Paintings of Russian Impressionism & Social Realism: 1945 - 1991

The Loretta Goodwin Gallery is pleased to offer to discerning collectors Russian Impressionist paintings. These paintings reflect the rich historical complexity of the Soviet Union's transformation from a collectivist state into a budding democracy.

For sixty years, Social realism was a style mandated by the state. It was the only type of art approved and seen as a powerful propaganda tool. Communist doctrine rejected the style of impressionism, as it was associated with decadent bourgeois art. Artists who chose to paint in the impressionistic style had to practice their technique within the confines of the underground art market. During most of the twentieth century these paintings were largely unavailable to the West and only after the Iron Curtain fell in 1991 did these paintings become available to western art markets. All artists in this exhibition are members of the prestigious Union of Russian Artists. Each artist is documented in many Russian and Western academic publications. Coming from the many nations that comprised the Soviet Union, all are bound by their intense Russian academic training and a commitment to technical mastery and interpretation of nature. Another central theme in their work is the devotion to Russian culture and history.

Today, Sotheby's and Christies hold highly successful auctions in New York and London of Russian impressionist paintings. Major exhibition venues like the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, and the Russian Museum in Minneapolis, have also increased the attention these paintings have received in the international art market. Any painting over fifty years old is considered a national treasure by the Ministry of Culture and cannot leave Russia. The rarity of each painting speaks to the historical significance of the impressionist and realist movements and how they affected the unique history of art in Communist Russia