Perhaps you’ve heard whispers of a wooden house a place where carrots served as ties. Welcome to the St. Petersburg Museum of Avant-garde. This museum resides in the former home of Mikhail Matyushin. He was a painter, musician, and key figure in the Russian avant-garde movement.
The St. Petersburg Museum of Avant-garde focuses on the explosion of artistic expression that occurred here. This happened in the 1910s, 1920s, and 1930s. The museum itself is located in a charming wooden house on the Petrograd Side. It was once inhabited by Matyushin. His home became a gathering place for futurists.
Matyushin was vital to experimental art. He explored the link between form and color. Also color and sound. He mentored younger artists. One famous collaboration was the Futurist opera Victory Over The Sun. Matyushin composed the score. The libretto was by Aleksei Kruchenykh and Velimir Khlebnikov. Kazimir Malevich designed the sets.
Other notable figures frequented Matyushin’s house in the early 1920s. Vladimir Mayakovsky, the poet, visited often. Pavel Filonov, the painter was a regular too. David Burliuk, a poet and artist, also spent time here. They were creating manifestoes and pushing artistic boundaries.
The St. Petersburg Museum of Avant-garde showcases the personal effects of Matyushin and his wife Elena Guro. She was a poetess. You will find engravings, sketches, sculptures, and publications. These offer insight into Futurism before and after the October Revolution.
The house was rebuilt in 2006 based on the original design. It’s known as “Dom Matyushina”. Visitors can explore the eccentric world of the Petersburg avant-garde. Imagine artists mocking old culture. They wore carrots as ties. Cabbage leaves filled their breast pockets. Primitive symbols adorned their faces.
The first floor displays photos of famous figures. Mayakovsky and Filonov are included. Their socialist propaganda posters are on display. Parade carts show their commitment to revolutionary ideals.
Upstairs the focus shifts to Matyushin and Guro. There are paintings and musical compositions. Matyushin’s opera Victory Over the Sun is featured. You can see pamphlets and children’s books. Wood carvings and tools are also exhibited. The museum even uses layered sliding panels to display more material.
One striking display shows Matyushin’s color studies. He sought to represent music visually. He aimed to show a fourth dimension. These studies reveal his visionary approach.
The St. Petersburg Museum of Avant-garde is on Ulitsa Professora Popova. Although exhibits are in Russian, the art speaks for itself. Photos and paintings capture the artists’ inspiration. You can visit every day except Wednesday.
The St. Petersburg Museum of Avant-garde isn’t just a collection of art. It’s a portal. It transports you to a time of artistic revolution. It reveals the minds of those who dared to see the world differently. As you leave picture the echoes of laughter, debate, and boundless creativity that once filled this wooden house.