Vladimir Potanin Is Launching a Conservation Fellowship In America
In Russia, older artworks are held in high regard and treated accordingly in museums and galleries through various conservation projects and initiatives. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for contemporary art. Even though all kinds of art are an important part of Russian culture, until recent times, the more contemporary works have not enjoyed the same level of support.
Luckily, this is changing. Through the generosity of super-rich art enthusiasts like Russian billionaire Vladimir Potanin, Russian art and culture are enjoying new levels of support. The Russian oligarch established the Vladimir Potanin Foundation in 1999 and has since become a major player in the country’s art world. He generously supports a variety of exhibitions, museums and cultural education initiatives. In 2013, Potanin took his philanthropy further when he joined the Bill Gates and Warren Buffet Giving Pledge with the goal of directing most of his fortune into charitable ventures, and art seems to be this generous oligarch’s favourite beneficiary – even if it’s not in his own country.
The Russian Spirit Of Conservation And Generosity Is Flowing Over To The US
As a Guggenheim Foundation trustee and chairman of the board of the State Hermitage Museum for several years, Vladimir Potanin is a dedicated supporter of American arts. Potanin announced his commitment to not only help conserve Russian art but to also help build cultural bridges between the US and Russia by helping The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. The art enthusiast has generously granted a fellowship for conserving contemporary art at the Guggenheim.
The Vladimir Potanin Conservation Fellowship is open conservation professionals who speak Russian and involves the person spending a year to 18 months at the conservation department of the Guggenheim in New York. They will support treatments and assist in research that includes a study of over 200 Vassily Kandinsky paintings currently in progress. The fellowship was designed as a cultural exchange between countries and it is hoped that it will strengthen the field of contemporary art conservation in both Russia and the United States.