The Museum of 20th–21st Century Art of St Petersburg (MASP) is a one-of-a-kind cultural institution with a unique character. What sets MASP apart from any other St Petersburg museum and stakes out its claim to a niche in Russia’s cultural terrain is its display, promotion, and research of the fine artwork and historic and contemporary art trends that originated here.
The museum was officially established in December 2015 as a branch of the Manege Central Exhibition Hall. However, this important for the city event was preceded by a lengthy existence of the collection itself, on which basis a new state cultural institution appeared – MASP.
The actual collection dates back to the year 1991, when the Culture Committee of the St Petersburg Mayor’s Office set the wheels in motion to found a new museum. The mission to put the collection together was entrusted to the Manege Central Exhibition Hall, whose team had for many years successfully handled the entire range of challenging tasks for the acquisition, recording, storage, and study of artworks. MASP’s collection currently numbers nearly 12,000 exhibits.
The complex of buildings, housing the Museum, consists of separate architectural structures grouped around the courtyard.
The museum carries out extensive exhibition activities drawing on its own collection and organising temporary displays on four sites of the main building.
In summer, the museum uses its inner courtyard as a venue for all manner of cultural events and exhibition initiatives.
The museum also sends its treasures on tour, staging exhibitions across Russia and abroad.
MASP also runs an educational centre, which offers a wide-ranging educational programme consisting of talks, workshops, creative seminars, and roundtable debates.
As part of its research work, the museum publishes books about its collection and releases updates on its exhibitions and educational projects.
MASP is situated at 103, Griboyedov Canal in the historic centre of St Petersburg, a two-minute walk from the legendary Mariinsky Theatre, the St Nicholas Naval Cathedral of the Epiphany, Yusupov Palace, and other iconic St Petersburg landmarks.
Café Constable, with its creatively designed interior, serves as both a place to rest during museum visits and to peruse and purchase souvenirs.
The café expands in the summer, moving its tables into the inner courtyard, where visitors can relax in the fresh air while sipping on cold beverages. In winter Café Constable helps its visitors to keep warm by playing vinyl records from its own collection.
There is also gift and book shop with a wide range of goods in the museum cloakroom area.
THE MUSEUM of 20th–21st Century Art of St Petersburg FRIENDS’ CLUB
We invite you to join our Friends’ Club so you can be part of the exciting, eventful life of the Museum of 20th–21st Century Art of St Petersburg.
The mission of the Friends’ Club is to help the museum improve and expand. Your membership gives the museum opportunity to improve its activities by augmenting its collection and designing and running exhibition projects and educational programmes for children and adults.
Membership fees are put towards meeting the museum’s specific needs, such as the purchase of artworks from creators or their heirs, restoration of art pieces in the collection, staging exhibitions on the museum’s premises and elsewhere in Russia and abroad, and publication of art books and catalogues introducing audiences to the museum’s treasures.
MASP DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION
The foundation mission is to raise money from the private sector. Most of the funds raised go towards artwork purchases, exhibitions, publishing, exhibit restoration, educational programmes, and social initiatives.
Governing bodies of the Development Foundation:
The top governing body is the Board of the MASP Friends’ Club
Chair of the Board:
Nikolai Botka
Members
Vladimir Yakovlev
1996–2003 Governor of St Petersburg
2003–2007 Deputy Chair of the Government of the Russian Federation, Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for the Southern Federal District, Minister of Regional Development of the Russian Federation
Since 2009 - President of the RF Builders’ Union
Nikolai Burov
Advisor to the Governor of St Petersburg
Member of the Union of Theatre Workers of the Russian Federation, People's Artist of the Russian Federation
Georgy Abelev
Vice President of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs
Yegor Semenov Entrepreneur, Patron of the Arts
Nikolai Malygin
Founder of the Sem Vetrov Charity Foundation, Entrepreneur, Collector
Dmitry Shneerson
Director of the Museum of the History of Photography
Maxim Bykov
Businessman, art collector
Daniil Kowenskii
Businessman, art collector
Yury Kleiner
Professor, translator
Alexei Talaschuk
People’s Artist of the Russian Federation
Dmitry Kaminker
Sculptor
Viktor Pravdiuk
Film director, historian, journalist
Arsen Apinian
Art collector
Acknowledgements
The Museum of 20th–21st Century Art of St Petersburg extends its heartfelt thanks to the Friends’ Club members Egor Semenov, Georgy Botka, Nikolai Botka, Dmitry Schneerson and Nikolai Malygin for donating several works by Leningrad artists to the museum.
Donation from D. Schneerson and N. Malygin:
Vladimir Grinberg. Neva. Summer (on the reverse: In the fields. Voronino Village). 1940. Oil on canvas
Donation from G. Abelev:
Lidia Timoshenko. Girl at the hedge.1958 Oil on canvas
Donations from E. Semenov:
Grigory Grinberg. Self-Portrait. Petrograd. 1918. Charcoal on paper, laid on cardboard
Grigory Grinberg. Portrait of a Woman with a High Hairstyle. Petrograd, 1920s. Charcoal on paper
Grigory Grinberg. Mademoiselle Soroka. Petrograd, 1923. Charcoal and sanguine on paper
Donation from N. Botka:
Vladimir Feoktistov. Summer. 2005. Oil on canvas.
Thanks to the financial support of Dmitry Shneerson and Daniil Kowenskii, the museum has published a massive catalogue in Russian and English of the very best artworks in the collection of the Museum of 20th–21st Century Art of St Petersburg. The catalogue comes with a substantial scholarly section, featuring introductory articles, artists’ biographies, and archival photographic material.
The financial contribution of Oleg Klimenko has made it possible for us to publish a presentational brochure about the museum and its collection, highlighting its historic significance, developmental focus, and prospective vision.
MASP'S LOYALTY PROGRAMMES
INDIVIDUAL CLUB MEMBER:
- provision of a personal Club member card;
- personal acknowledgement on the website;
- priority introduction to exhibition plans;
- priority booking of tickets to exhibitions, shows and other events;
- invitations to events organised for Friends’ Club members only;
- receiving regular newsletters with information on plans and events;
- receiving invitations to planned events for two persons;
- the right to invite guests (not more than three persons) to exhibitions and other events.
CORPORATE CLUB MEMBER:
- provision of personal Club membership cards to the head of the organisation and two employees;
- acknowledgement of the organisation on the website;
- priority introduction to exhibition plans;
- priority booking of tickets to exhibitions, shows and other events;
- invitations to events organised for Friends’ Club members only;
- receiving regular newsletters with information on plans and events;
- receiving invitation to planned MISP events for two persons;
- the right to invite guests (not more than 5 persons) to exhibitions and other events;
- the right to a free guided tour for the organisation staff pre-approved by MASP (not more than two guided tours per year);
- inclusion of the organisation name in the list of MASP partners published on the website and in the yearly museum publications.
