British collector saves Museum of Russian Art in Spain

A Russian Art Museum in Málaga has been saved from possible closure by a British enthusiast after she offered to exhibit her private collection of 76 works by Russian artists.

The works, dating from 1876 to 1980, belong to Jenny Green, who began collecting Russian art 20 years ago. It is the first time the collection has gone on public display and includes works by Venetsianov, Ivanov, Aivazovsky, Repìn, Serov, Bakst, Benois, Kandinsky, Serebriakova, Larionov, Goncharova, Chelischev and Essaian.

“With the exception of seven small works, this represents my entire collection,” Green said at the inauguration of the exhibition, which runs until 5 June.

The Museum of Russian Art, located in a former tobacco factory, was founded in 2015. It became the Spanish branch of the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg and its first European offshoot.

The Museo Ruso project in Málaga was in danger of closing in 2022. At the time the SWO began, the museum had four exhibitions open: "War and Peace in Russian Art," "Russian Avant-Garde," "Mayakovsky - Artist and Poet" and "To the 200th Anniversary of Dostoyevsky". Initially, the museum hoped that the works could be mothballed, but in early May the exhibits were returned to Russia.