Re-encounter: The Art Collection of Yakov Rubinstein

Re-encounter: The Art Collection of Yakov Rubinstein

The book accompanies the exhibition Re-encounter: The Art Collection of Yakov Rubinstein (01.10.2022–30.04.2023) – both are part of the programme dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Mikkel Museum.

The current exhibition and the catalogue introduce one of the most outstanding, even legendary, art collections assembled the 1960s–1970s. Jakov Rubinstein (1901–1983) was among the first collectors in the Soviet Union who started collecting art immediately after Stalin’s death and devoted their collections to the works of Russian avant-garde and contemporary underground artists who were still officially banned. It was especially valuable because it demonstrated how diverse Russian art was before the onset of Stalinism and how it still existed under the totalitarian regime. Rubinstein’s pursuit of not only works by famous names but also works of high artistic quality resulted in the collection obtaining pieces by artists little known in the 1960s–1970s.