Libraries of Russia: The Russian State Art Library opens exhibitions dedicated to its 100th anniversary

Russian State Art Library (Moscow) opens exhibitions dedicated to the Library’s 100th anniversary.

Exhibition “Discovery of Discoveries. Rare books and engravings from private collections” tells about library’s history.

On May 24, 1922 the Academic Library at the State Maly Theatre has been created on the initiative of Alexander Sumbatov-Yuzhin (1857–1927), Alexander Fomin (1868–1929) and other figures of the Maly Theatre.

A private collection is a portrait of its owner, a reflection of their interests and passions. RSAL presents portraits of its creators and friends, people of art, who have been helping the Library during this long and turbulent century.

That day, RSAL has held the first exhibition of its pieces that came from the private collections of the Library’s creators. The Library’s collections had only around 2-3 thousand depository items at the time of the Library’s opening. Archival documents show us though that only a year later the collections grew up to 45 thousand items.

One century later, the Library now showcases the books and engravings from private collections that entered it.

Currently, the RSAL’s collections contain more than 2 million depository items. The collection mostly consists of theatrical collections of Maly Theatre, Moscow Society of Dramatists and Composers, libraries of lithographed plays of E. S. Rassokhin, theatrical libraries of Y. A. Kamski and P. A. Sokolov-Jamson, etc. A significant role in the Library’s growth has been played by acquirement of private collections of A. P. Lenski, S. S. Mokulski, Y. I. Slonimski, N. D. Volkov, A. P. and Y. A. Gaziev, V. N. Kulikov, V. V. Gvozditski, and others. Books and art pieces are based on the Library’s main topics of interest: art history, theatre studies, visual arts, fashion, costume, etc.

Photo exhibition “Our pride is our reader” has been opened on the grand staircase of the RSLA’s main entrance. It displays the photographs of Library’s famous readers and friends, including Konstantin Stanislavski, Alexander Borodin, Isaak Rabinovich, Boris Messerer and others.

The President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has sent a greetings telegram to the RSLA’s specialists in time for the Library’s centenary anniversary.