Research program
Lev Katsenelson's collection was conceived as a research project itself. The collector attempted to represent the art of Leningrad/Petrograd/Petersburg as it existed despite and outside of socialist realist restrictions. At the heart of the collection were folders, each dedicated to a particular artist, and each presented a coherent representation of that artist's oeuvre. For each visitor, the collection provided a deep dive into the unknown and often surprising world of art, an alternative to the official dogma.
The collection was a research project that constructed a counter-narrative to Soviet art history. It inspired projects by artists and researchers alike. The project dedicated to studying this collection will hopefully continue that influence and eventually become a source and a center for various research initiatives. Those could include not only working on this specific collection, but also examining the issues associated with the study of nonconformist art collecting in general. We are interested in projects that explore the history of collecting, including social and cultural histories, as well as the history and theory of avant-garde and nonconformist art.
