Marking the 350th anniversary of Peter the Great: The exhibition “Peter I. The New Alphabet” presented in Moscow

The exhibition Peter I. The New Alphabet. History in writings, kunsts and sculptures, marking the 350th anniversary since the birth of the first Russian emperor, has opened in the House of Lyuboshchinsky–Vernadsky (branch of the State Literary Museum, Moscow). The exposition presents the Peter’s era through a variety of interconnected innovations in the social and cultural life of Russia in the late XVII – early XVIII centuries.

The key metaphor of the exhibition is one of the central cultural innovations of the Peter’s era – the new civil alphabet. The reform of the Cyrillic alphabet and the introduction of the civil alphabet and script contributed to the spread of secular books, played an important role in the development of Russian science and education, Russian literary language, art and book design.

The exhibition is structured as an “alphabet of deeds” of Peter the Great: from “A” – “ABC”, “Assembly”, “B” – “Peter’s Boat” to “Y”- “Youth’s Honest Reflection” and “Z” which illustrates the emperor’s statements from the collection of his sayings. Engravings, book publications, autographs coins, costumes, picturesque and original graphic works, sculptures, audio and video materials recreate the image of the new lifestyle, customs and institutions, established by orders of Peter I.

A special section of the exposition is dedicated to the perception of the Peter’s era in the XX century. For the first time ever, previously not published materials from the archives of the writer Alexei Nikolayevich Tolstoy are presented. These include the draft autograph of the poem The Black Rider of 1909, typescript of the novel Peter I, as well a little-studied historical sources for the novel from the personal library of Alexei Tolstoy.

The modern perception of the Peter’s era and persona is demonstrated by the works of young artists.

Excursions, lectures in offline and online formats, as well as the round table Image of Peter the Great in culture, literature, visual arts and folklore will take place within the framework of the exhibition.