Belgrade, 17 October 2013 – Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander II and Crown Princess Katherine hosted this evening at the Royal Palace the opening of the exhibition “The Image of the Russian Spirituality in the Royal Palace”. This unique exhibition is displaying Russian ecclesiastical art of the 18th and the 19th centuries which is kept at the Royal Compound Art collection, HM King Peter I Foundation at Oplenac and in private collections.

Guests were addressed by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Alexander II, who officially opened the exhibition, His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia, HE Mr Alexander Chepurin, Ambassador of Russian Federation to Serbia and Mr Dragomir Acovic, Chairman of the Crown Council.
This extraordinary event was attended by His Grace Bishop Andrej of Remesiana, Mr. Valery Zorkin, president of Constitutional Court of Russian Federation, Prof. Dr Oliver Antic, councillor to President of Serbia, F. Leopold Rochmes, Vicar general and representative of Catholic Archbishop of Belgrade Stanislav Hocevar, H.E. Mr Ricardo Fernando Fernandez, ambassador of Argentina, H.E. Mr Vladimir Chushev, ambassador of Belarus, H.E. Mr Heinz Georg Wilhelm, ambassador of Germany, H.E. Mr. Constantine Economides, ambassador of Greece, H.E. Mr Fawzi Abdulaziz Ahmad Al-Jasem, ambassador of Kuwait, H.E. Mrs Mercedes Felicitas Ruiz Zapata, ambassador of Mexico, H.E. Mr Zaw Tun, ambassador of Myanmar, H.E. Mr Hamlaoui Majid, ambassador of Tunisia, academician Ljubisa Rakic, vice president of Serbian Academy of sciences and arts, academician Dimitrije Stefanovic, secretary general of Serbian Academy of sciences and arts, representatives of numerous cultural institutions and other distinguished guests.
HRH Crown Prince Alexander welcomed guests and said: “This exhibition will bring an exciting encounter with the works of Russian masters that were part of the art collection of my great grandfather, HM King Peter I. Some of these works are especially important, because they were the gifts from the Russian Emperor Nicholas II.”

This extraordinary exhibition, prepared by the Royal Palace Fund, reveals deep connections between Royal House of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and Russian Imperial House. Visitors will have the opportunity to see lesser known works of Russian painters and iconographers from 18th and 19th century that have been kept at the Royal Compound, HM King Peter I Foundation in Oplenac and several private collections.

The focus of the exhibition is on the painting “Christ walks on water” from 1849 by Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovsky, famous representative of Russian Romanticism, that is part of the original Art collection of the Royal Compound.

The second segment of the exhibition shows ecclesiastical works of 18th and 19th centuries, that were part of the Art collection of HM King Peter I Royal Court, great grandfather of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Alexander II. There are several icons from private collections on display, showing different styles of Russian ecclesiastical school.

Part of the exhibition will present Russian publishings on Russian ecclesiastical art from 18th and 19th centuries that are kept in the Royal Library, they show cultural ties and influence between Russia and Serbia.

The Royal Palace Fund expresses special gratitude to SAGA Ltd a company from Belgrade for the donation of funds for restoration and conservation of the painting “Christ walks on water”, and to the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Serbia for their superb work.

“The Image of the Russian Spirituality in the Royal Palace” will be open for visitors until Thursday, October 24th, every day at 11 am and 2 pm, and visitors should announce their visit one day in advance by calling 011 306 4075.

Odnosi s javnošću
Kraljevski Dvor
Beograd 11040, Srbija
Tel: +381 11 306 4000
Fax: +381 11 306 4040
Email: pr@dvor.rs
Posetite http://www.dvor.rs