MINNEAPOLIS (August 14, 2012) -- Beginning August 25, The Museum of Russian Art presents a new exhibition featuring over thirty-five works by Russian-American artist Nicolai Fechin, many on display for the first time in Minnesota.

The fourth in the series Discovering 20th Century Russian Masters, this exhibition illustrates the artists impeccable skill as a draftsman, his finely tuned sense of color, and bravura brushwork. A student of the celebrated Ilya Repin at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, Nicolai Fechin (1881-1955) is one of the most prominent 20th century artists in the Russian tradition.

The exhibition includes works generously on loan from American museums, as well as private collectors in the United States and Russia, and is held under the aegis of the U.S.-Russian Bilateral Presidential Commission, whose goal is to strengthen the democracy, security and prosperity of the American and Russian peoples. This presentation of Fechins work is uniquely suited to promote this goal, as Fechin spent half of his career in Russia and half in the United States. After immigrating to the United States in 1923, his work was not shown in Russia for over thirty years. Initially settling in New York City, health concerns soon forced him to relocate to a more suitable climate in Taos, New Mexico. Fechins career flourished during his years living in the American Southwest, where his presence launched a dramatic rebirth of the artists colony in New Mexico. Known as the living old masteran artists artist, he became well known for his refined style, his portraits of prominent Americans and his portrayals of indigenous American culture. Fechins work incorporates a broad range of styles that explore the influences of his birthplace and adopted home.

TMORA Director, Chris DiCarlo adds: Fechins portraits will amaze and inspire youhe is a true heavyweight in this discipline. His mastery is easily comparable to more well-known American artists such as John Singer Sargent and James Abbott McNeill Whistler.

Nicolai Fechins dazzling work has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity and public interest in recent years, both in the United States and Russia. Referred to as the Michelangelo of our time, Fechins work is not to be missed. The exhibition will arrive in Minneapolis from Moscow, where it was on display at the Tretyakov Gallery, the foremost federal repository of Russian art in the Russian Federation.

Discovering 20th Century Masters: Nicolai Fechin is on view through January 20, 2013.

High-resolution images available upon request.

The U.S. tour of the exhibition is organized by the Foundation for International Arts & Education, Bethesda, MD and the State Museum and Exhibition Center ROSIZO, Russia in cooperation with The Museum of Russian Art, Minneapolis, MN.

About The Museum of Russian Art (TMORA)

The Museum of Russian Art, a non-profit, educational institution, is the only museum in North America dedicated exclusively to the preservation and exhibition of all forms of Russian art and artifacts from many eras. TMORA is located in a state-of-the-art, historical building at 5500 Stevens Ave. S. (intersection of I-35W and Diamond Lake Road) in Minneapolis. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Monday-Friday), 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Saturday) and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (Sunday). Admission is $7 for adults; voluntary donation for full-time students and on behalf of children 18 and under. To learn more about the Museums exhibitions, events, and history, visit http://tmora.org/ or call 612-821-9045.

Contact:

Lana Gendlin Brooks

Director of External Relations

612-821-9045 ext. 22

lbrooks@tmora.org

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