Page 42 - Studio International - November 1965

From Russia with love for art

Paris Commentary by Alexander Watt

During the many years I have lived in France. admiring U.S.S.R. could have imagined that such treasures
the countless beautiful works of art and. in particular. remain in the possession of the Soviet Union?
the magnificent exhibitions which are held in Paris. In all, there are one hundred and two paintings which
month after month. year after year. for the aesthetic will remain on view to the general public for the next
enjoyment not only of the French public but also for four months.
travellers from abroad who are true art lovers. I have What instantly struck me was the outstanding plastic
rarely seen such a sensational exhibition as that at quality and finesse of these French Masters of Painting,
The Louvre of 'Masterpieces of French Paintings from which range over a period dating from Clouet to
Paul Gauguin 1848-1903 the Museums of Moscow and Leningrad'. Picasso! The actual wealth and value of these master­
L'ldole Despite certain adverse criticisms. I can only describe pieces from the Russian Museums is inestimable.
Louvre: from the Hermitage
Museum. Leningrad this as an astonishing and triumphal collection of major If Sotheby's and Christie. in London. obtain such
Henri Matisse 1869-1954 works of French art that were saved during the Russian huge prices at their auction sales for a single Cezanne
Le nymphe et le satyre Revolution. or Gauguin oil painting, then who can justifiably say
Louvre: from the H ermllage
Museum. Leningrad Who, without having visited the museums 1n the what these one hundred and two canvases would
bring to-day if placed on the market?
Like the famous Pellerin art collector. for example.
who so wisely acquired paintings of great importance
at a time when Cezanne·s work was ·going for a song·.
so did the astute Russian art connoisseurs such as
Morosov and Stchoukine accomplish much the same
thing at the same time; which explains the remarkable
taste and appreciation of what works of art were then
available.
The canvases of the French school were acquired
also from other countries. The celebrated collection
of Lord Walpole. Minister of George the First. as well
as those of Auguste Saxe and Count Bruhl. enriched
the Hermitage Museum.
At long last there has been. happily, a release of the
hitherto hidden Russian art treasures to the West. and
this applies also as far as the opposite is concerned.
This manifestation now taking place in the Louvre is,
in a certain sense. a cultural exchange of views, in­
asmuch as the Louvre and several of the leading provin­
cial museums of France have loaned fifty-two of their
French works of art. which will be put on show in the
Moscow and Leningrad Museums for the same length
of time.
The first French paintings found their way to Russia
at the beginning of the eighteenth century. They were
mostly portraits; Caravaggio worked for a long time at
the court of Peter the Great. The portraits of Peter and
of his wife. Catherine II. were executed by Nattier.
The real formation of the collection of the paintings
from the Hermitage started during the second half of
the eighteenth century under the aegis of the Empress
Catherine. It was she who created the Hermitage as
an Imperial Palace and enriched it with an immense
plethora of works of art of great historic value.
Among the greatest works of the seventeenth and the
eighteenth centuries are those which originate, mostly.
from the collection of Catherine the Great. which were
selected, for the greater part. by Diderot. who chose
them from the paintings owned by Crozat. the famous
Parisian amateur. Some of the other famous paintings
now on view at the Louvre were acquired by Prince
Youssoupov. Another who contributed to the wealth
of French paintings in Russia was Peter the Great.
Shortly after the Revolution. when important acquisi­
tions were abandoned. the Museum suddenly took a
new interest in adding to its collection. At the beginning
of the nineteenth century the Hermitage bought up the
famous collection from Malmaison. which belonged to
the Empress Josephine. It comprised several of the
paintings which had been acquired by Cardinal Mazarin.
Truly outstanding among the one hundred and two
canvases I saw at the Louvre were-dating from the
seventeenth century-La Visite a la Grandmere by Le
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