Russian Fine Arts Section at the World’s Columbian Exposition 1893

Abstract

Russian participation in American 19th-century World Fairs remains a rather neglected topic. The Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago was the largest and most ambitious fair before Paris 1900 and was considered an important event by Russian institutions. The expositional committee in St. Petersburg released publications on Russian economics, industry, technologies, etc. specifically for the occasion. Although international exhibitions in the 19th century were, first of all, industrial and technological displays, the artistic representation of a country had played a role since the first exposition in London in 1851 and was supposed to show the development of the national artistic school. Based on archival documents and published correspondence, the case of Russian fine arts participation at the Chicago exposition is examined. An attempt is made to outline the organizational issues as well as reception of Russian fine arts in the USA at that time.

Keywords

• Imperial Fine Arts Academy. Peredvizhniki. Russian fine art. Russian painters in America. World’s Columbian Exposition