The Tretyakov Gallery, one of Russia’s biggest and oldest arts museums, has closed the exhibition of Russian-American artist Grisha Bruskin’s works allegedly at the request of the Ministry of Culture.
According to the museum’s website, the exhibition was closed for “technical reasons.” However, independent Russian arts magazine Artgid reported that the Ministry of Culture demanded that the exhibition be canceled after complaints from “indignant citizens.” No information about the exhibition or artist is available on the museum site.
Bruskin’s exhibition, titled “A Change of Decorations,” included a 2017 multimedia installation the artist had created for the Russian pavilion at the Venetian Biennale. The installation was organized as a series of scenes in nine halls, like nine different stages that considered various aspects of political philosphy from the individual and authorities, collective and personal memory, and religious traditions and contemporary life.
It was meant to run until July 24.
Bruskin hit the international art scene with a splash when his piece at the famous Sotheby’s auction in Moscow in 1988 sold for a record-high price. Since then he has lived and worked in Moscow and New York.
