Support the Gallery - Oscar Wilde Tales e-book Russian
Support the Gallery - SHKID Republic e-book
Tatiana Kofyan - Illustrated e-books
Timeline picture
Introduction
Advertisement Package for Specialized Shops
Russian Avant-garde Gallery is an educational website, made with the aim of bringing all the information about the Avant-garde art to the general public and the people who love it or are working with it. It has been developed, designed, programmed and run by Tatiana and Vera Kofyan - in the past 8 years by Vera only.
The Russian Avant-garde Gallery aims to collect and bring everything which may be of interest to the people who love the Russian Avant-garde to them at one single place. This includes books, posters, photographs, films and other items of the various Russian Avant-garde groups, movements and individual artists, albums and catalogues of museum expositions or private collections, "antique" prints and editions and more.
If you are an owner of a Specialized Shop and wish to offer your items of interest in the area of the Russian Avant-garde art to our visitors right here, I have made this offer especially for you.
A separate category for Specialized Bookshops
A separate category was opened in the left-hand Recommendations menu called Specialized Bookshops, where each exhibition has its own page separated by tabs, one click away from the visitors.
The page is made in the general design of the Russian Avant-garde Gallery, but with text and images from the specific shop, with the full approval of the shop owners. Changes are done and special offers may be added at any time, immediately upon the advertiser's written request.
The contact details of the Specialized Shop and links to their management and websites are provided on the page clearly.
Rotating "Featured" item
A tasteful "Featured" window will be placed in the sidebar, rotating a short ad for each of the Specialized Shops.
We bring the people to you
Over 500 visitors per day come to visit the Russian Avant-garde Gallery. This is a large pool of potential customers for your Specialized Shop.
Future developments
Russian Avant-garde Gallery does not stand frozen in place. It constantly grows, and looks to develop and expand its activity. The plans we have for development will bring ever more people to visit us daily, and you get as much benefit from the alliance as the visitors.
While the advertiser continues with payment. according to agreement, all the above is kept up. Naturally, once payment ceases and is not renewed - the shop is taken off the Gallery website.
To discuss any special terms, offers and requests, please contact me through the contact form.
Advertisement Packages
Upon coming to agreement with us in writing, you may purchase an Advertisement Package by choosing one of the following packages.
Payment is made via PayPal, and at this point is not needs to be renewed by advertiser. We shall in the future add a recurrent payment option.
You should familiarize yourself with the Terms & Conditions as stated in the Gallery Mission & Policy document.
How your contribution is to be used
Your contribution will be used to hire a dedicated team, pay the programmer for work done, purchase the minimum necessary equipment and pay them and myself very humble wages. This should eventually bring more support for the next years, and pave the way for the Gallery to support itself and its team.
The team will consist of:
a professional programmer who has been working on credit and doing a brilliant job;
a marketing and promotion manager to locate new material; create mutually beneficial partnerships and extend services by bringing events of interest to the visitors; find experts and articles; etc;
an art student to assist with manual development work (locating, proofing, recording, scanning and processing) so the website information base grows faster + some basic equipment and books;
a forum manager and promoter to get the conversation going, start, keep and moderate; filter out the SPAMmers and trouble-makers, engage more participants;
and finally – myself, to put it all together and coordinate the team’s efforts; answer feedback and implement the visitors’ suggestions; develop the new ideas; interviews experts; choose and add the new artists and expand the existing and insufficiently presented ones; write biographies for the new artists and rewrite the existing insufficient ones... still a lot of work for me to do, as you may see.
Additional questions you may find interesting
The Russian Avant-garde Galley is unique
There are numerous websites and material on the Russian Avant-garde, I know many of them from my own research for each artist I publish or expand. Some focus on a single artist, most give the few top names and concise art-critic-style basic information about their artistic career, a small amount of the best-known works. Many are blogs which present bits and pieces with the most minimal information (too often none at all).
The Russian Avant-garde Gallery is unique.
Instead of focusing solely on the "technical" presentation of selected works, it aims to give an encompassing picture of the whole phenomenon, in the fullest and most human way possible. It strives to appeal to both sides of the spectrum of our visitors: the specialists and hobbyists – who may find the art-critic cryptic style sufficient; and the general public, who are largely unfamiliar with the terminology; the background, both historical and artistic; the happenings and social and political climate around the artists of the time; and the human factors involved. Due to the nature of the place and time the whole phenomenon is a mystery to them, and the art-critic language and view does nothing to help them understand it. The Russian Avant-garde Gallery tells the story in simple understandable language, accentuating the human side, the evolution of the phenomenon as it is reflected in the people and their personal stories, their art, the various expressions of their emotions and personalities. To connect to the people.
The Russian Avant-garde Gallery's second aim is building a vast resource to serve the whole spectrum of visitors, bringing together all interests and services required by each and every group, such as books, films, expositions, articles, fairs, discussions; And this part is still at a raw beginning stage.
My vision of the future of the Gallery
I see the Russian Avant-garde Gallery in two-three years from now becoming a vast resource on the whole historical, political, social and artistic phenomenon, and on everything to do with Russian Avant-garde in one place, but without the flashy, commercialized feel and endless intrusion of third-party advertising. Even today it is considered the best of its kind by many who work in the field of the Russian Avant-garde. I can clearly see it:
offering an extensive and detailed overview of the phenomenon, and its background, in an easy-to-grasp way, for all those who are not experts in art;
presenting as wide a range as possible of the works of hundreds of artists in various styles, both members of structured movements and groups of the time and unaffiliated ones;
serving as a platform to publish the articles written on the subject by specialists all over the world, to show their new books and treatises;
bringing current information on exhibitions, shows and events to those who want to go and see the works themselves;
partnering with experts, galleries, auction houses and provenance services, antique book dealers and shops, to benefit the collectors and specialists;
engaging in lively exchange between people on the forum, learning and teaching, discussing and sharing ideas, as a social network of people who share a passion for this art;
becoming a thriving home for Russian Avant-garde art, which it has never had before.
And I see it offering the information for free to all visitors, as originally intended.
The project has great potential to support itself, provided the team first does some intensive work for a period of a year, at least, perhaps two, and to allow me to continue publishing further artists and their works, adding articles of interest, doing interviews, create the partnerships which would bring future support.
How the Russian Avant-garde Gallery came to be
My mother, Tatiana Kofyan, was an exceptional woman, an artist, graduate of the Leningrad (today St.Petersburg) Academy of Arts. Ever since she has discovered it at the age of 18 in the closed off store rooms of Leningrad’s museums, she had a passion for Russian Avant-garde art. All her life she collected books and stories, made the acquaintance of artists and their descendants, and her greatest pain was that people all over the world did not know about it. Even specialists knew very little. She has nurtured the dream of bringing it out to the world, opening up the stories of these artists, educating the general public about this wonderful phenomenon of growth and discovery, of freedom and enthusiasm, of true belief and new expression – and of the danger of ignorance in power and the brutal limitation of freedom of creation.
At the turn of the 21st century, with the development of Internet, she has finally found the way to realize her dream, and together we created in 2001 the Russian Avant-garde Gallery (www.russianavantgard.com).
In 2003, after a brief period of relentless work on the Gallery, my mother has died of lymphoma, leaving the website at a very beginning and raw stage. I have wowed to continue her life project, but for several years had no ability to give it the time needed. Until in 2008 along came a wonderful person, a collector and benefactor, who offered me a chance to work half-time on this project, for which I am endlessly grateful. By that time the Russian Avant-garde Gallery already had 400 visitors per day. There were then 73 artists and 2,336 of their works published in a rather primitive HTML-based site, and rather humbly representing each. We were still at concept level.
In 2008 the site was upgraded to a better CSS- HTML-based one (I had to learn to do that). Since then I added (working by myself, part-time):
4,000 works of 32 artists;
my mother’s works;
articles on each of the movements;
articles on the Russian Avant-garde phenomenon for beginners;
articles on over 60 artistic groups;
a forum;
made a section on events and shows;
and more.
Today there are over 6,300 works on the website, about 100 artists. In 2011 the website has gone through a full upgrade database-oriented platform, by a wonderful programmer in India, who mostly worked on credit, and it needs much more work, to make it more easily manageable as it continues to grow. I converted all information to databases, an immense amount of work.
What is Russian Avant-garde Art?
The Russian Avant-garde art is a phenomenon in Russian art of the first half of the 20th century, during which hundreds of Russian artists have taken art through great metamorphosis. In the space of three decades they have gone from classic Realism through the whole spectrum of evolution, such as has taken a hundred years and more in other places.
By early 1930s this blossoming artistic life was brutally cut off by the Soviet authorities, imposing the only “approved” style - Social Realism. As a result, most of the Avant-garde artists were persecuted, suppressed or made to conform, works destroyed or lost, secretly sold off to any who would take them for pittance, smuggled abroad.
During the last 4 years of my work on the site gave me a chance to connect to this phenomenon, to understand my mother’s passion for Russian avant-garde and come to share it myself. To discover so much about these amazing people and their dreams, their drive, their tragedy.
Your contribution will allow further development of the Russian Avant-garde Gallery, taking it to the next level!
Participate! Help us restore the Russian Avant-garde history!!!
This website deals with Russian Avant-garde in a way different from any other. It was created in order to restore the history, give back to the artists of the Russian Avant-garde the voice taken from them during the USSR persecutions. These artists are more than their works. They each have stories, personal tragedies, which teach us so many lessons in history of art and culture, of human nature and politics, of Power and freedom of expression. These stories teach us, one person at a time, about each artist's search for expression, struggle against oppression and dictate, their own personal solution to that conflict - or lack thereof.
For years the outlook on how this story should be told has been evolving in my mother's and then my minds, and is still growing, changing, evolving. But one thing has remained rock true:
These artists have had their voices stolen, clamped on, strangled, silenced. We are determined to give it back to them and to sound it for all to hear, loud and clear.
You can help! You can make a difference!
You can help in the following 5 ways at least:
(1) Join the Team, and receive percentage of the sum raised:
The Russian Avant-garde Gallery is looking for a Team Member, who shall be be in charge of Fundraising in any of the following ways:
Take charge of the PR and advertising (see Our Team page for more details);
Find sponsors willing to support the project.
The Team member will be paid percentage from the sum raised, according to the agreement between us.
(2) Donate a sum of your choice and receive a gift:
Donate a sum of your choice through the button below and receive great gifts as thanks for your contribution:
$50 and above: an exclusive interview with filmmaker Michael Craig about Alexander Rodchenko.
$100 and above: the above exclusive interview and one FLASH flipping e-book illustrated by my mother and specifically made by me, per your choice (see below);
$200 and above - the above exclusive interview and two FLASH flipping e-books illustrated by my mother and specifically made by me (see below);
$500 and above: all the above and also your name in a special Sponsors category;
$1000 and above: also a featured article with your full story, the way you want it told;
$2000 and above: I will send you original signed lino print by my mother (please note: quantity is limited, the early birds get the prize!).
Any support is welcome and appreciated.
(3) Acquire a FLASH flip-page e-book with my mother's illustrations:
"The SHKID Republic" by Belykh and Panteleev (Russian):
An autobiographical novel telling about the life of young teenage boys, homeless or from dysfunctional homes, at the famous "School by name of Dostoyevsky" in St.Petersburg at the beginning of the USSR regime. An amazing tale of the early days of reform education, of the boys' struggle, between sheer survival and other available choice. Written by two of the schools former students.
Over 100 wonderful tri-color illustrations by Tatiana Kofyan.
Oscar Wilde's tales "The nightingale and the Rose" (English or Russian versions):
Nine tales of the very best, most beloved, masterful tales about the eternal questions of right and wrong; of sensitivity and egotism; of the material and the spiritual; of friendship and exploitation; of generosity and greed.
Over 120 magical black-and-white illustrations by Tatiana Kofyan.
(4) If you cannot help financially, please help spread the word:
share the link with your friends and colleagues on e-mail;
Likethe campaign page on Facebook or follow on Twitter;
repostthe link on your Facebook wall or any other social network;
post a link on your blog or website...
Perhaps one of your friends and acquaintances would like to participate.
(5) Buying books?
Any art-lover also loves books on the subject.
Check out what we have for you here on Russian Avant-garde Gallery in the special section dedicated to this particular side of our interest: Books, films and other things. The books, films etc are divided into sections by subject: those on General Avant--garde or collections, particular Movements and different styles. There are also suggestion and recommendations about books on specific artists, on each artist's page, so you don't have to search.
Your contribution will help tell the story to all. It will keep this website alive and take it to the next level!!!
Contribute to the Russia Avant-garde by purchasing an illustrated FLASH flip-page e-book
Overview
"The Nightingale and the Rose", Tales by Oscar Wilde, are well-known and well-loved work of literature all over the world. The tales touch on the eternal question of good and evil in human nature, of corruption by power, of embracing or rejecting the spiritual, of what happens when one chooses the material singularly over the spiritual.
The book features over 120 magical and captivating black-and-white illustrations by Tatiana Kofyan made in Israel, for the "Am Oved" publishing house in Tel Aviv. The layout was initially planned so there would be an illustration on every page. However, the original book was printed in Hebrew, which is a more condensed language than English or Russian. Therefore, there are about 4 "surplus" pages without illustrations in the English version.
Purchasing
The e-book was made with the sole purpose of raising support for the development of the Russian Avant-garde Gallery. It is enlightening and fun to read and the beautiful illustrations are delightful to the eye and capture the spirit of the tale perfectly.
It may be a perfect gift for your friends and loved ones. However, due to the reason just stated above, I kindly request that you purchase another copy for the gift. Expressly for that purpose I have made the following pricing:
To contribute by buying the e-book: $50.
For each additional copy - to send out as a gift - $25.
Purchase is easily made via PayPal. You don't need to have a PayPal account to make the purchase.
Languages:
The e-book is available in either English or Russian. This page is for the English version, for the Russian version go to this page.
Available formats:
The e-book is available for download in the following formats (click the corresponding image to choose):
ZIPped folder for Windows users +
mobile version
ZIPped folder
for MAC users + i-Pad
Exetutable EXE file
After making the payment you will be directed to the corresponding link for download.
If you would like a different format, like epub or Kindle - please contact me and request it, and I shall make it for you.
Thank you for your contribution!
Contribute to the Russia Avant-garde by purchasing an illustrated FLASH flip-page e-book - Помогите Галерее Русского Авангарда, купив иллюстрированную электронную Флэш-книгу
Overview - Обзор
"Соловей и роза", сказки Оскара Уайльда. Русский вариант.
Девять лучших, трогательных и известных сказок про вечные вопросы различия между добром и злом; про чуткость и эгоизм; про материальное и духовное; про дружбу и использование; про щедрость и жадность.
Включает более 120 черно-белых иллюстраций Татьяны Кофьян.
Книга была напечатана изначально на иврите, для издательства "Ам Овед" в Тель Авиве. В оригинальном раскладе, на каждую страницу полагалась своя иллюстация. Однако, иврит является более "сжатым", так сказать, компактным, языком - текст на нем занимает меньме места, физически, чем на русском или английском. Поэтому, в русском или английском вариантах получается где-то 4 страницы, на которые иллюстраций "не хватило".
Purchasing - Приобретение
Эта электронная книга была сделана с единственной целью, помочь в финансирокании дальнейшего развития вебсайта Галерея Русского Авангарда. Сказки чудесны и иллюстрации волшебно передают их атмосферу.
Книга - прекрасный подарок для Ваших родных и близких, и друзей. Однако, по вышеуказанной причине, в качестве подарка прошу приобрести добавочный экземпляр. Специально для этого сделана следующая расценка:
Внести участе, купив книгу: $50.
За каждый добавочный экземпляр - в качестве подарка: $25.
Купить можно легко, при помощи PayPal. Вам не нужно иметь счет на PayPal чтобы купить книгу.
Languages - Языки
Можно купить книгу по-русски или по-фнглийски. Эта страница для русской версии, для английской версии - пройдите по этой ссылке.
Available formats - Возможные Форматы Книги
Книга предлагается в следующих форматах (нажмите на соответствующую картинку, чтобы выбрать):
ZIPped folder for Windows users +
mobile version
ZIPped folder
for MAC users + i-Pad
Exetutable EXE file
После опдаты Вы получите нужную ссылку для скачивания.
Услм Вам нужен иной формат - epub или Kindle - свяжитесь со мной и я сделаю его для Вас.
Благодарю за участие в проекте!
Contribute to the Russia Avant-garde by purchasing an illustrated FLASH flip-page e-book
Overview
"Respublika ShKID" (The ShKID Republic) by G.Belykh and L.Panteleyev is an autobiographical novel telling about the life of young teenage boys, homeless or from dysfunctional homes, at the famous "School by name of Dostoyevsky" in St.Petersburg at the beginning of the USSR regime. An amazing tale of the early days of reform education, of the boys' struggle, between sheer survival and other available choice. Written by two of the schools former students.
The book features over 100 wonderful tri-color illustrations by Tatiana Kofyan made in the beginning of 1979, the year of our emigration from USSR, and the last book she illutrated there. It was published by "Karelia" publishing house, in Petrozavodsk.
Purchasing and Gifting
The e-book was made with the sole purpose of raising support for the development of the Russian Avant-garde Gallery. It is elnightening and fun to read and the beautiful illustrations are delighful to the eye and capture the spirit of the tale perfectly.
It may be a perfect gift for your friends and loved ones. However, due to the reason just stated above, I kindly request that you purchase another copy for the gift. Expressly for that purpose I have made the following pricing:
To contribute by purchasing the e-book: $50.
For each additional copy - to send out as a gift - $25.
Purchase is easily made via PayPal. You don't need to have a PayPal account to make the purchase.
Available formats:
The e-book is available for download in the following formats (click the image to choose):
ZIPped folder for Windows users +
mobile version
ZIPped folder
for MAC users + i-Pad
Exetutable EXE file
After making the payment you will be directed to the corresponding link for download.
If you would like a different format, like epub or Kindle - please contact me and request it, and I shall make it for you.
Thank you for your contribution!
Tatiana Kofyan - Illustrated e-books
To help support the Russian Avant-garde Gallery, I have made the following e-books, illustrated by Tatiana Kofyan. By purchasin them here, you make a contribution to the further development of this website and receive a delightful, flip-page e-book.
Right now there is only one e-book ready, but more are in preparation, and will be ready very soon (in a matter of a couple of weeks).
The SHKID Republic, by G.Belykh and L.Panteleev.
The book was Illustrated in the beginning of 1979, the last year of our life in USSR (we left in April that year), and published after we left. In the initial printing Tatiana's name was omitted from the book, because of our immigration. There are over 100 illustrations here.
An autobiographical novel telling about the life of young teenage boys, homeless or from dysfunctional homes, at the famous "School by name of Dostoyevsky" in St.Petersburg at the beginning of the USSR regime. An amazing tale of the early days of reform education, of the boys' struggle, between sheer survival and other available choice. Written by two of the schools former students.
Flip-page e-book, 391 pages.
The Nighingale and the Rose, Tales by Oscar Wilde.
The book was Illustrated in 1987, in Israel. There are over 120 magical black-and-white illustrations here.
Publishing house: "Am Oved", Tel Aviv. Originally published in Hebrew. Here - in English or Russian.
Nine tales of the very best, most beloved, masterful tales about the eternal questions of right and wrong; of sensitivity and egotism; of the material and the spiritual; of friendship and exploitation; of generosity and greed.
Flip-page e-book, 139 pages.
Tatiana Kofyan's Introduction
I am hereby starting a Russian Avant-garde gallery. This form of art has come to the knowledge of Western and American public in the recent twenty years, while in Russia it has only been "permitted" in the last decade of the XXth century, before which time it was hiding underground.
Although its history is yet to be written, Russian Avant-garde has had great impact on the development of art all over the world. Already names such as Malevich, Kandinsky, Larionov, Goncharova, Lissitzky, Tatlin have found their place in the history of world art as founders of "off-side" art movements. The Avant-garde is much like an iceberg whose tip we can well see, but there are deep layers, numerous new names for the art-lovers, which even the art-critic specialists may find unfamiliar.
It has long been customary to consider the Avant-garde artists as charlatans; mutineers; breakers of form and rule. Nevertheless, when you leaf through the various artists biographies, it becomes apparent that most of these people have received a brilliant education in art (and in many cases - not only arts). They were all passionate about their work and worked incessantly; participated in international exhibitions all over the world, and with great success; have been awarded prizes and honorary titles. At the break of the 1930s, the Soviet government has "terminated" the Avant-garde, formally. The hundreds of paintings purchased by various museums were hidden away in storage cellars or sent out to small provincial museums, where most perished, though some enthusiasts were able to save a few works. Drawings were destroyed. And as to the artists themselves, they had to either change their skin and proclaim the regime, or remove themselves to teaching, organizing exhibitions and other such peripheral jobs. And even that didn't always save their lives and their secret "freedom" of expression. Many have paid with their lives or their freedom for their will to create differently, to innovate. Many lived in poverty, on the verge of hunger, and the exceptions had to serve the lies and empty slogans, and pay the toll.
I would not presume to the absolute completeness of the material presented here, although I shall strive to bring before you as many Avant-garde paintings of the greatest number of artists as I can, including their names and biographies, as well as some information on different movements in Russian art in the second half of the XX century. This would undoubtedly take some time, therefore I would humbly ask everyone who may find himself interested in this site to return again occasionally. The presented material would be growing continuously.
I hope that after you familiarize yourself with the creations of these artists and reach a better understanding of their ideas you may grow to love and understand the Russian Avant-garde.
(1) Join the Team, and receive percentage of the sum raised:
(5) Buying books?
