ananyev's meeting makes about 6 thousand works of 352 artists (data of December, 2016).

Acceptance in the museum on the occasion of the fifth anniversary. Alexey Ananyev and Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky. Photo: official group of IRRI "VKontakte"

I all this time did not cease to buy new works therefore in a sense process of updating was permanent, – Alexey Ananyev explains the updating reasons.[3]

According to him, in most cases pictures to it are offered by either artists, or successors, or dealers. Constantly there are offers from auction houses. And lately "the quantity of the offered masterpieces increased several times. The reason for that – crisis which forces owners of pictures to sell them. For example, he purchased a considerable part of one of private collections, "and absolutely first-class works".

Taking into account new works which in it [collections] appeared, it one of the best in the market today. And, perhaps, before such collections was not, – Alexey Ananyev says.[3]

This case in which I monthly make considerable personal investments, – Alexey Ananyev says.[3]

Alexey Ananyev in the museum. Photo: asaartgallery.ru

Besides, to the fifth anniversary the museum was released by the audioguide and mobile application and also changed an interior of halls and lighting. Now pictures in halls are provided in LED lighting, developed by museum specialists of Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam) together with Philips Lighting. New lamps do not lead to heating of cloths, unlike traditional halogen light sources.

IRRI halls. Photo: official group of IRRI "VKontakte"

We carried out complete re-planning of the museum — it looks much more logically now. For example, survey begins with the first floor, but not with the third as it was earlier. Different color schemes for halls are made. We accurately placed accents on those schools which were present within development of the realistic direction at the Russian art life. Appeared sign, the museum level, the work by such artists as Georgy Nissky, Victor Popkov, Sergey Gerasimov, Yury Pimenov. New works of our contemporaries — hyper realists Alexander Petrov, Semyon Faybisovich, Andrey Volkova were added, – the founder of the museum tells.[3]

IRRI halls. Photo: official group of IRRI "VKontakte"

Google digitized and uploaded publicly 50 works from the IRRI collection

By August, 2016 the staff of Google carried out gigapixel shooting of 50 works from a collection which became possible to be considered in all parts.

Began partnership with Google Cultural Institute IRRI since 2013, having become the first private museum in Russia cooperating with this platform – 300 pictures from museum collection in high quality were posted on the website. More than 1000 leaders of the world museums among which TATE, British Museum, National Gallery, Rijksmuseum and others participate in the Google Arts&Culture project.

The page of the museum on the Google Arts & Culture resource

2011: Opening of the museum

IRRI museum exhibition complex opened in December, 2011 in one of the ancient body of the former cotton-printing factory constructed in Zamoskvorechye at the end of the 19th century.^[4]

Alexey Ananyev not casually was fond of painting, he graduated from art school. He began to collect a collection in 2001. The pictures "Wedding" of Yury Kugach and Return of his son, Mikhail Kugach became the first purchased works. By the time of opening of the museum in it there were about 6000 pictures, drawings and sculptures.^[5]

This time is close and clear to me – my childhood, youth therefore everything that was represented by artists of this period, I lived together with them was the share of the second half of the XX century. It is easy for me to define what was meant by the master where the plot is thought up and where it is taken from life, – Alexey Ananyev explains the interest in realism.[6]

The museum occupied three floors of exhibition space with a total area more than 4500 square meters. When opening the museum about 500 pictures of 148 artists entered its exposure.

Alexander Deyneka. The girl tying a tape on the head, 1951

One of the most considerable sections of a museum collection - the Soviet painting of the first half of the 20th century is exposed at halls of the third floor. Here works by masters of domestic art the Arcadia Plastov, Sergey Gerasimov, Alexander Deyneki, Yury Pimenov, Georgy Nissky, Isaak Brodsky and other artists are submitted.

The second floor of IRRI represents collection of works of the Soviet artists of the second half of the 20th century. The basis of exposure is formed by works of the largest artists - "men of the sixties".

Halls of the first floor acquaint the audience with modern art life of Russia.

Victor Ivanov. Mowers, 1991

According to Ananyev, all program works of the artists working in the 1930-40th years are in the state museums.

With the fact that Deyneki, Pimenov, Samokhvalov, Petrov-Vodkin's best works are in Tretyakov Gallery, me as you understand to do nothing. And to show their works of the second or third plan — it does not correspond to our ambitions. So we have a collection core — artists men of the sixties, and in addition we show at whom they studied and at whom studied their teacher, this link of times. Therefore a little bit the Union of the Russian artists, the main there are slightly more 1930-40th years, and, what we see on the second floor, are men of the sixties, it is severe style, – Alexey Ananyev tells.[3]

2006: Beginning of creation of the museum

Creation of IRRI museum exhibition complex began in 2006, on site the half-ruined boiler house.

Museum building

After re-planning and restoration of walls of the factory building built at the end of the 19th century, premises of the museum were equipped with the latest utilities and the special equipment intended for maintenance of a museum storage mode of works of art.

Notes