To mark the 160th anniversary of the birth of Nikolay Petrovich Krasnov and as part of European Heritage Days, The Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection, in collaboration with the Belgrade Cultural Monument Protection Institute, is organising two exhibitions dedicated to this artist.

The exhibition titled “Nikolay Petrovich Krasnov, a Master of Many Arts: Watercolours and Drawings” opens at The Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection on Thursday, 19th September at 8 PM. The second segment of this exhibition project will be hosted by the Belgrade Cultural Monuments Protection Institute, which will present an exhibition titled “Nikolay Petrovich Krasnov, a Master of Many Arts: The Architectural Legacy of Belgrade” from 12th September 2024.

The Memorial Collection exhibition “Nikolay Petrovich Krasnov, a Master of Many Arts: Watercolours and Drawings” is based on the monograph “Oeuvre of Nikolay Petrovich Krasnov in Belgrade (1922–1939)” which draws on the master’s thesis by art historian Sanja Kiproski. This thesis received the Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection Award for the best master’s thesis in national art history in 2022 defended at the Department of Art History, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade. The work of Russian architect Nikolay Petrovich Krasnov (Khonyatino, 1864 – Belgrade, 1939) left a distinctive mark on Serbian architecture between the two World Wars. A former Russian imperial architect and member of the Romanov court, Krasnov emigrated to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia after the October Revolution. His arrival in Belgrade gave birth to a new city aesthetic, characterised by monumental buildings of Russian provenance. His architectural achievements form part of the capital’s identity, and some have since been recognised as cultural monuments.

The contribution to this project was supported by numerous institutions that provided works displayed and reproduced in the exhibition catalogue: Archives of Yugoslavia, The Museum of Science and Technology, the National Library of Serbia, the Serbian Orthodox Church Museum, and the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia. The Memorial Collection also received exceptional professional support from Professor Aleksandar Kadijević, mentor to Sanja Kiproski MA, who is also the reviewer of the catalogue texts and will participate in the accompanying exhibition programme alongside other associates.

The exhibitions were made possible by the Provincial Secretariat for Culture, Public Information, and Religious Affairs, and the Secretariat for Culture of the City of Belgrade. During the exhibition, there will be a promotion of the monograph “Oeuvre of Nikolay Petrovich Krasnov in Belgrade (1922–1939)”, published with support from the Provincial Secretariat and the City of Novi Sad Office for Culture.

Illustration: N. P. Krasnov, 1939, Museum of Science and Technology, Belgrade