On April 24, REEES, Slavic Studies, and the History of Art departments welcomed Igor Tsukanov to Yale’s campus. Mr. Tsukanov is an art collector and former financier who currently heads the Tsukanov Family Foundation, a UK-based charity that supports education, culture, and the arts in Russia and worldwide.
Speaking to a packed audience of nearly 50 attendees, Mr. Tsukanov shared his reflections as a collector of Russian post-war art and discussed selected artists and works from his collection. Over the course of his one-hour talk, Mr. Tsukanov guided the audience through a series of artistic styles and movements – from the early abstractionism of Vladimir Nemukhin, to Komar and Melamid’s Sots Art of the ‘70s and ‘80s, up to Moscow’s actionism, characterized by groups such as Pussy Riot. Throughout, Mr. Tsukanov shared anecdotes about his interactions with other collectors and museums, insights into his personal development as a collector, and information on the significance of post-war Russian art. Following his presentation, Mr. Tsukanov fielded wide-ranging questions from the audience, covering topics such as forgeries, translating live action into a gallery setting, and the need for persistence as a collector.
Mr. Tsukanov’s collection has been shown at the Saatchi Gallery in London, the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, and the Pompidou in Paris, among many others. A catalog is available for online viewing at: http://www.tsukanovartcollection.com/
Written By
Kathleen Keefe, MA Candidate in Global Affairs