Exhibition Reception: Tuesday, January 31st, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Harriman Atrium, 12th floor IAB, 420 West 118th Street, New York, NY
On view: Monday, 23 January 2012 – Saturday, 10 March 2012

Behind the Porous Curtain, curated by Regina Khidekel, showcases 18 works by Anatoly Pronin. These works capture the Soviet period of artistic inspiration of the 1970s, as the post-Stalin thaw opened a pathway through the iron curtain for modern Western art and culture to enter the Soviet Union. Most of Pronin’s photographs were shot behind the theater curtain, capturing the private and almost intimate world of rehearsals with iconic figures such as George Balanchine, Roland Petit, Laurent Terzieff, and Marcel Marceau.

The theater tours displayed in this exhibit ended the isolation of the Soviet art scene, reviving names erased from history and introducing new ideas and methods. One of the central subjects of this collection is Leonid Jakobson, a non-conformist choreographer who created masterpieces despite strict state control, transforming classical ballet technique into modern dance lexicon.

Anatoly Pronin has pursued photography since childhood. After graduating from Leningrad State University, he worked for Leningrad publishing houses and magazines before moving to the United States in 1981. His works are part of the collections of the State Russian Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Library of Congress, among many others. He has been awarded numerous grants and awards, including the silver medal at the 1971 Berlin International Photo Exhibition.

This exhibit is part of the Fragments from the Past series, an ongoing collaboration between the Russian American Cultural Center and the Harriman Institute which aims to create a mosaic of historical events related to the Russian artistic and cultural landscape both in the Soviet Union and the West.


The Russian American Cultural Center, 520 East 76 Street # 7E New York, NY 10021
646-831-0554, russculture@aol.com; www.russianamericanculture.com
 
RACC’s events are made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the city Council, and COJECO.