Central House of Artists: exhibitions

To get acquainted with some works of contemporary art, to admire the paintings of Russian artists who created in the first half of the twentieth century, you can attend the master classes of sculptors and people of other creative professions by visiting the Central House of Artists (CHA). In Moscow (and throughout Russia) it is one of the most famous exhibition centers. Let's get acquainted with its history and exposition.

Historical reference

Until 1923, at the place where the Central Artist's House is now located, was the All-Russian Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition. After its closure, a stadium was built here, which, however, did not last long. In 1956 it was decided to place on this site a building for an exhibition hall for the Union of Artists of the USSR. In parallel, the project of the premises for the Tretyakov Gallery was developed. However, over time, it was decided to combine these two objects, and in 1965 work began on a new project.

In 1979, the CHA first opened its doors to visitors.

A few words about famous people and regular events

The Central House of Artists is a multifunctional exhibition center. What does it mean? Here, events, exhibitions and master classes, developed by representatives of the most diverse creative professions, have been and still are taking place. Artists, sculptors, architects, photographers, art historians and even musicians gather in the Central House of Artists to exchange experiences and share inspiration with colleagues.

At different times there were exhibitions of very famous people in the world of art. So, the works of Salvador Dalí, Giorgio Morandi, Francis Bacon, Yves Saint-Laurent, Cartier-Bresson, Rufino Tamayo, James Rosenquist and Robert Rauschenberg were present in the walls of the CHA .

In addition, the exhibition center hosts the annual Non / fiction intellectual literature fair. There are also fairs "Art Moscow" and "Arch Moscow".

CHA and Tretyakovka

The State Tretyakov Gallery (State Tretyakov Gallery) and the Central House of Artists are closely related. The Tretyakov Gallery, located on the territory of the latter, includes an exposition of paintings by famous Russian painters who worked in the first half of the last century. Thus, the exhibition presents paintings by Marc Chagall, Kazimir Malevich, Sergei Kotenkov, Vladimir Favorsky, Robert Falk, Mikhail Larionov, Petr Konchalovsky, Pavel Korin and many others.

In the CHA there are no works of art of those recognized creators who lived and worked in the pre-revolutionary period. These paintings and sculptures can be seen in the old building of the Tretyakov Gallery, located in Lavrushinsky Lane.

Exhibitions: Central House of Artists

Exhibitions in the CHA are interesting, and the number of them is great. All together, they reveal the many facets of art, both modern and existing for many years.

Annually around 250-300 exhibitions are held here. Works of art are distributed in the vast territory of the Central House of Artists, fill as many as sixty functioning galleries. At the same time, works of not only domestic but also foreign artists are exhibited. Despite the collapse of the USSR, cultural ties with the Baltic countries and other states located on the territory of the post-Soviet space remain inseparable. Therefore, the work of Russian artists exhibited in the Central House of Artists is often transported abroad and shown to foreign public.

Other Activities

The central house of the artist often becomes a place for holding prestigious events from the field of culture, art and advertising. So, the Moscow Design Week, the Festival of New Culture, the Biennial of Architecture, the "Antique Salon" are held annually here.

In addition, the CHA has concert halls, in which creative evenings and meetings, master classes, musical events are held. Famous Russian bands and performers, invited guests have performed here many times. Passed in these walls and jazz parties and concerts.

Services provided by CHA

Among other things, the Central House of Artists provides its visitors with some more services. In its territory there are cafes and restaurants, bars and even billiard halls. There are also shops with souvenir products: albums, postcards, photos. In addition, you can buy and books about art, as well as special video films on discs. There are also small shops of jewelry and handmade jewelry. For the convenience of the guests of the CHA there is also a spacious parking lot, where five hundred cars are placed at once.

At the Central House of the artist there are also children's studios and mugs. Talented teachers help to introduce young students to art and show them how to find beauty even in the most ordinary everyday phenomena.

But all this could no longer be ...

In 2008, a project was signed for the construction of a new building designed to house the Tretyakov Gallery. It was planned that it would be a fifteen-story house erected in the form of a giant orange. According to the project, the "fruit" should look divided into five "slices", each of which would contain not only the exhibition halls of the gallery, but also offices, hotel rooms and luxury residential apartments. In fact, this project was commercial.

But this "Orange" was never built. Almost immediately after the adoption of the draft, the Moscow public expressed its negative opinion about the coming changes. There was even created a Public Council for Cultural Centers - an organization whose first official activity was the protection of the Central House of Artists from demolition. The Council included painters, architects, sculptors and people of other creative professions.

Then, in 2008, everything seems to have turned out, and in the press there were materials about the fact that the "Orange" on the site of the CHA will not appear. But soon another project was proposed to rebuild the existing exhibition complex. It was planned to build separate buildings for the Central House of Artists and the Tretyakov Gallery, as well as to lay a conference hall on the site of an old building of impressive dimensions.

At the end of the same year, 2008, a hearing was held in the Public Chamber on the re-planning of the CHA. The collective of workers of the State Tretyakov Gallery addressed an open letter to Vladimir Medvedev and Vladimir Putin.

In February 2009, at the entrance to Gorky Park, a demonstration was held against the demolition of the CHA building. In the Central House of Artists a hearing took place, attended by several hundred people. Of these, less than ten approved the project to build a new exhibition complex.

Unfortunately, the question was then decided not in favor of the existing building. The chief architect of the capital, Alexander Kuzmin, explained that the budget of the city does not have free money for the reconstruction of the CHA, which means that it would be advisable to give the project for construction to solvent investors. To put the building of the Central House of Artists under protection as an object of cultural heritage also failed, because from the moment of erection it has not passed 40 years.

Central House of Artists: how to get there

The exhibition complex, however, opens its doors to visitors on any day of the week, except Monday. Working hours are: from 11:00 to 20:00.

What is the address of the Central House of Artists? Krymsky Val, 10. You can get there on foot from the metro station "Park Kultury" or "Oktyabrskaya", as well as trolleybus № 10, travel to the stop "TsPKiO im. Gorky. "