Patronage activities in Russia in the second half of the 19th-20th centuries. Patrons of the arts, pre-revolutionary and current: who is more? Russian philanthropists

We decided to compare the scale of pre-revolutionary and today's charity and find out, with numbers and facts in hand, who is bigger, better, stronger?

The truly grandiose charitable activities carried out by Russian entrepreneurs, industrialists and merchants at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries are widely known. It is no coincidence that the time is from the early 1860s. and right up to the First World War they call it the “golden age of Russian philanthropy.” However, today’s largest entrepreneurs, including those who are commonly called “oligarchs,” are increasingly involved in charitable activities. We decided to compare the features and scale of that and today's charitable activities of the largest domestic entrepreneurs and find out with numbers and facts who is bigger, better, stronger?

As Konstantin Sergeevich Stanislavsky wrote, “in order for art to flourish, we need not only artists, but also patrons of the arts.” He knew what he was talking about, since he himself was not only a great theater director and theater reformer, but also came from the Alekseev merchant family, which was related to S.I. Mamontov and the Tretyakov brothers. Also, for example, the famous Moscow city mayor and philanthropist N.A. Alekseev was Stanislavsky’s cousin.

Only some of the most

To comprehensively present all the charitable deeds of pre-revolutionary patrons of the arts, you need to write more than one doctoral dissertation. Here we will list only some of the brightest and largest blessings that allowed Russian art, medicine, science and education to develop intensively more than a hundred years ago.

Let’s just make a reservation that, firstly, we will talk about the largest acts of charity, but not about its lower and middle layers. Indeed, in a sense, even from the very tops one will be able to get an idea of ​​the relationship between the scale of charity today and that time.

Secondly, we, naturally, will only talk about what we can, in principle, know. Charity and mercy should ideally be done in secret, so that no one knows about it. Let the left hand not know what the right hand is doing. So we readily admit that there may be a lot we don't know about the secret blessings of today's entrepreneurs. But we also don’t know this about pre-revolutionary patrons of the arts. So, as they say, “all other things being equal,” the comparison we intended seems completely justified and logical.

Medicine

The investments of pre-revolutionary philanthropists in medicine were truly enormous. In Moscow alone, 3 entire medical campuses were completely built with private capital funds!

One was located near the Novodevichy Convent on the Devichye Pole. There on funds Morozovs, Khludovs, Shelaputins etc. 13 clinics were built. The second, huge medical complex was built in Sokolniki with funds from philanthropists Bakhrushins, Boevs and Alekseevs.

The third town was built next to the Kaluga outpost. The current 1st and 2nd City Hospitals, the Morozov Children's Hospital (was built at the expense of the merchant of the first guild E.V. Morozov, hence its name) - all of them were built with private capital. The same thing is the current 5th city hospital, or the hospital of Tsarevich Alexy (formerly Medvednikovskaya).

It was created with money from the widow of a Siberian gold miner Alexandra Medvednikova. According to her will, 1 million rubles. was intended for the construction of a hospital with 150 beds for terminally ill patients of “Christian faiths, without distinction of rank, gender and age” and 300 thousand rubles. to an almshouse for 30 old men and 30 old women. Medvednikova ordered in her will to establish a church at the hospital and almshouse so that there could be “eternal remembrance of the donor and the persons indicated in her will.”

Also, for example, the famous Kashchenko or “Kanatchikova Dacha”, aka the 1st Moscow Psychiatric Hospital No. 1 named after. ON THE. Alekseeva was built in 1894 with funds from patrons. The collection of funds took place on the initiative of the mayor of Moscow N.A. Alekseev (the same cousin of K.S. Stanislavsky). There is the following legend about her. One of the merchants told Alekseev: “Bow at your feet in front of everyone - I’ll give you a million for the hospital (according to other sources - “only” 300,000 rubles). Alekseev bowed and received the money.

Among other capital hospitals, we mention, firstly, the St. Vladimir Children's Hospital in Moscow, founded by a philanthropist and benefactor Pavel Grigorievich von Derviz. His children died in infancy, the eldest of them was named Vladimir, and it is to his memory that the current children's hospital owes its existence. Secondly, the Botkin Hospital, for the creation of which the merchant, collector and publisher, philanthropist donated 2 million rubles Kozma Terentyevich Soldatenkov(1818–1901). In 1991, a bust of K.T. Soldatenkov was installed in front of the Botkin Hospital building as a sign of gratitude.

Art

The activities of Russian patrons in the field of arts were no less grandiose.

Railroad builder, entrepreneur and philanthropist Savva Ivanovich Mamontov(1841–1918) created the Private Russian Opera (“Mamontov Opera”), thanks to which, in particular, the brilliant Chaliapin was discovered. He invested a lot of money in the opera troupe. As the great singer recalled, “S.I. Mamontov told me: “Fedenka, you can do whatever you want in this theater!” If you need costumes, tell me and there will be costumes. If we need to stage a new opera, we’ll stage an opera! All this dressed my soul in festive clothes, and for the first time in my life I felt free, strong, able to overcome all obstacles.”

Thanks to Mamontov, the concept of a theater artist appeared in Russia, who becomes a full member of the troupe. For the productions he financed, M. Vasnetsov and K. Korovin drew sketches of costumes and scenery, and even the scenery itself.

The famous Abramtsevo estate of Mamontov became at that time truly the center of artistic life in Russia. The great Russian artists I. E. Repin, V. Vasnetsov, V. Serov, M. Vrubel, M. Nesterov, V. Polenov and others stayed here for a long time, lived and worked here. Mamontov provided significant support to many artists, including financial .

Savva Timofeevich Morozov(1862–1905) provided enormous assistance to the famous Moscow Art Theater. He constantly donated huge amounts of money for the construction and development of the Art Theater, and for some time he even managed its financial part. This is what one of the founders and leaders of the Moscow Art Theater, K.S. Stanislavsky, once told him: “The work you contributed seems like a feat to me, and the elegant building that grew up on the ruins of a brothel seems like a dream come true... I am glad that the Russian theater has found its Morozov just like that , how art waited for its Tretyakov..."

Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov(1832–1898) founded the famous Tretyakov Art Gallery. Back in the 1850s. he begins to collect a collection of Russian art. Already in 1860, Tretyakov decided to transfer his magnificent collection to the city. He built a gallery for the collected collection in 1874, which opened for public viewing in 1881. Later, Pavel Tretyakov transfers his entire collection, along with the gallery building, into the ownership of the Moscow City Duma. By the way, his last words to his relatives before his death were: “Take care of the gallery and be healthy.”

Among other things, Pavel Tretyakov, together with his brother, was a trustee of the Arnold School for Deaf-Mute Children. To do this, he purchased a large stone house with a garden for one hundred and fifty students, and fully provided for this school and its students.

The largest Russian philanthropist and benefactor (1826–1901) built a theater in Moscow on the street. Bolshaya Dmitrovka (now the Operetta Theater) also donated 200 thousand rubles to the Moscow Conservatory.

In connection with pre-revolutionary patronage of art, one can recall the creation Alexey Alexandrovich Bakhrushin(1865–1929) the first theater museum in Russia, and the founding of a timber merchant and merchant Mitrofan Petrovich Belyaev(1836–1903) of the so-called Belyaevsky circle, which united many outstanding musicians, and much, much more.

Education

Gold miner Alfons Leonovich Shanyavsky(1837–1905) in 1905 bequeathed all his funds to the creation of the People's University in Moscow, accessible to everyone regardless of gender, nationality, religion at the most moderate fee. In 1905–1908 With his funds, the funds of his wife Lidiya Alekseevna, as well as a large group of Moscow philanthropists, the Moscow City People's University named after A.L. Shanyavsky was created, which played a huge role in pre-revolutionary education. Nowadays the Russian State University is located in its building on Miusskaya Square. Humanities University(RGGU).

In 1907, the first institute in Russia producing businessmen with higher education was created in Moscow - the Commercial Institute. Nowadays it is the famous Russian Academy of Economics named after G.V. Plekhanov. Its foundation was essentially the beginning of the creation of a system of higher economic and commercial education in Russia. Most of the funds for construction were private donations from Moscow merchants and industrialists, collected on the initiative of the merchant of the first guild Alexey Semenovich Vishnyakov. They also contributed to the creation of the future “Plekhanovka” Konovalovs, Morozovs, Ryabushinskys, Chetverikovs, Sorokoumovskys, Abrikosovs and etc.

In the “golden age of Russian philanthropy” a lot of secondary specialized academic institutions were opened: Maltsevsky vocational school at the expense of Nechaev-Maltsev, Dulevo two-year rural school at the porcelain factory of the M.S. Kuznetsov Partnership, etc. Also V.A.Morozova opened one of the first vocational schools in Russia (Morozov School). At the same time, she donated large sums to the People's University. Shanyavsky, Moscow University and other universities.

The science

Pre-revolutionary entrepreneurs and philanthropists took a great part in the development Russian science. Many research institutes were created and financed at that time with private funds. Let's give a few examples.

Moscow millionaire Vasily Fedorovich Arshinov(1854–1942) merchant of the 1st guild and owner of a cloth factory in Zamoskvorechye, at his own expense, built and equipped with the latest equipment Russia’s first private research institute “Lithogaea” (“Stone Earth”), which, under the leadership of his son Vladimir, became the Russian scientific center of petrography and mineralogy.

Large Vologda entrepreneur Christopher Semenovich Ledentsov(1842–1907) bequeathed his entire capital to the development of natural sciences in Russia. Thanks to him, the famous physiological laboratory of I.P. Pavlov was built at the Institute of Experimental Medicine. He also financed the work of the great Russian scientists P.N. Lebedev, N.E. Zhukovsky, V.I. Vernadsky, N.D. Zelinsky and many others.

Dmitry Pavlovich Ryabushinsky(1882–1962), with the assistance of the “father of Russian aviation” N.E. Zhukovsky, in his estate Kuchino (now a microdistrict of the town of Zheleznodorozhny near Moscow), in 1905 he built the world’s first aerodynamic institute “for the practical implementation of the dynamic method of flying...”. He played a very important role in the development of aviation science in Russia and the world.

Social activities

Pre-revolutionary philanthropists and entrepreneurs were actively involved in social activities and helping the poor. So Alexander Alekseevich Bakhrushin(1823–1916) donated 1 million 300 thousand rubles to the Moscow city public administration. Another family Bakhrushins maintained in Moscow a “House of free apartments for widows with many children and poor female students” on Bolotnaya Square in the very center of the capital, where 2,000 people lived for free. Residents of the house used the infirmary, reading rooms and library, and two kindergartens for free. School, etc.

The Bakhrushins actually opened the first hospice in Russia - a home for caring for incurable patients (today it is Hospital No. 14 in Sokolniki, the former 33rd Ostroumovskaya Hospital). Also, the Bakhrushin family created and maintained the first family-type orphanage in Russia, where 150 children lived, a vocational school for boys, a Home for Elderly Artists, etc. The brothers also built 10 churches, systematically helped 17 churches and 3 monasteries.

Flor Yakovlevich Ermakov(1815–1895), the owner of a real textile empire, after the death of his parents, wife and two sons, he sold all his factories and factories, and with the money he received, he built shelters and hospitals for the poor. In total, he donated over 3 million rubles to charity. With his money, two huge almshouses for 1,500 people were built in the capital. With his money, the Ermakovsky department for 100 people was created at the Alekseevskaya psychiatric hospital. For example, he also opened a free canteen for 500 people. He fed about 1,000 people every day.

Already mentioned Varvara Alekseevna Morozova built an entire residential complex with hospitals, a school, a theater, an almshouse, and a library for the workers of her factory. She also founded zemstvo hospitals and schools in different provinces. Morozova also constantly helped victims of hunger, disease, natural disasters, etc.

How much did pre-revolutionary patrons of the arts spend on charity?

The Bakhrushins spent almost 6.5 million rubles on philanthropy, cultural and social charity, including the needs of the Church. Moreover, by 1917, the company’s real estate was valued at 5 million 215 thousand rubles.

The Tretyakov brothers had a capital of 8 million rubles, and collectively donated more than 3 million rubles to various charitable projects. They spent at least half of the profits received on charity in the fields of culture, education, medicine, and social charity. As Pavel Tretyakov said, “my idea was from the very youth to make money so that what is acquired from society would also be returned to society in some useful institutions; This thought has not left me all my life.”

Also the largest Russian philanthropist and philanthropist mentioned above Gavrila Gavrilovich Solodovnikov(1826–1901) left only 815 thousand rubles to his sons and relatives in his will. At the same time, he bequeathed more than 20 million rubles to various charitable projects: the creation of schools and vocational schools in the northern provinces of Russia, a maternity hospital in Serpukhov and houses of cheap apartments in Moscow.

Moscow manufacturer and homeowner Ivan Grigorievich Prostyakov(1843–1915), who had 21 children, left them an inheritance of 1.5 million rubles. At the same time, he spent about 1 million rubles on charity: on the creation of shelters, schools, and hospitals for ordinary people.

Today's philanthropists

Now, from the “golden age of Russian philanthropy,” when truly “a hundred flowers bloomed,” let’s move on to today’s much more modest landscape of charity. Let's make a reservation that we will talk here only about the largest entrepreneurs, about the richest people in Russia, those who are called “oligarchs”.

Today's largest Russian entrepreneurs have created special charitable foundations to engage in charity work, through which they provide sponsorship and philanthropic support to various social and cultural endeavors.

The largest private charitable foundations include:

Vladimir Potanin Charitable Foundation created in 1999. The fund's budget is formed from contributions from the Interros company and personal funds Vladimir Potanin(the sole owner of this largest holding).

The figure of Vladimir Potanin is especially significant for us because he is one of, so to speak, the “flagship leaders” of today’s charity. It is no coincidence that for many years he has headed the Commission for the Development of Charity and Volunteering of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, and his deputy in this commission of the RF OP is Larisa Zelskova, CEO Charitable Foundation of Vladimir Potanin.

So, the main activity of the Potanin Foundation is the distribution of scholarships and grants among students and teachers of leading state universities in Russia, as well as support for museums (4 grant programs). The following figures indicate the scale of his activities. For example, in the past academic year The scholarship amount for the foundation's scholarship competition for students was 5,000 rubles per month. 1,200 students from 57 universities in the country became scholarship recipients (in total, 72 million rubles, or about 2 million 300 thousand US dollars, were spent on this program this year).

The annual grant fund of the most extensive program - “Museum in a Changing World” - is 20 million rubles, the amount of one grant is up to 2 million rubles.

In total, the total budget of Vladimir Potanin’s charitable foundation is 10 million US dollars per year. True, back in 2010, Vladimir Potanin spoke about his intention to spend $250 million (US$25 million per year) on charity in the next 10 years. At the same time, he became the first Russian to join the Giving Pledge initiative. V. Potanin said that he would spend most of his fortune to charity, without specifying either the exact amount or the timing of when exactly this would happen.

Today, Potanin is the sole owner of the Interros company, the market value of whose assets is today estimated at 12-13 billion US dollars. With a personal fortune of 17.8 billion US dollars, Potanin in 2011 took 4th place in the list of 200 richest businessmen in Russia (according to Forbes magazine). Also, for example, in 2011, the net profit of Norilsk Nickel, one of the main enterprises of Interros, alone amounted to 3.626 billion US dollars.

Foundation Free cause» was created in 1998 and is formed from personal funds Oleg Deripaska and contributions to the Basel company. The Foundation carries out programs to support science and youth, provide material support for schools, restore monasteries and churches, etc. The foundation’s largest program, “Temples of Russia,” costs approximately $7 million annually.

“Volnoye Delo” spends sums on charity comparable to the sums of Vladimir Potanin’s foundation. In 2010, the total amount of funding for the fund's program was 420 million rubles (slightly less than 12 million US dollars). In 2009 – 287 million rubles.

At the same time, Oleg Deripaska, having a personal fortune of 8.5 billion US dollars according to Forbes magazine, in 2013 took 16th place in the list of the 200 richest businessmen in Russia (also according to Forbes magazine).

Foundation Dynasty"created in 2001 with funds from the founder of VimpelCom (Beeline trademark) Dmitry Zimin and members of his family. “The dynasty sets as its main goal the support of fundamental science and education in Russia, leading 20 programs and projects. These include programs to support young physicists and mathematicians, support for teachers and gifted schoolchildren, public lectures by famous scientists, etc. A very interesting project of the foundation is the popular science website about fundamental science, the Elements website.

The planned budget for programs and projects of the Dynasty Foundation in 2013 is 328 million rubles. In 2012, the fund's budget amounted to 314 million rubles.

"Charity Fund for Cultural Initiatives" (Mikhail Prokhorov Foundation) created in 2004 Mikhail Prokhorov to support projects in science, education, sports, as well as artistic initiatives and theater projects. At first, the fund’s programs operated primarily in the industrial Norilsk region, but now it also works in the Central federal district, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Ural, Siberian and Far Eastern Federal Districts.

The Prokhorov Foundation is active at the regional level, especially in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, as well as in the field of contemporary art. For example, the fund is the general partner of the Maly Drama Theater of Lev Dodin, the Russian national orchestra under the direction of Mikhail Pletnev, etc.

At the time of the Foundation's creation, its annual budget was $1 million. In 2011, the total budget of the fund amounted to 322 million 450 thousand rubles, in 2010 - 321 million rubles.

According to Forbes magazine, Prokhorov's personal wealth in 2013 was estimated at $13 billion. Among other things, Prokhorov owns the American basketball team New Jersey Nets, two 96-meter yachts Palladium and Solemar, as well as Gulfstream and Falcon aircraft.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of ZAO Renova Victor Vekselberg in 2004 established the fund " Connection of times", which was supposed to deal with the return to Russia of historically significant works of art located abroad. The foundation's most famous project was the acquisition of the famous collection of Faberge eggs, on which $100 million was spent.

Also among the projects of the Link of Times Foundation:

• return from the USA of the bells of the St. Danilov Monastery,
• the return of the archive of the Russian philosopher Ivan Ilyin to Russia in 2006,
• restoration of the Vrubel Hall in Tretyakov Gallery,
• restoration of the historical monument Fort Ross (California, USA).

According to Forbes magazine, Viktor Vekselberg's personal wealth in 2013 was estimated at $15.7 billion.

There are, of course, other large charities that do charitable work. Thus, according to the Donors Forum, in 2012 the total total budget of the 70 largest funds exceeded 13 billion rubles (about $439 million).

Differences

First, of course, the scale. The share of funds allocated to charity from pre-revolutionary philanthropists and current “oligarchs” is simply incomparable. Of course, among the current ones there are pleasant exceptions, but we are talking about a general trend. Just look, on the one hand, at the relationship between the budget of Potanin’s charitable foundation (10 million US dollars) and the profit of Norilsk Nickel in 2011 – 3.626 billion US dollars. On the other hand, we can remember that, for example, the Tretyakov brothers spent at least half of their profits on charity.

Secondly, despite many useful undertakings, the activities of today's patrons of the arts are not system-forming in nature, while pre-revolutionary patrons provided culture, art and science with real infrastructural support and contributed to the rise of entire cultural and scientific industries. It is no coincidence that if the first part of our material was divided into the areas of “science”, “art”, “social activity”, etc., then in the second part this cannot be done - for lack of at least some more or less solid factual base. At the same time, without the “golden age of Russian patronage” we would not have had the masterpieces of K. Bryullov and A. Ivanov, I. Repin and V. Perov, such heights national culture like the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow Art Theater, Abramtsevo estate, Russian opera with the great F. Chaliapin.

The charitable activities of today's largest entrepreneurs are often primarily of a PR nature and are largely focused only on the entertainment component. It seems that it is calculated more on how it will be perceived, rather than coming from a real desire to help. For example, in the field of education, they help the capital’s leading universities, which are already doing relatively well – compared to the rest of the country. This is also why the current Russian oligarchs spend much more money on high-achieving sports and the purchase of expensive foreign sports clubs than, for example, on supporting mass children's sports in our country.

Introduction

Our attention in this essay will focus on the topic of patronage in Russia (and the patrons themselves) of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Purpose of the work: to study the features of philanthropy in Russia during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and talk about some of the philanthropists of Russia during this period.

Chronological framework of the study: second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries Russian charity is a deeply spiritual and moral phenomenon, which has a religious basis. “Hurry to do good” - these words of Dr. Gaza, who was called the “holy doctor,” and today show the way to all those who are not indifferent to the fate of Russia and all its children.

And, “returning to normal,” love, kindness, mercy and compassion - the enduring values ​​of humanity - begin to return to our lives.

Patronage is considered as patronage of the arts, sciences, the collection of large libraries, collections, art galleries, the construction of theaters and support creative teams etc., that is, everything that is included in the broad concept of culture. In this sense, patronage can be seen as a form of enlightened philanthropy.

Among the patrons of the early 19th century. - highly educated aristocrats, often people of art (the Vielgorsky brothers, A.F. Lvov, etc.). In the salons of the Vielgorsky brothers, Counts Laval, and Rumyantsev, M. I. Glinka, A. S. Dargomyzhsky, A. G. Rubinstein, P. I. Tchaikovsky, N. V. Gogol, D. V. Grigorovich, K. P. became famous. Bryullov and many others. etc.

Patrons-collectors organized private museums (Russian Museum of P. P. Svinin, Rumyantsev Museum, etc.).

Patronage activities in Russia second half of the 19th century-XX centuries

If in the 18th century. Since philanthropy was associated mainly with the privileged class (primarily the nobility), since the 2nd half of the 19th century, the largest Russian entrepreneurs have been actively involved in this activity. It was by this time that the Russian bourgeoisie realized its economic power and began to look for its place in public life in conditions where political activity was prohibited.

Many representatives of the imperial family were prominent patrons of the arts: Empress Catherine II founded the Hermitage on the basis of collections acquired at her command; Emperor Alexander III founded the Russian Museum on the basis of the collections of the imperial house. Members of the imperial families provided assistance to cultural and scientific figures, with their funding and personal participation the Russian musical society, St. Petersburg Conservatory.

Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich supported the activities of the Russian Historical Society and financed various scientific publications. Since the mid-19th century, patronage of the arts has become widespread among the merchants, for whom charity and patronage of the arts have become a tradition.

The most important part of broad charity was patronage, which played a huge role in the formation and development national culture. The word “patronage” comes from the name of the Roman statesman Gaius Cilnius Maecenas, who lived in the 1st century. BC e. and helped talented Roman poets of that time. The name of Maecenas, as a fan of fine arts and patron of poets, became a household name and entered the languages ​​of many peoples of the world. We call patrons people who voluntarily donate money, fortune, etc. for the construction of various public buildings (temples, theaters, hospitals, educational institutions) that help artists, writers, poets, musicians. “In order for art to flourish,” wrote K. S. Stanislavsky, “we need not only artists, but also patrons of the arts.” It was through the efforts of patrons in Russia that extensive collections of highly artistic monuments of art, museums, theaters and other centers of spiritual life were created.

Patronage as private support for culture, science and art has developed in Russia since the 18th century, when the prerequisites for educational, museum-collecting and monument conservation activities arose in the country. Wonderful collections of monuments of Western European art and extensive libraries were collected in city palaces and country estates of the nobility. However, only individual representatives of the Russian aristocracy of the 19th and early 20th centuries. -- N.P. Rumyantsev, A.S. Uvarov and P.S. Uvarova, M.K. Tenisheva, Yu.S. Nechaev Maltsev and others donated their collections to the state or donated large amounts of money for the establishment of new museums.

The heyday of philanthropy came in the second half of the 19th century. thanks to the Russian merchants, who adhered to the Orthodox traditions of helping their neighbors and supporting cultural public institutions. Patronage often became mandatory for many merchant families. Every big and small city had such patrons, but Moscow patrons were famous throughout Russia. The famous Morozov family of industrialists left behind many monuments of cultural and educational activities. Thus, at the expense of Maria Fedorovna and Feodosia Ermilovna Morozov, many Old Believer churches were built and decorated, Sergei Timofeevich Morozov built the Handicraft Museum in Leontyevsky Lane, and Savva Timofeevich built the magnificent building of the Art Theater.

Contemporaries called the Bakhrushin family of merchants professional philanthropists, who generously donated millions for the construction of churches, hospitals, shelters, and houses with free apartments.

Alexander Alekseevich Bakhrushin donated a large sum of money for the construction of the Korsha Theater building (now the Gorky Moscow Art Theater on Moskvina Street). But most of all, Muscovites and Russians remember Alexei Alexandrovich Bakhrushin, the founder of the famous theater museum, donated by the owner in 1913 to the Academy of Sciences.

The Moscow merchants Shchukins were no less famous patrons of culture. Patronage and collecting are a long-standing tradition of this family. Pyotr Ivanovich, who collected a huge collection of monuments of Russian art, built a museum building on Gruzinskaya Street with his own money, and then in 1905 donated it to the Historical Museum with a collection of about 24 thousand items! His brother Sergei Ivanovich collected a remarkable collection of modern Western European paintings, which later became an adornment of the Museum. fine arts them. A. S. Pushkin.

The basis of the world's largest museum of Russian art, the Tretyakov Gallery, was the collection of the merchant Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov, which he donated to Moscow in 1892. The major railway industrialist Savva Ivanovich Mamontov, a multi-talented man, a great connoisseur and connoisseur of art, created a unique creative circle on his Abramtsevo estate, uniting such talented masters of Russian art as V.D. Polenov, M.A. Vrubel, V.M. Vasnetsov, V. A. Serov and others. On the stage of the Private Opera in Moscow, based on Mamontov’s funds, the genius of F. I. Chaliapin blossomed.

Unfortunately, October Revolution 1917 destroyed the complex system of charity, replacing it with a unified network of state institutions. With the destruction of private property, patronage of the arts also perished as a phenomenon. Many philanthropists and patrons of the arts suddenly became poor or were forced to emigrate. Most of those who remained protected their meetings until they were nationalized.

In 1920 - 1930 almost all private museums bequeathed to the city and country were liquidated, against the will of the former owners, and their collections became part of the largest museums.

Only since the late 1980s. Political and socio-economic conditions began to be created in the country for the revival of forgotten traditions of charity and patronage of the arts, and now new entrepreneurs are appearing, donating to the restoration and construction of churches, supporting science, culture and art, healthcare, and publishing. In Moscow there is a Museum of Private Collections, created on the initiative of the famous art collector I. S. Zilberstein.

At the same time, it should be noted that the freedom of donations was restrained by the state in every possible way. For example, a donor who wanted to pay a scholarship in his name at any educational institution was obliged to immediately contribute the entire amount, the interest on which would provide funds for one scholarship, i.e. for a scholarship of 400 rubles. per year - provide 10 thousand rubles at a time. There was also a law that prohibited the opening of charitable institutions until they were fully provided with capital. That is why only very wealthy people could realize their desire to create an orphanage or a hospital, a school or a library. For the same reason, the majority of commercial educational institutions were founded not by private individuals, but by special societies, such as the Moscow Society for the Dissemination of Commercial Knowledge. Society of Lovers of Commercial Knowledge, etc., as well as merchant societies and exchange committees.

Speaking about the motives for the charitable activities of the merchants, it should be noted that it was this activity that opened up quick and sure access to ranks, orders, honorary titles and other distinctions, to which entrepreneurs could not be indifferent, since it influenced their social position. Only rare donors, such as Tretyakov, Morozov, Mamontov, Kokorev and some others, were indifferent to government awards.

Encourage charitable activities private individuals began as early as Catherine II. Under her, for active charitable activities and patronage of the arts, one could receive the title of “honorary citizen,” which provided a number of benefits and privileges, in particular, the ability to wear a sword, receive personal nobility, etc. A street in St. Petersburg was named after the merchant Gorokhov, who transferred money to various charitable foundations.

Participation in the activities of charitable societies, membership in the boards of trustees of schools, colleges, shelters, museums, etc. was considered in pre-revolutionary Russia " state business", and therefore was patronized and regularly encouraged by the authorities. Thus, the famous entrepreneur K.T. Soldatenkov to mid. 80s 19th century “for sacrifice and zeal” he had the orders: Stanislav 3rd degree (1864), Stanislav 2nd degree (1868), Anna 2nd degree (1861), Vladimir 4th degree ( 1885).

At present, when Russian society is going through a period of not only financial but spiritual crisis, the preservation cultural heritage in all its manifestations is especially acute. The value orientations of Russians determine the readiness (or unpreparedness) of society to accept advanced economic, political, ideological national ideas, promote (or counteract) the consolidation and unification of society.

The way out of the crisis can only be a consequence of a complex of factors and circumstances. Let's take only one from this complex - patronage of the arts, and consider it. In the history of domestic patronage there are many bright pages that are of great interest not only for history, but also for our days. Moreover, there are good reasons to consider the best traditions of domestic patronage of the arts as a unique phenomenon, representing significance and relevance not only for Russia, but also for other countries.

Patronage as a type of socially useful action was part of a broader concept - charitable activities - purposeful activities for the benefit of others. The interpretation of the word “charity” involves a set of actions to provide “...material assistance to those in need, both individuals and organizations. Moreover, charity can be aimed at encouraging and developing any socially significant forms of activity...”. These include financing social assistance to the population: the creation of shelters, payment of benefits, etc., as well as the restoration of architectural monuments, support for talents, educational activities and much more.

One type of charity in the cultural sphere is usually characterized as patronage. The word “patron” comes from the name of the Roman statesman, close associate of Emperor Augustus and patron of scientists and artists, Maecenas Gaius Cilnius (8th century BC). Patronage had different directions and was caused by ambiguous reasons. As a result, assessing the activities of philanthropists requires taking into account a number of social components, including the socio-economic prerequisites for the growth of the well-being of entrepreneurs, as a consequence of the emergence of a financial base for charity.
1. Patronage in Russia as social phenomenon

Social system in Russia at the end of the 19th century. created unique social conditions, set new tasks in the spiritual and cultural spheres life of society. The bourgeoisie began to play an active role in the economy. The construction of railways and industrial enterprises began, contributing to the modernization of Russia. At the same time, the main levers of the state apparatus were held by the noble bureaucratic elite, the autocracy. The social role of new economically active groups grew, especially after the reform of 1861. But the social position of the domestic “capitalist-bourgeois” in the second half of the 19th century. was quite controversial, and social status ambiguous. An indicator of the high or low social status of various social institutions was public opinion, in particular, the value orientations of representatives of social groups in society. Types of narrow-minded and selfish heroes of plays by A.N. Ostrovsky, who reflected the morals of the Zamoskvoretsky merchants of the 30s and 40s, several decades later was determined by the skeptical attitude of society towards entrepreneurs. The position of the nobility was reflected by the economist I.Kh. Ozerov: “Away from industry - this depot is unclean and unworthy of every intellectual! But sitting around playing cards, drinking and cursing the government, this is the real occupation of a thinking intellectual!” It is also impossible not to take into account the fact that in Russia, since ancient times, Orthodoxy has not approved of the desire for wealth and profit.

Charity was widespread in the business environment. The heads of large industrial enterprises were interested in qualified personnel capable of mastering the latest equipment and modern techniques of capitalist farming in order to withstand competition. Therefore, they were interested in the development of education, in particular vocational education, and provided financial support to schools, colleges, institutes and universities. Many companies regularly donated large amounts of funds to educational needs.

Memoirist and entrepreneur from wealthy merchants P.A. Buryshkin in his book “Merchant Moscow” mentioned that, being the owners of banks, enterprises, real estate, patrons in business were guided primarily by the interests of the business. The owner's point of view did not always coincide with the point of view of the “employees”, even such large ones as directors and managers. At the same time, not being responsible to anyone, the “owners” went much more easily and widely to financially unprofitable measures, such as equipping factory hospitals, schools or educational institutions. A prerequisite for the development of charity was the influence of religious ideas among merchants. Guided by Orthodox ethics, the bourgeoisie donated large sums for the construction of monasteries and churches. Church tenets contributed to the desire of domestic entrepreneurs to “help the orphaned and wretched,” to allocate funds for shelters, shelters, almshouses, etc. Old Believers merchants were more willing to donate funds for “worldly” purposes.

The low social status of representatives of the Russian bourgeoisie played a role. Without official status, entrepreneurs sought to prove themselves in areas that enjoyed public prestige. The fathers and grandfathers of many wealthy industrialists of the second half of the 19th century. were peasants. Folk customs, traditions, habits, and thinking were closer to them than to people from noble families, which was a feature of the socio-cultural consciousness of Russian entrepreneurs. It determined the desire of many representatives of the bourgeoisie to serve prosperity Russian culture.

An important role in this context was played by the general rise of Russian culture in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. The art of these years is filled active search new forms and ways of expressing views on the world by artists of various directions. The ruin of noble families led to their property being sold for next to nothing. Outstanding works of Russian art and the richest book collections were sold under the hammer. In this regard, collecting and gathering became popular in the late 19th - early 20th centuries. Publicist SL. Elpatievsky, who knew the Nizhny Novgorod merchants of the late 19th century, wrote: “A merchant sat on the noble chairs that were beginning to empty. His sons studied not only in gymnasiums, but also in the noble institute..., his daughters entered the institute noble maidens, next to their not very literate fathers in life, their sons are lawyers, engineers... Just like in the past, in the 40-50s, the word merchant, “merchant” sounded contemptuously in noble estates, so now a merchant from the height of his capital , from the height of his growing importance, looked semi-contemptuously at the master, at the nobility that was sinking lower and lower..."

Social conditions contributed to the formation of the personalities of Russian philanthropists as objects of social relationships. The individuality of domestic philanthropists was manifested in the selective perception of certain social attitudes of the social environment around them, as well as in the conscious choice of dominant and less priority ideas, based on social experience, the development of spiritual and material needs personality. For a number of merchant families, patronage and charity became a mandatory item of expenditure.
1.1.Prerequisites for the development of patronage and charity

The pace of development of patronage and charity as a social phenomenon in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries was determined by objective and subjective prerequisites. Objective ones include a number of processes during this period of time in Russian society, which determined the directions of activity of the most prominent representatives of the bourgeois class and nobility in Russia.

Socio-economic prerequisites include the implementation of economic reforms that have a positive impact on financial situation merchant dynasties. They formed capital, which subsequently served as a source of charitable investments in the social sphere and culture.

The socio-cultural prerequisites at the macro level include cultural upsurge and the emergence of new trends in various fields of art. At the micro level, these prerequisites include the influence of culture on the formation of the personalities of patrons, as well as their proximity to folk culture, traditions, customs, habits, and the way of thinking of their fathers and grandfathers.

Social and religious prerequisites include the fact that many of the merchant dynasties were Old Believers and had stable ties with this community. The Christian tenets of both the Old Believers and the “new” church played a large role in the family traditions of Russian merchants, especially the first generations. A number of famous philanthropists can hardly be characterized as believers (for example, S.T. Morozov). Nevertheless, the families and parents of future patrons of art left their mark on this side of their consciousness and behavior.

Social and political prerequisites include some relaxation of censorship during the reign of Alexander II, the opportunity to relatively freely (in comparison with 1825-1855) express their views, including in the field of theatrical art and artistic creativity.

The subjective indicators of the phenomenon of patronage and charity include the personal characteristics of Russian entrepreneurs, which determined the directions of their social activities, as well as its scale. Russian patrons and philanthropists are people of a unique destiny who have chosen for themselves the cause of cultural and social creation, serving lofty goals, individuals and society as a whole. Many of the Russian entrepreneurs and philanthropists personify the best sides of the Human personality. They felt the needs of society more keenly than their contemporaries, and devoted their talent, mind, energy, and soul to socially useful causes.
1.2.Functions of patronage

Like any social phenomenon, patronage of the arts performed specific functions:

Communicative function. Cultural institutions created by patrons of the arts and the organization of educational events contributed to the rapprochement of high and mass (folk) culture in Russia during the time under study. Patronage acted as a conductor between these two structural components of culture as a social institution and contributed to the rapprochement of these two aspects - high and folk - of national culture. Having divided the concept of culture into three components: producer of cultural values ​​- distributors - consumers of culture, domestic patrons can be classified as the second part of the link between the “producer” and the “consumer” of culture. They contributed to the preservation of works of Russian and foreign culture for posterity, cross-generational cultural communication.

Functions of forming the social consciousness of members of Russian society Museums, galleries, theaters, exhibitions, created with the financial support of patrons of the arts, influenced the socio-cultural image of Russians in the late 19th - early 20th centuries, contributed to the formation and determination of the social consciousness of people, their value orientations, readiness to perceive innovations in various spheres of society.

The function of “social memory”. Theater Museum A.A. Bakhrushin, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow Art Theater still exists. Performances staged at the Moscow Art Theater and exhibitions organized in art galleries and museums help familiarize the modern public with Russian and foreign culture, spiritual and cultural values past and present. Thanks to the efforts of patrons, many cultural historical monuments have been preserved for posterity.

Studying the problems of patronage and charity, based on the new (compared to the Soviet period of history) political and economic situation in Russia, is relevant from the point of view of perceiving the experience of Russian educators of the past and the beginning of this century in terms of finding a financial base for ongoing cultural endeavors.

Patronage in Russia at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries can rightly be called its “golden age”, sometimes its true heyday. And this time was associated mainly with the activities of eminent merchant dynasties, which provided “hereditary benefactors.” Only in Moscow did they carry out such major undertakings in the field of culture and education.
2. The most prominent patrons of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Almost all patrons of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were Old Believers merchants. And Shchukin, and Morozov, and Ryabushinsky, and Tretyakov. After all, the Old Believer world is traditional, deeply connected with true culture - from century to century they learned to save and preserve their spiritual heritage, this was embedded in the family genes.

S.I. Mamontov. Savva Ivanovich’s patronage of the arts was of a special kind: he invited his friends - artists to Abramtsevo, often together with their families, conveniently located in the main house and outbuildings. All those who came, under the leadership of the owner, went into nature, to sketches. All this is very far from the usual examples of charity, when a philanthropist limits himself to donating a certain amount to a good cause. Mamontov acquired many of the works of members of the circle himself, and found customers for others.

One of the first artists to come to Mamontov in Abramtsevo was V.D. Polenov. He was connected with Mamontov by spiritual closeness: a passion for antiquity, music, theater. Vasnetsov was also in Abramtsevo; it was to him that the artist owed his knowledge of ancient Russian art. The warmth of the father's home, artist V.A. Serov will find it in Abramtsevo. Savva Ivanovich Mamontov was the only conflict-free patron of Vrubel’s art. For a very needy artist, he needed not only an appreciation of his creativity, but also material support. And Mamontov helped widely, ordering and buying works by Vrubel. So Vrubel commissioned the design of the outbuilding on Sadovo-Spasskaya. In 1896, the artist, commissioned by Mamontov, completed a grandiose panel for the All-Russian Exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod: “Mikula Selyaninovich” and “Princess Dreaming”. The portrait of S.I. is well known. Mamontova. The Mamontov art circle was a unique association. The Mamontov Private Opera is also well known.

It can be said quite definitely that if all the achievements of Mamontov’s Private Opera were limited only to the fact that it formed Chaliapin, the genius of the opera stage, then this would be quite enough for the highest assessment of the activities of Mamontov and his theater.

M.K. Tenisheva (1867-1928) Maria Klavdievna was an extraordinary person, the owner of encyclopedic knowledge in art, an honorary member of the first union of artists in Russia. The scale of her social activities, in which enlightenment was the leading principle, is striking: she created the School of Craft Students (near Bryansk), opened several elementary public schools, organized drawing schools together with Repin, opened courses for teacher training, and even created a real analogue of Abramtsev near Moscow - Talashkino. Roerich called Tenisheva “a creator and a collector.” And this is indeed so and this fully applies to Russian patrons of the golden age. Tenisheva not only allocated money extremely wisely and nobly for the purpose of reviving Russian culture, but she herself, with her talent, knowledge and skills, made a significant contribution to the study and development of the best traditions of Russian culture.

P.M. Tretyakov (1832-1898). V.V. Stasov, an outstanding Russian critic, in his obituary on Tretyakov’s death, wrote: “Tretyakov died famous not only throughout Russia, but also throughout Europe. Whether a person comes to Moscow from Arkhangelsk or from Astrakhan, from Crimea, from the Caucasus or from Amur, he immediately appoints himself a day and hour when he needs to go to Lavrushinsky Lane and look with delight, tenderness and gratitude at all that row of treasures, which have been accumulated by this amazing person throughout his life” Tretyakov’s feat was no less highly appreciated by the artists themselves, with whom he was primarily associated in the field of collecting. In the phenomenon of P.M. Tretyakov is impressed by his fidelity to the goal. A similar idea - to lay the foundation for a public, accessible repository of art - did not arise among any of his contemporaries, although private collectors existed before Tretyakov, but they acquired paintings, sculpture, dishes, crystal, etc. First of all, for themselves, for their private collections, and few could see works of art that belonged to collectors. What is also striking about Tretyakov’s phenomenon is that he did not have any special artistic education, nevertheless, he recognized talented artists earlier than others. Before many others, he realized the invaluable artistic merits of the icon-painting masterpieces of Ancient Rus'.

There are and will always be patrons of the arts of different calibers, collectors of different calibers. But only a few remained in history: Nikolai Petrovich Likhachev, Ilya Semenovich Ostroukhov, Stepan Pavlovich Ryabushinsky, etc. There have always been few true patrons of the arts. Even if our country is revived, there will never be many patrons of the arts. All famous collectors and patrons of art were people of deep faith and the goal of each of them was to serve people.
Conclusion

All of the above proves that patronage was not an episode, the activity of a few educated capitalists, it covered a wide variety of environments and was great in essence, in the scale of what was done. The domestic bourgeoisie really had a noticeable influence on the culture of Russia and its spiritual life.

When characterizing the “golden age” of philanthropy in Russia, it should be noted that donations from philanthropists, in particular those from Moscow, were often the main source of development of entire sectors of the urban economy (for example, healthcare).

Patronage in Russia at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries was an essential, noticeable aspect of the spiritual life of society; in most cases it was associated with those industries public economy, which did not bring profit and therefore had nothing to do with commerce; the sheer number of philanthropists in Russia at the turn of two centuries, the inheritance of good deeds by representatives of the same family, the easily visible altruism of philanthropists is amazing high degree personal, direct participation of domestic patrons in the transformation of one or another sphere of life - all this together allows us to draw some conclusions.

Firstly, among the features that determine the uniqueness of the domestic bourgeoisie, one of the main and almost typical ones was charity in one form or another and on a scale.

Secondly, the personal qualities of the patrons of the arts of the “golden age” known to us, the range of their leading interests and spiritual needs, the general level of education and upbringing, give reason to assert that we have genuine intellectuals. They are distinguished by receptivity to intellectual values, interest in history, aesthetic sense, the ability to admire the beauty of nature, understand the character and individuality of another person, enter into his position, and, having understood the other person, help him, possessing the skills of a well-mannered person, etc.

Thirdly, surveying the scale of what was done by philanthropists and collectors in Russia at the turn of the century, tracing the very mechanism of this amazing charity, taking into account their real impact on all spheres of life, we come to one fundamental conclusion - domestic philanthropists in Russia of the “golden era” are a qualitatively new formation , it simply has no analogue in the history of civilization, in the experience of other countries.

The old patrons and collectors had an eye, and this is probably the most important thing - these people had their own opinion and the courage to defend it. Only a person who has his own opinion deserves to be called a philanthropist, otherwise he is a sponsor who gives money and believes that others will use it correctly. So the right to be a patron of the arts must be earned; money cannot buy it.

Can every millionaire be a patron of art? Today, rich people have appeared in Russia again. A person who gives money is not yet a philanthropist. But the best of modern entrepreneurs understand that charity is an indispensable companion to a solid business. They begin to create galleries, relying on their consultants. Unfortunately, in our country now we do not have a cultural environment for the development of philanthropy, such as the Old Believer environment was.

Patrons are not born, they are made. And modern patrons and collectors should strive, first of all, to spend effort and money on restoring what their predecessors created a hundred years ago.
Literature

P. A. Buryshkin. Moscow merchant, M.; 1991

A. N. Bokhanov. Collectors and patrons of art in Russia. M.; 1989

A. N. Bokhanov. Historical portraits: Savva Mamontov/Questions of History, 1990, No. 11.

A. A. Aronov. The Golden Age of Russian Philanthropy. Moscow. 1995

Patrons and collectors. Almanac of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments. M.; 1994

N. G. Dumova. Moscow patrons of the arts. M.; 1992

V.P. Rossokhin. Opera theatre S. Mamontova. M.; Music.1985

Domestic philanthropy is a unique phenomenon. And if we consider that Russia is now going through difficult times, then the issue of patronage can be considered relevant.

Nowadays, culture is in a difficult situation; not only provincial libraries and theaters need support, but even famous, world-famous museums and other cultural institutions.

There are many wonderful pages in the history of Russian patronage. Entire dynasties became philanthropists: the Bakhrushins, the Stroganovs, the Morozovs, the Golitsyns, the Demidovs... Brothers P.M. and S.M. The Tretyakovs are the founders of the Tretyakov Gallery, which began with their personal collections of paintings (read more on our website: Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov and his gallery).

Patrons founded factories, built railways, opened schools, hospitals, orphanages... To talk in detail about everyone, you need the format of not an article, but a whole book, and more than one. We will focus only on some names.

But first, about the term “philanthropy” itself. The Russian synonym is the concept of “charity”. But where did borrowing come to us?
History of the term "philanthropy"

A philanthropist is a person who helps the development of science and art free of charge and provides them with material assistance from his personal funds. The common name “patron” comes from the name of the Roman Gaius Cilnius Maecenas (Mecenates), who was a patron of the arts under Emperor Octavian Augustus.

Bust of Maecenas in one of the parks in Ireland

Gaius Cilnius Maecenas (circa 70 BC - 8 BC) - ancient Roman statesman and patron of the arts. A personal friend of Octavian Augustus and a kind of minister of culture under him. The name of Maecenas as a fan of fine arts and patron of poets became a household name.

During the civil war in the Roman Empire, he arranged the reconciliation of the warring parties, and after the end of the war, during Octavian’s absence, he conducted state affairs, was free from sycophancy and ingratiation, boldly expressed his views and sometimes even restrained Octavian from imposing death sentences. The poets of that time found a patron in him: he helped Virgil return the estate taken from him, and gave Horace his estate. He died, mourned by the whole people, and not just by his friends.

F. Bronnikov "Horace reads his poems to Maecenas"

However, charity in Russia is not such a rare thing. This system of donation began to take shape with the adoption of Christianity in Rus': after all, the first almshouses and hospitals began to be built at monasteries, and the majority of patrons of the 19th century came from the merchant Old Believer environment. P. A. Buryshkin, a researcher of the Moscow merchants, believed that merchants “looked at their labor and income not only as a source of profit, but as the fulfillment of a task, a kind of mission assigned by God or fate. They said about wealth that God gave it for use and would demand an account for it, which was partly expressed in the fact that it was in the merchant environment that both charity and collecting were unusually developed, which were looked upon as the fulfillment of some divinely appointed task " Period XVIII-XIX centuries. gave Russia so many benefactors that it is called the “golden” age of philanthropy. There are especially many such monuments to human mercy in Moscow. For example, Golitsyn Hospital.
Golitsyn Hospital

City Clinical Hospital No. 1 named after. N.I. Pirogov

The Golitsyn hospital was opened in Moscow in 1802 as a “hospital for the poor.” Currently this is the Golitsyn building of the First City Clinical Hospital.

The Golitsyn hospital was built according to the design of the architect Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov using funds bequeathed by Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Golitsyn “for the establishment in the capital city of Moscow of an institution pleasing to God and useful to people.” When developing the project, Kazakov used the principle of an urban estate. The prince's cousin, the actual privy councilor, Chief Chamberlain Alexander Mikhailovich Golitsyn, was directly in charge of the construction.

Opened in 1802, it became the third hospital in Moscow of the civil department. Representatives of all segments of the population, except for serfs, were admitted to the Golitsyn hospital for free treatment - “...both Russians and foreigners, of every gender, rank, religion and nationality.”

In 1802, the hospital had 50 beds, and in 1805 - already 100. Additionally, in 1803, an almshouse for incurable patients with 30 beds was opened at the hospital. Christian Ivanovich Tsinger served as the hospital manager for many years. During the Patriotic War of 1812, when Moscow was occupied by Napoleon's troops, he was left alone in the hospital and managed to prevent its looting, and also saved the hospital money left for his safekeeping. For conscientious service, Christian Ivanovich Tsinger received the title of hereditary nobleman.

And now a little about whose funds this hospital was built.
Dmitry Mikhailovich Golitsyn (1721-1793)

A. Brown "Portrait of Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Golitsyn"

Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Golitsyn is a Russian officer and diplomat from the Golitsyn family. In 1760-1761 Acted as ambassador in Paris, and then was sent as ambassador to Vienna, where he played a major role in improving relations between the Russian court and Emperor Joseph II. He was one of the first among Russians to become interested in collecting paintings by old masters (artists of Western Europe who worked before the beginning of the 18th century).

D. M. Golitsyn was a famous philanthropist. He bequeathed 850 thousand rubles, income from two estates worth 2 thousand people and his art gallery to the construction and maintenance of a hospital in Moscow. His will was carried out by his cousin, Prince A.M. Golitsyn. Until 1917, the hospital was maintained at the expense of the Golitsyn princes, and then by the will of D.M. Golitsyn was violated by subsequent heirs - the sale of his gallery.

He died in Vienna, but his body, at the request of his relatives and with the highest permission, was transported to Moscow in 1802, where he was buried in a crypt under the church of the Golitsyn Hospital.

True patrons of the arts never sought to advertise their activities; rather, on the contrary. Often, when carrying out a major charity event, they hid their names. It is known that Savva Morozov, for example, provided great assistance in the founding of the Art Theater, but at the same time set the condition that his name should not be mentioned anywhere. Our next story is about Savva Timofeevich Morozov.
Savva Timofeevich Morozov (1862-1905)

Savva Timofeevich Morozov

He came from an Old Believer merchant family. He graduated from high school, and then from the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of Moscow University and received a diploma in chemistry. I talked with D. Mendeleev and wrote it myself research work about dyes. He also studied at the University of Cambridge, where he studied chemistry, and then in Manchester - textiles. He was the director of the Partnership of the Nikolskaya Manufactory “Savva Morozov’s Son and Co.” He owned cotton fields in Turkestan and several other partnerships, where he was a shareholder or director. He was constantly involved in charity: in his factories he introduced maternity pay for working women, and awarded scholarships to young people studying in the country and abroad. It is known that at his enterprises the workers were more literate and educated. He also helped needy students at Moscow University.

In 1898, he became a member of the Partnership for the establishment of a theater in Moscow and regularly made large donations for the construction and development of the Moscow Art Theater, and initiated the construction of a new theater building. The most modern equipment for the stage was ordered abroad with his money (lighting equipment in the domestic theater first appeared here). Savva Morozov spent about half a million rubles on the Moscow Art Theater building with a bronze bas-relief on the facade in the form of a drowning swimmer.

Unfortunately, connections with the revolutionary movement, as well as personal circumstances, led S.T. Morozov to premature death.

The Bakhrushin family in Moscow was called “professional philanthropists.” In 1882, the Bakhrushins donated 450,000 rubles to the city for the construction of a hospital. This action marked the beginning of a whole series of similar charities. And the family’s total donations (large ones only) amounted to more than 3.5 million rubles.

The Bakhrushin family had a tradition at the end of the year, if it was financially prosperous, to allocate a certain amount to help the poor, sick, and students. They carried out charitable activities both in Zaraysk, where their parents were from, and in Moscow. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, the Bakhrushin family never gravitated towards luxury. A free hospital with two hundred beds for the terminally ill, a city orphanage and a shelter for village children from poor families, a free house where needy widows with children and female students lived, kindergartens, schools, free canteens and dormitories for female students - this is far from complete a list of their benefactors. Vasily Alekseevich wrote a will, according to which five universities (Moscow University, Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary, Academy of Commercial Sciences and a men's gymnasium) received money for scholarships for students. Four theaters, including the Korsh Theater, were built partly with the money of the Bakhrushins.
Alexey Alexandrovich Bakhrushin (1865-1929)

Alexey Alexandrovich Bakhrushin

Merchant, philanthropist, famous collector, founder of the famous theater museum, which he donated to the Academy of Sciences in 1913.

A. Bakhrushin graduated from a private gymnasium and took up the family business - “Aleksey Bakhrushin and Sons Leather and Cloth Manufactory Partnership.” But gradually he became interested in collecting and retired. Under the influence of his cousin, Alexei Petrovich Bakhrushin, he became a collector, and his interest in theatrical antiquities did not immediately awaken. Posters, programs for performances, photographic portraits of actors, sketches of costumes, personal belongings of artists - all this was collected in Bakhrushin’s house and became his passion. His son recalled that they laughed at Bakhrushin: “People around him looked at it as a whim of a rich tyrant, made fun of him, offered to buy a button from Mochalov’s trousers or Shchepkin’s boots.” But this passion gradually took shape into a serious hobby, and on October 29, 1894, Bakhrushin presented an entire exhibition to the public. It was this day that Bakhrushin considered the founding day of the Moscow Literary and Theater Museum. He tried to most fully present the history of Russian theater from its very origins. He organized “Bakhrushin Saturdays,” which were very popular among actors and theatergoers. A. Yuzhin, A. Lensky, M. Ermolova, G. Fedotova, F. Shalyapin, L. Sobinov, K. Stanislavsky, V. Nemirovich-Danchenko visited him. Soon a tradition arose of not coming empty-handed. For example, the star of the Maly Theater Glikeria Nikolaevna Fedotova presented Bakhrushin with all the gifts that she had accumulated over the years of her stage life. His collection, which gradually became extensive and diverse, had three sections - literary, dramatic and musical.

Over time, A.A. Bakhrushin began to think about the fate of his wealth. He really wanted all of Moscow to have access to them. But when he proposed to transfer his museum to the ownership of the Moscow city government, the city leaders, as soon as they heard about it, began to brush it off in every possible way: “What are you talking about?! The Tretyakov and Soldenko meetings and I have suffered enough grief. And here you are with yours! Excuse me, for Christ’s sake!..”

His son, Yu.A. Bakhrushin recalled: “My father was in despair - a huge collection, even then costing hundreds of thousands, offered free to government institutions, turned out to be of no use to anyone. It turned out to be impossible to break the bureaucratic inertia.” Only the Academy of Sciences became interested in the unique collection. It took four years to settle the formalities, and only in November 1913 did the transfer of the museum to the Academy of Sciences take place.

Theater Museum named after A.A. Bakhrushin

Russian patrons were educated people, so they tried to develop priority branches of domestic science, open galleries and museums to educate the country’s population, help in the construction of theaters...

In this regard, one can recall the Tretyakov Gallery, the Shchukin and Morozov collections of modern French painting, the Moscow private opera S.I. Mamontov, Moscow private opera S.I. Zimin, the already mentioned Moscow Art Theater, the Museum of Fine Arts, for the construction of which the factory owner, large landowner Yu.S. Nechaev-Maltsov spent more than 2 million rubles, Philosophical and Archaeological Institutes, Morozov clinics, Commercial Institute, Alekseev, Morozov trade schools, etc. Let's look at at least one example.
Moscow Private Russian Opera (Mamontov Opera)

Savva Mamontov supported this endeavor financially and morally. At first, the private opera troupe consisted of Italian and Russian singers, among whom were F. Chaliapin and N. Zabela, and the scenery and costumes were created by M. Vrubel. The years of Chaliapin's performances at the Mamontov Opera (he remained a soloist for four seasons - from 1896 to 1899) saw the rise of his artistic career. Chaliapin himself noted the importance of this time: “From Mamontov I received the repertoire that gave me the opportunity to develop all the main features of my artistic nature, my temperament.” Mamontov's patronage made it possible for Chaliapin's talent to fully reveal itself. The singer himself said: “S.I. Mamontov told me: “Fedenka, you can do whatever you want in this theater! If you need costumes, tell me and there will be costumes. If we need to stage a new opera, we’ll stage an opera! All this dressed my soul in festive clothes, and for the first time in my life I felt free, strong, able to overcome all obstacles.”
Savva Ivanovich Mamontov (1841-1918)

I. Repin "Portrait of S.I. Mamontov"

S.I. Mamontov was born into a wealthy merchant family. He graduated from high school, and then entered St. Petersburg University, later transferred to Moscow University, where he studied at the Faculty of Law. Mamontov’s father was engaged in the construction of railways, but his son was not attracted to this occupation, he was more interested in theater, although at the insistence of his father he had to delve into the family business, the construction of railways, and after the death of his father, take the post of director of the Moscow-Yaroslavl Railway Society. At the same time, he actively supported different kinds creative activity, made new acquaintances with artists, helped cultural organizations, and organized home performances. In 1870, Mamontov and his wife bought the estate of the writer S.T. Aksakov in Abramtsevo, it later became the center of artistic life in Russia.

Abramtsevo Estate

Russian artists I.E. lived and worked here for a long time. Repin, M.M. Antokolsky, V.M. Vasnetsov, V. A. Serov, M. A. Vrubel, M. V. Nesterov, V. D. Polenov and E. D. Polenova, K. A. Korovin, as well as musicians (F. I. Chaliapin and others) . Mamontov provided significant support to many artists, including financial support, but was not involved in collecting activities.

However, in the 1890s, Savva Mamontov became bankrupt. Of course, not without the “help” of the state and the intrigues of interested parties (Director of the International Bank A. Yu. Rotshtein and Minister of Justice N. V. Muravyov). Mamontov was arrested and put in Taganskaya prison, his property was described. Despite all the efforts of Mamontov's friends and the positive opinion of the workers, he spent several months in prison. The release of Savva Mamontov was deliberately prevented by N.V. Muravyov, who purposefully searched for information about Mamontov’s abuses, but could not find anything.

In prison, Mamontov sculpted sculptures of guards from memory. The famous lawyer F.N. Plevako defended Savva Mamontov in court, witnesses said only good things about him, the investigation established that he did not embezzle money. The jury acquitted him, after which the courtroom erupted in applause.

Yaroslavl. Opening of the monument to Savva Mamontov

S. Mamontov's property was sold out almost completely, many valuable works went into private hands. The railway became state property at a cost significantly lower than the market value; part of the shares went to other entrepreneurs, including Witte’s relatives.

All debts were paid off. But Mamontov lost money and reputation and was no longer able to engage in entrepreneurial activity. Until the end of his life, he retained his love for art and the love of his old friends - artists and musicians.

Savva Ivanovich Mamontov died in April 1918 and was buried in Abramtsevo.
Varvara Alekseevna Morozova (Khludova) (1848-1918)

Varvara Alekseevna Morozova

In memory of her husband Abram Abramovich Morozov, she built a psychiatric clinic on Devichye Pole, which, together with the purchased plot of land, was transferred to Moscow University, marking the beginning of the creation of the Clinical Town on Devichye Pole. The cost of construction and equipment of the clinic amounted to more than 500,000 rubles, a huge amount of money at that time. The construction of the clinic was one of its first charitable activities. Somewhat earlier, during the life of her first husband, Varvara Alekseevna established an elementary school and craft classes at them. Initially, the school was located in the house of A. A. Morozov on Bolshaya Alekseevskaya Street, but later moved to a new, special building built for it, on a site specially acquired for it in 1899, donated to the city in 1901. This school was one of the first vocational schools in Moscow. The buildings of the Rogozh girls' and men's primary schools were also built at the expense of V. A. Morozova.

V. A. Morozova made a great contribution to the creation of educational institutions: Prechistensky Work Courses and the City People's University named after. A. L. Shanyavsky. He received 50 thousand rubles from V. A. Morozova. Thanks to her participation and active assistance, a dormitory was built for students of the Imperial Technical School. In 1885, V. A. Morozova founded the first free public reading room in Moscow named after. I. S. Turgenev, designed for 100 readers and had a rich book fund. She donated significant funds to the needs of Moscow University. At her factory there was a hospital, a maternity hospital, and a trade school for child workers.
Mikhail Abramovich Morozov (1870-1903)

V. Serov "Portrait of M.A. Morozov"

The largest philanthropist of his time. With his funds, the Institute of Malignant Tumors was established (currently the building houses the Moscow Scientific Research Institute of Oncology named after P. A. Herzen), and the hall of Greek sculpture in the Museum of Fine Arts. Various amounts were allocated to the conservatory and the Stroganov School to support young artists, performers and musicians. In the collection of M.A. Morozov read 60 icons, 10 sculptures and about 100 paintings, including works by contemporary French and Russian artists.

M.A. Morozov is the successor of the Morozov dynasty of patrons of the arts, merchant, entrepreneur, collector of Western European and Russian paintings and sculptures. He is the eldest son of the famous Moscow merchant Abram Abramovich Morozov and Varvara Alekseevna Morozova (Khludova), the elder brother of the collector and philanthropist Ivan Abramovich Morozov, the husband of the famous philanthropist and hostess of the Moscow literary and musical salon Margarita Kirillovna Morozova, the father of Mikhail Mikhailovich Morozov (Mika Morozov), a scientist -Shakespeare scholar and pianist Maria Mikhailovna Morozova (Fiedler). Hereditary honorary citizen. Director of the Tver Manufactory Partnership, member of the Moscow City Duma, honorary justice of the peace, chairman of the merchant meeting, collegiate assessor. Director of the Russian Musical Society.
Ivan Abramovich Morozov (1871-1921)

V. Serov "Portrait of I.A. Morozov"

Replenished M.A., who passed on after his brother. Morozov collection of a large number of paintings by impressionists and post-impressionists. After the revolution, the collection was nationalized and on its basis the II Museum of New Western Art was organized (the I Museum was the Shchukin collection). In 1940, the collection was disbanded partly into the Museum of Fine Arts, partly into the Hermitage. For example, his collection included the famous painting by P. Picasso “Girl on a Ball”.

P. Picasso "Girl on a Ball"
Pyotr Ivanovich Shchukin (1857-1912)

Petr Ivanovich Shchukin

He collected and donated to the state a collection that formed the basis of the collection of the Historical Museum. Until the end of his life he remained the curator of the museum and continued to bear all expenses, pay salaries to employees and replenish the museum’s funds.
Sergei Ivanovich Shchukin (1854-1936)

D. Melnikov "Portrait of S.I. Shchukin"

Moscow merchant and art collector, whose collection marked the beginning of the collections of French modernist painting in the Hermitage and the State Museum of Fine Arts. A.S. Pushkin.

He collected a rich collection of paintings of modern Western painting, recognized years later as masterpieces of world art. According to his will, he donated his collection to the state.

E. Degas "Blue Dancers"

Shchukin bought paintings according to his taste, preferring the impressionists, and then the post-impressionists. Shchukin managed to collect the best examples of contemporary French art. He confessed to his daughter: “If, after seeing a painting, you experience psychological shock, buy it.” In the collection of S.I. Shchukin had, for example, the painting “Blue Dancers” by E. Degas, as well as paintings by Monet, Picasso, Gauguin, Cezanne.
Fyodor Pavlovich Ryabushinsky (1886–1910)

F. Chumakov "Portrait of F.P. Ryabushinsky"

From a family of Russian industrialists and bankers. He was a passionate traveler and became interested in geography, an interest in which led him to the idea of ​​organizing a scientific expedition to Kamchatka. With his plan, F. P. Ryabushinsky turned to several scientific institutions in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but did not find support from them. Only the Russian Geographical Society agreed to participate in its implementation.

At his expense, the expedition was carried out in 1908–1910. and named after him.

Organizational issues of the expedition were resolved by F. P. Ryabushinsky with scientists: oceanographer Yu. M. Shokalsky and cartographer P. P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky. F. P. Ryabushinsky took over the financing of the expedition. He himself wanted to participate in it, but his illness did not allow him to do this. In 1910, he died of tuberculosis, but bequeathed to his relatives to see the expedition through to the end.
Yuri Stepanovich Nechaev-Maltsov (1834–1913)

I. Kramskoy "Portrait of Yu.S. Nechaev-Maltsov"

At the age of 46, Nechaev-Maltsov unexpectedly became the owner of the empire glass factories, having received it according to the will. His uncle, diplomat Ivan Maltsov, was the only one in Tehran who survived the events at the Russian embassy in Tehran, when the poet-diplomat Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov died. Maltsov left diplomacy and continued the family business: glass production in the town of Gus. He brought the secret of colored glass from Europe and began producing profitable window glass. This entire crystal and glass empire, along with two mansions in the capital, painted by Vasnetsov and Aivazovsky, was given to the middle-aged bachelor official Nechaev, and with them a double surname.

Professor Ivan Tsvetaev (father of Marina Tsvetaeva), who was organizing the Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, met him and convinced him to give 3 million for the completion of the Museum.

Yu.S. Nechaev-Maltsov not only did not want fame, but throughout the 10 years while the Museum was being created, he maintained anonymity. 300 workers hired by Nechaev-Maltsov mined white marble of special frost resistance in the Urals, and when it turned out that 10-meter columns for the portico could not be made in Russia, they chartered a steamship in Norway. From Italy he ordered skilled stonemasons.

With his money, a Technical School in Vladimir, an almshouse on Shabolovka and a church in memory of those killed on the Kulikovo Field were founded.

Entrance to St. George's Cathedral, donated by Yu. S. Nechaev-Maltsov to the city of Gus-Khrustalny

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Tags: Bakhrushins, charity, Varvara Morozova, Golitsyn, Ivan Morozov, history of words, Mamontov Opera, Maecenas, philanthropists, Mikhail Morozov, Nechaev-Maltsov, Pyotr Shchukin, Savva Mamontov, Savva Morozov, Sergei Shchukin, Abramtsevo estate, Fyodor Ryabushinsky
The difficult times Russia is going through today are characterized by a number of processes and trends. Culture is in dire straits, without which the real revival of the country is simply impossible. Theaters and libraries are “burning,” and museums, even the most reputable and reputable ones, are in dire need of support. The consistent reduction in the number of readers and the volume of literature read must be recognized as an objective reality.

In Moscow, as in Rus' in general, charity as an organized social system began to take shape with the adoption of Christianity and the emergence of monasteries. It is significant that it was at the monasteries that the first almshouses and hospitals in Moscow began to be built, in the Novospassky, Novodevichy and Donskoy monasteries; eighteenth-century buildings that once housed hospitals have survived to this day.

An analysis of the sphere of charity in pre-revolutionary Russia allows us to connect the essence of charity with another well-known phenomenon - mercy. The scale, stages and trends of charitable, merciful deeds can be clearly seen in the history of Moscow. One cannot but agree with the fair conclusions of P.V. Vlasov: “The pre-revolutionary capital seemed to us a city with “forty forty churches,” numerous estates, apartment buildings and factories. Now it appears before us as an abode of mercy... Representatives of different classes - the rich and the poor - gave to those in need what they had: some - fortune, others - strength and time. These were ascetics who received satisfaction from the consciousness of their own benefit, from serving their fatherland through philanthropy.”

1. Charity and patronage of Russian entrepreneurs

The term “philanthropist” is derived from the name of a nobleman who lived in Rome in the 1st century. BC e., Gaius Cilnius Maecenas - a noble and generous patron of the sciences and arts. The literal meaning of the word is charity - to do good. Charity is the voluntary allocation of material resources to help those in need, or for any public needs related to it.

The leading place in the history of charity and patronage of the arts in Russia was occupied by domestic entrepreneurs - owners of significant capital. They not only developed trade, industry, banking, saturated the market with goods, took care of economic prosperity, but also made an invaluable contribution to the development of society, science and culture of the country, leaving us a legacy of hospitals, educational institutions, theaters, art galleries, libraries. Philanthropic entrepreneurship in pre-revolutionary Russia and charity were an integral feature, a feature of domestic business people. In many ways, this quality was determined by the attitude of entrepreneurs to their business, which has always been special in Russia. For a Russian entrepreneur, being a philanthropist meant something more than just being generous or having the opportunity to receive privileges and break into the upper echelons of society - this was in many ways a national trait of Russians and had a religious basis. Unlike the West, there was no cult of rich people in Russia. They said about wealth in Rus': God gave it to man for use and will demand an account for it. This truth was accepted and carried through the centuries by many representatives of the domestic business world, and charity became in a certain sense historical tradition Russian entrepreneurs. The origins of the charity of Russian business people go back centuries and are associated with the asceticism of the first Russian merchants, who in their activities were always guided by the famous words from the “Teachings of Vladimir Monomakh”: “Do not forget the most wretched, but as far as you can, feed and give to the orphans, and justify the widow yourself, and do not let the strong destroy a person.” In the first half of the 19th century, the agents of charity were predominantly nobles. The construction of private hospitals, almshouses, and substantial monetary donations to “help the poor” were explained both by a patriotic impulse and by the desire of the rich noble nobility to “distinguish” himself in the eyes of secular society with his generosity, nobility, and to amaze his contemporaries with the originality of his gifts. It is the latter circumstance that explains the fact that sometimes charitable institutions were built in the form of magnificent palaces. Unique examples of palace-type charitable institutions include the Sheremetev Hospital for Hospice, built in Moscow by famous architects G. Quarenghi and E. Nazarov, the Widow's House (architect I. Gilardi), Golitsyn Hospital (architect M. Kazakov) and many others.

From the second half of the 19th century, with the development of capitalism, the leading place in Russian charity passed to the bourgeoisie (industrialists, factory owners, bankers), as a rule, people from wealthy merchants, bourgeois nobles and enterprising peasants - to the third or fourth generation of entrepreneurs who began their activities at the end of the 19th century. XVIII – early XIX century. By the end XIX century These were already, for the most part, intelligent and highly moral people. Many of them had a subtle artistic taste and high artistic demands. They were well aware that for the country and their own business to prosper in conditions of market competition, it is necessary to actively participate in the social life of society, in the development of science and culture, so they used the accumulated funds not only for the development of business and personal consumption, but also for charity, helping to solve many problems. social problems. In particular, in conditions of extreme polarization of wealth and poverty in pre-revolutionary Russia, philanthropic entrepreneurship became a kind of “regulator” of social balance, by a certain means eliminating social injustice. Of course, it was impossible to eliminate poverty and backwardness through charity, and entrepreneurs were well aware of this, but they sought to at least somehow help “their neighbor” and thus “ease their souls.”

As a result of the wide and varied activities of domestic entrepreneurs, entire dynasties were born in the country, which for several generations maintained their reputation as prominent philanthropists: the Krestovnikovs, Boevs, Tarasovs, Kolesovs, Popovs and others. Researcher S. Martynov names the most generous Russian philanthropist, a major entrepreneur of the late 19th century, Gavrila Gavrilovich Solodovnikov, who from total amount inheritance of 21 million rubles. over 20 million rubles bequeathed for public needs (for comparison: donations from the entire nobility, including the royal family, did not reach 100 thousand rubles in 20 years).

At the same time, the charity of entrepreneurs in pre-revolutionary Russia had its own characteristics. For many centuries, business people have traditionally invested primarily in the construction of churches. Churches continued to be built in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but since the end of the last century, the main rivalry between wealthy entrepreneurs took place in the social sphere under the motto: “Who will do more for the people.”

Let's take a closer look at the most famous philanthropists of Russia.

2. The most prominent patrons of the late 19th - early 20th centuries.

The patronage of Savva Ivanovich Mamontov (1841-1918) was of a special kind: he invited his artist friends to Abramtsevo, often together with their families, conveniently located them in the main house and outbuildings. All those who came, under the leadership of the owner, went into nature, to sketches. All this is very far from the usual examples of charity, when a philanthropist limits himself to donating a certain amount to a good cause. Mamontov acquired many of the works of members of the circle himself, and found customers for others.

One of the first artists to come to Mamontov in Abramtsevo was V.D.

Polenov. He was connected with Mamontov by spiritual closeness: a passion for antiquity, music, theater. Vasnetsov was also in Abramtsevo; it was to him that the artist owed his knowledge of ancient Russian art. The warmth of the father's home, artist V.A. Serov will find it in Abramtsevo. Savva Ivanovich Mamontov was the only conflict-free patron of Vrubel’s art. For a very needy artist, he needed not only an appreciation of his creativity, but also material support. And Mamontov helped widely, ordering and buying works by Vrubel. So Vrubel commissioned the design of the outbuilding on Sadovo-Spasskaya. In 1896, the artist, commissioned by Mamontov, completed a grandiose panel for the All-Russian Exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod: “Mikula Selyaninovich” and “Princess Dream”. The portrait of S.I. is well known. Mamontova. The Mamontov art circle was a unique association. The Mamontov Private Opera is also well known.

It can be said quite definitely that if all the achievements of the Private

Mamontov's operas would have been limited only by the fact that it formed Chaliapin, the genius of the opera stage, and this would have been quite enough for the highest assessment of the activities of Mamontov and his theater.

Maria Klavdievna Tenisheva (1867-1928) was an extraordinary person, possessor of encyclopedic knowledge in art, and an honorary member of the first union of artists in Russia. The scale of her social activities, in which enlightenment was the leading principle, is striking: she created the School of Craft Students (near Bryansk), opened several elementary public schools, organized drawing schools together with Repin, opened courses for teacher training, and even created a real analogue of Abramtsev near Moscow - Talashkino. Roerich called Tenisheva “a creator and a collector.” Tenisheva not only allocated money extremely wisely and nobly for the purpose of reviving Russian culture, but she herself, with her talent, knowledge and skills, made a significant contribution to the study and development of the best traditions of Russian culture.

Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov (1832-1898). In the phenomenon of P.M. Tretyakov is impressed by his fidelity to the goal. Tretyakov was also highly appreciated by the artists themselves, with whom he was primarily associated in the field of collecting. Such an idea - to lay the foundation for a public, universally accessible repository of art - did not arise among any of his contemporaries, although private collectors existed before Tretyakov, but they acquired paintings, sculpture, dishes, crystal, primarily for themselves, for their private collections and to see Few could own works of art owned by collectors. What is also striking about Tretyakov’s phenomenon is that he did not have any special artistic education, nevertheless, he recognized talented artists earlier than others. Before many others, he realized the invaluable artistic merits of the icon-painting masterpieces of Ancient Rus'.
Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov (1848-1926) - artist, collector of icons. Born into a priest's family. He studied at the Vyatka Theological Seminary, but left the last year. In 1867 the young man went to St. Petersburg. At first he studied at the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists under I.N. Kramskoy, and from 1868. at the Academy of Arts. In April 1878 he was already in Moscow and since then has not been separated from this city. Striving to create works in a truly national style, Viktor Mikhailovich turned to events of the past, images of epics and Russian fairy tales. Vasnetsov’s monumental paintings in Orthodox churches became widely known. Particularly great success accompanied his work at the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv in 1885. Viktor Mikhailovich became not only a connoisseur, but also a collector of Russian antiquities. At the beginning of the 20th century, the collection of icons of V.M. Vasnetsova was already so significant that, being shown at the exhibition of the First Congress of Russian Artists, she attracted attention. After the artist’s death, his house and all art collections passed to his daughter Tatyana Viktorovna Vasnetsova. Thanks to her, the Memorial Museum of V.M. was opened in 1953. Vasnetsov, which still exists today. Today, the house-museum of Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov houses 25 thousand exhibits that allow you to get acquainted with the biography and work of the famous artist.
Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin (1842-1904) artist, essayist, collector of ethnographic monuments and decorative arts, was born into a noble family. Graduated from the St. Petersburg Naval Cadet Corps. At the same time he showed an inclination towards art and began to attend the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists. Refusing military career, Vereshchagin entered the Academy of Arts. He began collecting quite early - in the sixties of the 19th century. And already from his first trip to the Caucasus and the Danube he brought back many different kinds of “trophies”. His collection included items from almost all over the world. Since 1892, Vereshchagin's life was closely connected with Moscow. The Moscow artist's house resembled a real museum. There was a large library right in the workshop. It contained over a thousand books in French, English and German on history, sociology, philosophy, and astronomy. In 1895 and 1898 V.V. Vereshchagin donated individual items from his collection to the Imperial Historical Museum. V.V. Vereshchagin died on March 31, 1904 in the explosion of the battleship Petropavlovsk in Port Arthur.

Collector, publisher, philanthropist Kozma Terentyevich Soldatenkov (1818-1901) came from a merchant family. As a child, he did not receive any education, was barely able to read and write in Russian, and spent his entire youth among the “boys” behind the counter of his wealthy father. The name of Soldatenkov in the history of culture is associated with publishing activities in Russia in the second half of the century before last, with collecting Russian paintings: Soldatenkov’s publications had a great public resonance in the country, and the collection of paintings could be comparable to the gallery of P. M. Tretyakov. In his home gallery there were such famous things as “Beekeeper” by I.N. Kramskoy, “Spring - big water"I.I. Levitan, "Tea Party in Mytishchi" and "Farewell to the Dead" by V.G. Perov, "Breakfast of an Aristocrat" by P.A. Fedotov, sketch "The Appearance of Christ to the People" and the initial sketch of the famous painting. The Soldatenkovsky collection of icons was of significant value. It is known that Kozma Terentyevich was a passionate bibliophile, his extensive library numbered over 20 thousand books. Soldatenkov’s collection, which became known as a private art gallery, was located within the walls of his mansion on Myasnitskaya, a rebuilt ancient estate, next to Corbusier’s current house. In 1864, Soldatenkov, together with I.E. Zabelin, M.P. Pogodin, D.A. Rovinsky and S.M. Solovyov became a founding member of the Society of Ancient Russian Art at the Rumyantsev Museum. For a long time, he donated a thousand rubles a year to needs. Inscribed in golden letters in the chronicle of Russian charity is Soldatenkov’s donation of two million rubles for the construction of a free hospital in Moscow for citizens of all classes. Opened in 1910, after the death of Kozma Terentyevich, the Soldierskov hospital still serves Muscovites today. In front of the building of this hospital, named after Botkin, in 1991 a monument was erected as a sign of gratitude - a bust of K.T. Soldatenkov. According to the collector’s will, his entire collection went to the Rumyantsev Museum. There were about two hundred and seventy paintings alone in the Soldertenko collection: after the museum was closed, they joined the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery and the Russian Museum, and the books replenished the Lenin State Library (now the Russian State Library).
Archaeologist, collector Alexey Sergeevich Uvarov (1825-1884) - from an old and noble family, son of the President of the Academy of Sciences, Count S.S. Uvarov. On the initiative of Uvarov, the Moscow Archaeological Society was created in 1864, which set broad goals in preserving and studying monuments of art and antiquity. Alexey Sergeevich Uvarov participated in the creation of the Russian Historical Museum. The best exhibits obtained through the labors of members of the Society were donated to the Imperial Museum for its first exhibition. After the death of his father, Alexey Sergeevich inherited the richest family collection of works of art and antiquities in the Porechye estate in the Moscow province. A unique continuation of the museum was a beautiful botanical garden - up to thirty thousand “selected plant species” brought to the Moscow region from all over the world. After the death of Uvarov A.S. his widow, Praskovya Sergeevna Uvarova, continued the work begun by her husband.
Praskovya Sergeevna Uvarova (1840-1924), née Shcherbatova, from a noble princely family. Uvarova received a diverse education at home: among her mentors were Professor F.I. Buslaev, who studied Russian literature and art history with her, N.G. Rubinstein, from whom she took music lessons, A.K. Savrasov, who came to study drawing and painting.
After the death of A.S. Uvarov, Praskovya Sergeevna was elected in 1885 as an honorary member of the Imperial Moscow Archaeological Society, and soon became its chairman. Praskovya Sergeevna Uvarova played a prominent role in the development of legislative measures for the protection of domestic cultural heritage, including the ban on the export of cultural monuments abroad.
Her attentive attitude to the activities of collectors is known. Her mansion on Leontyevsky Lane housed a collection of paintings, a collection of paintings, a collection of manuscripts numbering more than three thousand items, a collection of coins, and monuments of ancient art. She was honored to become an honorary member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences and a number of universities.
Dmitry Aleksandrovich Rovinsky (1824-1895), lawyer by profession, art historian, collector, was born into the family of an official. At the age of twenty he graduated from the St. Petersburg School of Law and served in Moscow in judicial institutions. Managed to assemble one of the most complete collections original engravings by Rembrandt. In search of the works of the great master, he traveled all over Europe. Subsequently, under the influence of his relative, historian and collector M.P. Pogodin, Rovinsky turned to the search for a domestic school. Thus began the meeting of Russians folk pictures, which over time resulted in the creation of one of the most complete collections of its kind. Interest in folk iconography led the collector to search for ancient illustrated primers, cosmography, and satirical leaflets - all of this became part of Rovinsky’s collection. Rovinsky spent all his funds on replenishing the collection. He lived modestly, as if nothing existed around him except a mass of books on art and numerous folders with engravings. Dmitry Alexandrovich willingly showed his treasures to amateurs, connoisseurs and collectors. At his own expense, Rovinsky established the prize “For the best essays on artistic archeology,” as well as the best painting - with subsequent reproduction in engraving; donated a dacha near Moscow to Moscow University in order to use the income received to regularly award prizes for the best illustrated scientific essay for public reading. According to the will of Dmitry Alexandrovich, Russian portraits and paintings were supplied to the Moscow Public and Rumyantsev Museums.
Collector, bibliophile Vasily Nikolaevich Basnin (1799-1876) devoted a lot of time and effort to social work, historical and local history research, and collecting. Even in his youth, his hobby became engravings. In addition to engravings, Basnin’s collection included watercolors, drawings and paintings by Russian and Western European masters and graphics by Chinese artists. He had a unique library. It contained about twelve thousand books - it was the largest private collection of those years. After the collector's death, materials on the history of Siberia were transferred to the state archives. Nowadays the Basninsky collection is kept in Moscow - in the engraving room of the State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin.

There are and will always be patrons of the arts of different calibers, collectors of different calibers. The following names remain in the history of philanthropy: Nikolai Petrovich Likhachev, Ilya Semenovich Ostroukhov, Stepan Pavlovich Ryabushinsky, Sergei Ivanovich Shchukin, Alexey Alexandrovich and Alexey Petrovich Bakhrushin, Mikhail Abramovich and Ivan Abramovich Morozov, Pavel Ivanovich Kharitonenko, Ivan Egorovich Zabelin .

The widespread development of philanthropic entrepreneurship and the development of charitable activities in the country had its root causes. Let's look at the most common of them.

3. The root causes of the development of charity.

Research shows that the motives for charity and patronage of the arts among Russian entrepreneurs were complex and far from clear-cut. There was no single ideological basis for performing charitable acts. In most cases, both egoistic and altruistic motives acted simultaneously: there was a businesslike, well-thought-out calculation, and respect for science and art, and in some cases it was a special kind of asceticism, going back in its origins to national traditions and religious values. In other words, everything depended on the social appearance of the benefactors. From this point of view, we can talk about the most important motives for charity and patronage of Russian entrepreneurs.

3.1. High morality, awareness of the social duty of entrepreneurs and philanthropists

For the most part, Russian traders, industrialists and bankers did not take an active part in the socio-political life of the country. But the most prominent representatives were clearly aware of the importance of social activities. These people were distinguished by deep national self-awareness, awareness of the relationship between public and personal wealth, and a thirst for activity on a socially useful basis. In addition to entrepreneurship, many business people were engaged in public work and proudly wore the insignia bestowed by His Majesty for service to the Fatherland. For example, such representatives of the merchant class as N.A. Alekseev, T.S. Morozov, S.A. Lepeshkin, N.I. Guchkov, A.A. Mazurin. “There is no doubt that our third estate, the Russian bourgeoisie,” noted in the newspaper of Russian entrepreneurs “Russian Courier,” “without limiting its activities to private economic interests and enterprises, strives to take over socially useful affairs and become the head of local government.”

A sense of high responsibility to the people and the Fatherland fueled their civic spirit and called for asceticism in the field of charity: they built churches, schools, hospitals, collected and collected books and paintings, and spent money on meeting the cultural and educational needs of the country. Among the generous donors who were motivated solely by moral motives, one should name such famous “donors” as the Bakhrushins - Moscow entrepreneurs, owners of leather and cloth factories. Having started in the 17th century with the purchase of livestock, in the first half of the 19th century the Bakhrushins moved on to industrial entrepreneurship, and in the second half of the 19th century they became famous philanthropists and philanthropists. The Bakhrushins donated a total of more than 5 million rubles for charity. It is no coincidence that they are called selfless, “professional philanthropists.” Thus, Alexey Petrovich Bakhrushin, bequeathing his rich collections of works of art to the Historical Museum in 1901, emphasized that “he was not in the service and has no distinctions.”

Another famous entrepreneur, Efim Fedorovich Guchkov, in addition to numerous awards for entrepreneurial activity, also had an award for charity, and his brother Ivan Fedorovich received the Order of St. Anna, 2nd degree, for his participation in the construction of the Temple on Preobrazhensky.

3.2. Religious motives

It is known that the Church has always considered the accumulation of wealth not as an end in itself, but as a way of socially organized charity. At the same time, Christian ethics and morality teach compassion and mercy. It should not be forgotten that many great entrepreneurs were extremely pious people. According to some estimates, up to 2/3 of the representatives of the merchant class came from Old Believer families, in which children were raised in severity and obedience, in the spirit of goodwill. “In the first half of the 19th century, almost all the largest trading and industrial firms in Moscow are in the hands of the Old Believers: the Morozovs, Guchkovs, Rakhmanovs, Shelaputins, Ryabushinskys, Kuznetsovs, Gorbunovs and many other Moscow millionaires belong to the Old Believers.” Because of the fear of being excommunicated from the Church on charges of money-grubbing, many believing entrepreneurs engaged in charitable activities. “Wealth obliges,” P.P. Ryabushinsky often said, answering a question about the motives for charity, while always meaning by these words “the firm Christian faith of our fathers and grandfathers.” Of course, not all wealthy, devout entrepreneurs were philanthropists. However, the norms of Orthodox morality and the traditions of Christian charity were clearly predominant among business people and philanthropists. The biblical thesis: “Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth... but store up for yourself in heaven” is the internal need of many Russian people.

3.3. Patriotism of Russian business people.

Most of the major Russian merchants, industrialists, and bankers were true patriots due to their activity and social responsibility. They always participated in events that determined the fate of Russia and influenced the development of culture and art. Donating significant sums to supply the Russian army and for military needs during the hard years, they showed deep patriotism and contributed to prosperity in the most difficult periods of the development of the Fatherland. It is known, for example, that a major businessman K.V. Krestovnikov donated 50 thousand rubles for the needs of the Patriotic War of 1812, and the name of S.A. Alekseev of the “gold weaving king” (who is the great-grandfather of the famous director K.S. Stanislavsky) is among other benefactors was engraved on the marble of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior “for help for the needs of the militia in 1812.” Entrepreneurs V. Kokorev, I. Mamontov, K. Soldatenkov in 1856 organized a patriotic event on the occasion of the meeting of the heroes of Sevastopol in Moscow.

Domestic entrepreneurs played a unique role in the development of Russian culture. Entrepreneurs and philanthropists have always admired figures of science and art, their talent and independence of judgment, and sought their company and respect. Many entrepreneurs considered it a matter of honor to financially support the most talented representatives of Russian culture; they themselves were fond of collecting works of national and world culture. For example, the son of a merchant V.Ya. Bryusov became a professional writer, the representative of the commercial and industrial Alekseev family K.S. Stanislavsky became an outstanding actor and director. An extremely gifted person was the famous philanthropist, major industrialist, and railway builder S.I. Mamontov. He tried himself as a singer, director, sculptor, and playwright. Using his own funds, Mamonov created a Russian private opera, uniting talented singers, composers, musicians.

An example of the separation of the creative elite from the entrepreneurial environment is the Tretyakovs. The world-famous Moscow National Gallery owes its existence to P.M. Tretyakov. The weight of his contribution to the development and preservation of Russian culture is all the more significant given that Tretyakov’s own fortune was small. When donating his collection to Moscow in 1892, Pavel Mikhailovich wrote a will: “Wishing to contribute to the establishment of useful institutions in my dear city, to promote the prosperity of art in Russia and at the same time to preserve the collection I have collected for eternity.”

The contribution of domestic entrepreneurs to the development of science and technology was significant. During the First World War, the Ryabushinsky brothers began construction of an automobile plant in Moscow, were engaged in oil production, and donated significant amounts of money to the development of science. Russian entrepreneurs invested their money in the development of new lands, the search for minerals, and contributed to geographical discoveries. We are talking about the activities of M.K. Sidorov in studying the riches of the Far North, K.M. Sibiryakov in the study of the North-Eastern Sea Route, F.P. Ryabushinsky in the study of Kamchatka.

3.4. Desire for social benefits and privileges.

For many benefactors, ranks and orders were not an end in themselves, but they provided an opportunity to increase their social status. In this sense, it would not be an exaggeration to note that charity and patronage of the arts were one of the forms of satisfying merchant vanity and ambitions. Nothing human was alien to merchants and industrialists.

Researcher A. Bokhanov rightly pointed out that “charity often opened up the only opportunity for entrepreneurs to receive ranks, titles and other distinctions that were practically impossible to achieve in any other way.” Historical experience shows that not all entrepreneurs were disinterested philanthropists, altruists and patriots.

The charitable activities of the hereditary honorary citizen, actual state councilor A.I. Lobkov were far from selfless. He began to engage in charity work not for moral or patriotic reasons, but solely out of a desire to quickly “get out among the people” (he was from the philistines), to receive public recognition and titles. He began collecting icons, paintings, ancient manuscripts and early printed books and soon became a benefactor of the Moscow Historical Society and treasurer of the council of the Moscow Art Society. In 1848, Lobkov took charge of the Shabolovka orphanage for orphan girls, ensuring its existence material means. As a result, he achieved the title of general, becoming "Your Excellency." In connection with the above example, the question arises: “How to treat people like Lobkov?” But something else is indicative here. A society that has developed a mechanism for transforming self-interest into good, making charity a profitable and prestigious business, deserves approval.

The desire of entrepreneurs to achieve state and public recognition received the most widespread development when a system of encouraging charitable deeds was introduced in Russia: awarding orders, ranks, awards rank of nobility. By the end of the 19th century, there were 27 awarded awards in Russia: 15 orders and 12 ranks. Thus, entrepreneur-philanthropist L.S. Polyakov, for donating large sums of money to the Rumyantsev Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, received the Order of Vladimir, 3rd degree, and Stanislav, 1st degree, and on this basis achieved the title of nobleman. Merchant A.A. Kumanin received the title of Commerce Advisor and a gold medal on the Vladimir Ribbon for his extensive charitable activities. And his children were elevated to the nobility for their generous charity in 1830. For active charitable work, the nobleman was awarded to the railway builder P.I. Gubonin, and the owner of the world famous manufactory N.I. Prokhorov. True, history knows other examples. For example, when Alexander I in 1893 granted P.M. Tretyakov the title of nobleman for his collecting activities, he refused, answering that “he was born a merchant, a merchant and will die.”

3.5. Business interests.

Engagement in philanthropy contributed to raising the level of culture and education among the benefactors themselves, and broadening their general horizons. In general, this indicated an increase in the number of intelligent, highly educated people among entrepreneurs. Many entrepreneurs understood that competent, skilled workers were needed to benefit their business. Therefore, they spared no expense in building housing for their workers and medical and health institutions. Improved working and living conditions for workers and their families. As a result, in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century, next to factories, as a rule, there was a school, hospital, library, built at the expense of the owners. The brothers Krestovnikov, Konovalov, Morozov, and Prokhorov paid a lot of attention to solving everyday problems and vocational education of workers. At the 1900 Paris World Exhibition, the Prokhorovs’ “Trekhgorny Manufactory Partnership” received a gold medal in the “sanitary department” for caring for the workers’ lives. And the owner himself, Nikolai Ivanovich Prokhorov, was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor for industrial activities.

Entrepreneurial charity supported the development of specialized scientific institutions. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, engineering schools and secondary specialized educational institutions were created in the country. Thus, at the factory of the M.S. Kuznetsov Partnership (famous for porcelain), there was a Dulyovskoe two-class rural school, and at the expense of the Nechaev-Maltsevs, the Maltsevskoye vocational school functioned. In 1901, V.A. Morozova opened the first vocational school. By 1910, there were already 344 educational institutions in the country. In 1907, on the initiative of commercial and industrial circles, the country's first higher commercial institution was created in Moscow. educational institution- Commercial Institute, now the Russian Economic Academy named after G.V. Plekhanov.

4. Patrons are not born

Can every millionaire be a patron of art? There are rich people in Russia today. But giving money is not yet a philanthropist. The best modern entrepreneurs understand that charity is an indispensable companion to a solid business.

Patrons are not born, they are made. And I think that today’s patrons and collectors should strive, first of all, to spend effort and money on restoring what their predecessors created a hundred years ago.

In Russia it is not economically profitable to be a philanthropist. If only because, unlike European countries Legislation in this area does not yet provide for financial (for example, tax) benefits. This means that there must be some other reasons for such an act.

Conclusion

The paradox was that many famous philanthropists and patrons of the arts were tragic figures, misunderstood by Russian society. By donating colossal sums to charitable causes, transferring huge capital from the commercial to the non-profit sector, philanthropic entrepreneurs challenged the world of business and the laws of the market, which inevitably gave rise to envy, often ridicule from fellow entrepreneurs, and in some cases led to ruin.

At the same time, without charitable and philanthropic activities entrepreneurs, we wouldn’t have such masterpieces by K. Bryullov, A. Ivanov, F. Shubin. Such heights of national culture as the Tretyakov Gallery, the Bakhrushin Museum, the Moscow Art Theater, the Abramtsevo estate, Russian opera with its unsurpassed F. Chaliapin.

Patronage in Russia at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries was an essential, noticeable aspect of the spiritual life of society; in most cases it was associated with those sectors of the social economy that did not generate profit and therefore had nothing to do with commerce; the sheer number of philanthropists in Russia at the turn of two centuries, the inheritance of good deeds by representatives of the same family, the easily visible altruism of philanthropists, the surprisingly high degree of personal, direct participation of domestic philanthropists in the transformation of one or another sphere of life - all this together allows us to draw some conclusions.

Traditions of patronage

Patrons "Russian patrons, despising the ridicule of their business partners and the condescension of the recipients, continued to go their own way"

The existence of libraries, museums, and theaters has always been impossible without financial injections from the state or private patrons. And if in the West patronage of the arts was based not only on moral, but also on legal criteria (funds allocated to charity were exempt from taxes), then in Russia they patronized the arts out of generosity of soul and “out of love for art.” But the main motives were, of course, specific features inherent only in the Russian soul: virtue, mercy and selflessness, which many centuries ago became the basis of our spirituality and self-awareness. And the adoption of Christianity made it possible to strengthen these features and provide a conceptual and logical basis for them. After all, the basis of Orthodoxy is precisely unselfish love for one’s neighbor and helping those who need it.

Patronage flourished mainly among merchants and workers. As a rule, these were descendants of Old Believers merchants. And such people had a special and completely definite attitude towards money and business. P. A. Buryshkin, who studied the Moscow merchants, believed that merchants “looked at their labor and income not only as a source of profit, but as the fulfillment of a task, a kind of mission assigned by God or fate. They said about wealth that God gave it for use and would demand an account for it, which was partly expressed in the fact that it was in the merchant environment that both charity and collecting were unusually developed, which were looked upon as the fulfillment of some divinely appointed task "

One of the famous philanthropic families, which contemporaries called professional philanthropists, was the Bakhrushin family of merchants: Peter, Alexander and Vasily. This family had a tradition: at the end of the year, if he was financially prosperous, a certain amount was allocated to help the poor, sick, and students. They carried out extensive charitable activities both in Zaraysk, where their parents were from, and in Moscow. The Bakhrushins themselves, according to the recollections of contemporaries, never gravitated toward luxury. In addition to charity, they invested money in land and apartment buildings. A free hospital with two hundred beds for the terminally ill, a city orphanage and a shelter for village children from poor families, a free house where needy widows with children and female students lived, as well as kindergartens, schools, free canteens and dormitories for female students - this is far away This is not a complete list of their benefactors. Vasily Alekseevich wrote a will, according to which five universities (Moscow University, Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary, Academy of Commercial Sciences and a men's gymnasium) received money for scholarships for students. Four theaters, including the Korsh Theater, were built partly with the money of the Bakhrushins.

Continued family traditions and Alexey Alexandrovich Bakhrushin (1865-1929) - merchant, philanthropist, famous collector, founder of the famous theater museum, which he donated to the Academy of Sciences in 1913.

Already from the age of six, Alexey was a regular at theatrical productions of the Bolshoi and then the Maly theaters, and tried himself on stage. After graduating from the private gymnasium of F. Kreiman, he joined the family business - the Partnership of Leather and Cloth Manufactory Alexey Bakhrushin and Sons. But gradually he became interested in collecting and retired. Under the influence of his cousin, Alexei Petrovich Bakhrushin, he became a collector, and his interest in theatrical antiquities did not immediately awaken. Posters, program programs for performances, photographic portraits of actors, sketches of costumes, personal belongings of artists - all this flocked to Bakhrushin’s house and became his passion. His son recalled that they laughed at Bakhrushin: “People around him looked at it as a whim of a rich tyrant, made fun of him, offered to buy a button from Mochalov’s trousers or Shchepkin’s boots.” But this passion gradually took shape into a serious hobby, and on October 29, 1894, Bakhrushin presented an entire exhibition to the public. It was this day that Bakhrushin considered the day of the founding of the Moscow Literary and Theater Museum.

Alexey Alexandrovich Bakhrushin was not like other collectors. He did not trust traders and collectors, but preferred to search and select exhibits for the collection himself. "Collect<…>without looking for it yourself, without being deeply interested, it’s an empty, uninteresting activity, and if you collect antiquities, then only under the condition of deep personal interest in it,” he said. And he had just such, the highest interest in his collection. He searched, waited, intending to most fully present the history of Russian theater from its very inception. He regularly visited antique dealers and talked with them, traveled all over Russia and brought not only theatrical rarities, but also works of folk art, furniture, and ancient Russian costumes. He also visited antique shops while abroad, since his collection also included a section on the history of Western European theater. From long trips he brought actors' clothes, collections of masks, and rare musical instruments.

Very soon Bakhrushin’s passion became known in the widest circles. The actors were so grateful for his idea of ​​a theatrical collection that they sent him exhibits completely free of charge. The fact that the flow of gifts did not dry up was also facilitated by the “Bakhrushin Saturdays”, which were very popular among actors and theatergoers. A. Yuzhin, A. Lensky, M. Ermolova, G. Fedotova, F. Shalyapin, L. Sobinov, K. Stanislavsky, V. Nemirovich-Danchenko visited Alexey Alexandrovich. Very soon a tradition arose of not coming empty-handed. For example, the star of the Maly Theater Glikeria Nikolaevna Fedotova presented Bakhrushin with all the gifts that she had accumulated over the years of her stage life.

Aleksei Aleksandrovich Bakhrushin considered the carefully assembled and protected museum to be literary and theatrical. The collection, which gradually became extensive and diverse, had three sections - literary, dramatic and musical.

The literary section included rare editions of plays by Y. Knyazhnin, A. Sumarokov, A. Pushkin, A. Griboyedov, N. Gogol, A. Ostrovsky, as well as various publications on the history of the theater, almanacs, magazines, collections, letters, notebooks , diaries famous figures national culture - A. Griboyedov, I. Lazhechnikov, M. Kheraskov, N. Gogol, A. Verstovsky, A. Pisemsky, P. Karatygin, N. Pomyalovsky. And this is not a complete list - Bakhrushin alone had more than a thousand manuscripts.

The dramatic section, of course, was the most extensive and was the real pride of Bakhrushin. He completely recreated the furnishings of V. Komissarzhevskaya’s office, K. Varlamov’s dressing room, he had many personal belongings of famous artists: V. Asenkova, A. Lensky, M. Shchepkin, P. Medvedev. Bakhrushin was very proud of his collection of ballet shoes from the times of Taglioni to Pavlova. The drama section also had its own portrait gallery: drawings, engravings, lithographs, paintings and sculptures, a huge number of photographs, and not only photos of actors, but also scenes from performances.

Over time, Alexey Alexandrovich began to think about the fate of his countless riches. He really wanted all of Moscow to have access to them. And then a paradoxical thing happened: “As a member of the Duma, he proposed to transfer his museum to the ownership of the Moscow city government. But the venerable city fathers, as soon as they heard about this, began to brush aside this scourge in every possible way. "What do you?! The Tretyakov and Soldenko meetings and I have suffered enough grief. And here you are with yours! Excuse me, for Christ’s sake!..”

“My father was in despair - the huge collection, which even then cost hundreds of thousands, offered free to government institutions, turned out to be of no use to anyone. It turned out to be impossible to break the bureaucratic inertia,” recalled the son of the philanthropist, Yu. A. Bakhrushin. Only the Academy of Sciences became interested in the unique collection. For another 4 long years the formalities were settled, and only in November 1913 the transfer of the museum to the Academy of Sciences finally took place.

“When the conviction became firmly established in me that my collection had reached those limits at which I no longer considered myself entitled to dispose of its materials, I thought about the question whether I, the son of the great Russian people, was not obliged to provide this collection for the benefit of this people,” - these words were spoken by A. Bakhrushin on a memorable day for him - November 25, 1913, when his collection was transferred Russian Academy Sci.

Of course, the museum bears the name of its creator. Bakhrushin is one of the few Moscow philanthropists whose activities continued unchanged under Soviet rule. The lifelong director and head of the museum, Alexey Alexandrovich Bakhrushin, remained until the very last hour. A. A. Bakhrushin died in 1929.

References

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Torii. – M.: Progress Academy, 1995

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Telstva, 1999

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Kuzmichev A., Petrov R. Russian millionaires. Family chronicles. – M., 1993, p.10

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School economic magazine No. 2, Ten centuries of Russian entrepreneurship, 1999, p. 52.

Nesterenko E.I. Charity and patronage in Russian entrepreneurship: Materials for the course “History of Entrepreneurship in Russia.” – M.Financial Academy, 1996, p.20.

Nesterenko E.I. Historical experience. School economic magazine No. 21, 1999, p. 54

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Russian philanthropists.

Russian philanthropists. Today we will examine such a topic as Russian philanthropists or patrons of the arts. Let's find out who these patrons are. Let's get acquainted with the great philanthropists of Russia and learn a lot of new things.

Who are the patrons? A philanthropist is a person who contributes on a voluntary and free basis to the development of science and art, providing them with material assistance from personal funds.

Over time, wealthy patrons of culture, art and science began to be called patrons of the arts. Many of them went down in cultural history on a par with outstanding artists, writers, and actors, because they contributed to the development of their creativity, the prosperity of art, and the introduction of the broad masses to the best cultural achievements. As a striking example of philanthropy, we can cite the Medici family, whose representatives from the 13th to the 18th centuries repeatedly became the rulers of Florence. They gained the greatest fame as sponsors of the most outstanding geniuses of the Renaissance.

The development of philanthropy in Russia began in the 18th century, and in the second half of the 19th century it flourished. Wonderful collections of monuments of Russian and Western European art and extensive libraries were collected in country noble estates and city palaces. Among the famous Russian philanthropists are Mamontov, Morozov, Ryabushinsky, Bakhrushin and the Tretyakovs.

Morozov Savva Timofeevich Probably you couldn’t find more in Russia at the end of the 19th century rich family than the Morozovs. And they generously shared this fabulous wealth with their people.

Russian spirituality is special. Only a Russian, dying of hunger, can give another a single small piece of bread. And if he has a lot of “pieces”, if a person works hard and has a lot, then giving was already a need.

The Morozov family of merchants was very famous in Russia. The “Bogorodsky first merchant guild” Savva Vasilyevich Morozov (Sava the first, then the family continued with the most famous Morozov - Savva Timofeevich) had five sons, from whom four branches of the famous Morozov business went. Timofey Savvich became the owner of the Nikolskaya manufactory, Elisha and Vikula - Orekhovo-Zuevskaya, Zakhar Savvich owned the Bogorodsko-Glukhovsky factories, and Abram Savvich - the Tverskaya ones.

All the Morozovs were generous donors. They encouraged cultural and artistic figures with tens of thousands of rubles. As we have already said, Savva Timofeevich (the second) supported the Moscow Art Theater. His brother Sergei Timofeevich became the founder of the Handicraft Museum in Leontyevsky Lane in Moscow. The Morozovs subsidized the newspapers “Voice of Russia” and “Russian Word”.

Today in the Moscow region town of Orekhovo-Zuevo, which was the patrimony of the glorious family, there is not only a monument, but not even a bust of the Morozovs, not a single street is named after them. But they did not work only for themselves and left a luxurious industrial and artistic heritage. But the main thing is not even this, but the fact that this family, as well as the families of other Russian philanthropists, can serve as an example of hard work, determination, confidence and success.

Summarize. Russian philanthropists, in our opinion, are great people and they can even be called personalities, even though they donated a certain amount of money, they made, sometimes not a great, but significant contribution to the science and culture of their homeland, and even though they did not do any grandiose things, great people You can definitely call them, or rather, great personalities!

Russian merchants acquired and preserved priceless treasures of domestic and world culture for Russia, but time erased many names from the memory of posterity. Unfortunately, people have short memories. But art has eternal life.

Tretyakov Gallery, Bakhrushin Theater Museum, collection French impressionists Shchukin, the Morozov Handicraft Museum, gymnasiums, hospitals, shelters, institutes - all these are gifts from the Moscow merchants to their native city. The historian M. Pogodin set Moscow merchants-philanthropists as an example to tight-fisted European entrepreneurs: “If we count all their donations for the current century alone, they would amount to a figure that Europe should bow to.”

Tretyakovs

Among Moscow patrons of the arts, the name of Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov has a special place: it is to him that we owe the unique collection of paintings stored in the famous Tretyakov Gallery. The Tretyakov merchant family could not boast of special wealth, but Pavel Mikhailovich did not spare money to purchase paintings. Over the course of 42 years, he spent an impressive amount of money on them at that time - over a million rubles. Unfortunately, Pavel’s brother, Sergei Mikhailovich, is much less known to our contemporaries. He collected Western European painting, and after his death in 1892, all the paintings he acquired passed, according to his will, into the possession of Pavel Mikhailovich. They were also donated to the city. On August 15, 1893, a new museum appeared in Moscow - the City Art Gallery of Pavel and Sergei Tretyakov. At that time, the collection consisted of 1,362 paintings, 593 drawings and 15 sculptures. Art critic V. Stasov wrote about it: “An art gallery... is not a random collection of paintings, it is the result of knowledge, considerations, strict weighing and most of all - deep love to your dear business."

Bakhrushins

The Bakhrushins came from the city of Zaraysk and were engaged in leather and cloth making. Both in Zaraysk and Moscow, the family donated large sums to those in need. In the mother throne, the Bakhrushins were called “professional philanthropists” from whom “donations pour in like from a cornucopia.” Judge for yourself, they built and maintained: a city hospital, a house of free apartments for the poor, a shelter for orphans, a vocational school for boys, a home for elderly artists... For this, the city authorities made the Bakhrushins honorary citizens of Moscow, they offered nobility, but proud merchants abandoned their titles. Alexey Petrovich Bakhrushin was a passionate collector, collecting Russian medals, porcelain, paintings, icons and ancient books. He bequeathed his collection to the Historical Museum, and several museum halls were named after him. Alexey Petrovich's uncle, Alexey Alexandrovich Bakhrushin, collected everything related to the theater: old posters, programs, photographs famous actors, stage costumes. Based on his collection in Moscow, in 1894, the world's only Theater Museum named after. Bakhrushin. It is still in effect today.

The Khludov family, who came from Yegoryevsk, owned cotton factories and built railways. Alexey Ivanovich Khludov collected a unique collection of ancient Russian manuscripts and early printed books. Among them are the works of Maxim the Greek, “The Source of Knowledge” by John of Damascus, translated and with comments by Prince Kurbsky (the author of angry letters to Ivan the Terrible). In total, the collection consisted of more than a thousand books. In 1882, after the death of Khludov, the precious collection, according to his will, was transferred to the St. Nicholas Monastery of Edinoverie in Moscow. Alexei's brother, Gerasim Ivanovich, was also an avid collector: he collected paintings by Russian artists. The Khludovs, like the Bakhrushins, did not spare money for charity: they built an almshouse, free apartments for the poor, wards for terminally ill women and a children's hospital with their own funds.

This dynasty gave Russia a lot talented people: industrialists, doctors, diplomats. Let us at least remember Pyotr Kononovich, the pioneer of the tea business in Russia, or Sergei Petrovich, the famous Russian aesculapian. Many Botkins were collectors. Privy Councilor and artist Mikhail Petrovich collected Western European paintings, terracotta figurines, Italian majolica of the 15th-17th centuries, as well as Russian enamel for almost 50 years. He was keenly interested in the work of the artist Ivanov: he bought sketches and even published his biography. Vasily Petrovich and Dmitry Petrovich Botkin collected paintings by European masters and were friends of Pavel Tretyakov.

Mamontovs

The rich and populous merchant family of the Mamontovs “rose up” in the wine farming industry. At the end of the 18th century, Fyodor Ivanovich was known as a generous philanthropist, for which he was awarded a posthumous monument from the grateful residents of Zvenigorod. However, the most outstanding figure among the Mamontovs was Savva Ivanovich. Nature generously endowed him with talents: singer (studied in Italy), sculptor, theater director, playwright. It was Savva who discovered the talent of Chaliapin, Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov to the world. In his own theater he staged operas, the scenery for which was written by Polenov, Vasnetsov, Serov, Korovin. Savva Ivanovich helped achieve recognition for Vrubel: at his own expense he built a pavilion for the artist and exhibited his paintings in it. The estate of Savva Ivanovich, Abramtsevo, became “a haven of peace, work and inspiration” for many talented artists and performers.

Morozovs

The range of cultural activities of the Morozov dynasty is enormous: they were extremely talented people. Savva Timofeevich Morozov did a lot for the Art Theater (MAT). He was passionate about the revolutionary movement and idolized Maxim Gorky. Moscow owes the creation of the Handicraft Museum to Savva’s brother, Sergei Timofeevich. He collected works of Russian decorative and applied art of the 17th-19th centuries, trying to preserve their national flavor and traditions. After the revolution, the museum, as a sign of respect for his services, was renamed the Museum of Folk Art. S.T. Morozova. Mikhail Abramovich Morozov collected Russian and French paintings from a young age, but, alas, died at the age of 33. His collection was transferred to the Tretyakov Gallery. Ivan Abramovich Morozov was also a famous philanthropist; it was he who became the first patron of the unknown Vitebsk artist Marc Chagall. In 1918, Ivan Abramovich left Russia. His rich collection of paintings was distributed among the Museum of Fine Arts. Pushkin and the Hermitage.

Representatives of the Shchukin family have preserved truly unique treasures for us. Pyotr Ivanovich was the largest collector of Russian antiquities. There was everything in his collection: rare books, ancient Russian icons and coins, silver jewelry. In 1905, Pyotr Ivanovich donated his collection to Moscow; the catalog of valuables included 23,911 items! The canvases of Dutch painters Dmitry Ivanovich Shchukin are a pearl to this day Pushkin Museum. And a whole generation of Russian avant-garde artists grew up on the paintings of French impressionists acquired by Sergei Ivanovich Shchukin. He had an amazing sense of talent. When Shchukin met Picasso in Paris, he was an unknown poor artist. But even then the insightful Russian merchant said: “This is the future.” For six years Sergei Ivanovich sponsored Picasso, buying his paintings. Thanks to Shchukin, paintings by Monet, Matisse, and Gauguin appeared in Russia - artists who were considered “outcasts” in France. But after the revolution in Russia, Shchukin turned out to be an “outcast”, and he had to emigrate to France. Bitter irony of fate. At the end of the 1920s. There was a rumor among Russian emigrants that Shchukin was demanding the return of his nationalized collection from the Bolsheviks. But Sergei Ivanovich denied the speculation: “I collected not only and not so much for myself, but for my country and my people. Whatever is on our land, my collections must remain there.”

Dmitry Kazennov