The New Economy of Passion: How Private Collecting is Transforming Russian Culture

Russian collecting is undergoing a period of transformation. What was recently the domain of a select few enthusiasts is now evolving into a system of cultural institutions capable of competing with state museums. Art collectors are no longer content with the role of custodians—they are becoming architects of a new cultural landscape.

The evolution of domestic collecting reflects broader changes in the art market. Whereas the collector was once an entirely private figure, today, owners of significant art collections are increasingly deciding to present their holdings publicly. The mechanism of this process has become more sophisticated: specialized foundations are created to manage the collections, enabling professional handling of the artworks and ensuring their accessibility to a wide audience.

The selection criteria have also changed. Modern collectors demonstrate a more discerning approach to the quality of acquired works. Quality triumphs over quantity—and a more mature art market is taking shape. Paradoxically, the growing openness of private collections coexists with the opacity of the market itself. The majority of transactions remain confidential, making it impossible to accurately assess the scale of private collecting in the country. This secrecy is not only a result of commercial ethics but also a reflection of the special status of art as a valuable commodity.

A landmark event in recent years has been the emergence of the "New Collectors" foundation, established in 2023. The initiative aims to create a professional community and provide systematic support for collectors. Marina Loshak, co-founder of the foundation, articulated its necessity by defining the collector’s mission—to serve as a bridge between eras: "They preserve the heritage of the past and make it relevant in the present, are capable of looking into the future by supporting artists of their time, and chart the course of art’s development for years to come."

A telling example of the transformation of a private collection into a public institution is the project by David Yakobashvili. Realizing that a large-scale collection required a dedicated space, the collector decided to create the museum complex "Sobraniye" (The Collection) in central Moscow. Yakobashvili’s fundamental stance is the complete free admission to the museum for all categories of visitors. The collection comprises over 20,000 exhibits, although the permanent display features about 3,000 items: self-playing instruments, organs and phonographs, artistic metalwork and glass, painting, graphics, and antiques.

The Gallery of Kasli Casting in Moscow represents another model of working with a private collection. Established in 2017 based on a collection of artistic cast iron works, it functions as an institution with restricted access, focused on research activities. Since the 1990s, the owner has aimed to assemble the most comprehensive pre-revolutionary assortment of items from the Kasli Plant.

Since the activities of the Biennale of Private Collections have only just begun—we await new research and exhibition projects in Moscow and the regions. For example, the collaboration with the Russian Art Archive Network (RAAN), a project of the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, aimed at systematic work with the documentary heritage of Russian artists and the history of artistic life, is encouraging.

Private collecting is acquiring the character of a cultural policy, implemented through productive dialogue with state institutions. Contemporary Russian collecting demonstrates maturity and a readiness to assume part of the responsibility for preserving and developing cultural heritage.

The foundation operates in several areas: creating horizontal connections between collectors, educational activities, and systematic support for private cultural initiatives. Particular attention is paid to the formation of an expert community capable of professionally evaluating and contextualizing private collections within the broader cultural process.

The symbolic beginning of the Biennale of Private Collections was the exhibition "Exchange Point" at Moscow’s "Rikhter" Hotel, where collectors temporarily exchanged works from their collections. The experiment was dubbed "cultural Tinder" for demonstrating collectors' readiness for new forms of interaction and horizontal collaboration.

The co-founders of the "New Collectors" foundation, Anton Kozlov and Ekaterina Lapshina, represent precisely the new generation of Russian collectors.

Anton Kozlov began forming his collection in the spring of 2019, building it as a systematic historical study of the development of Russian contemporary art from 1957 to the present day. His collection spans key movements of the post-war period: abstraction, kinetic art and op-art, metaphysical art, Moscow Conceptualism, and Sots Art. It also includes the most recent art from the 2010s–2020s.

The Biennale is organized as a decentralized network: each participating institution—a gallery, cultural foundation, art center, or private museum—presents an exhibition, publishing, or educational project dedicated to a specific collector. The least obvious yet most profound goal of the Biennale is to explore the mechanisms through which collectors influence the development of artistic life in the regions and to help regional collections evolve.

The practical embodiment of this philosophy was the first Biennale of Private Collections, launched in June 2025. The project, encompassing 100 collectors, 40 exhibitions, and 12 cities, represents an unprecedented attempt to map private collecting in Russia on this scale.

In November 2024, the art gallery of the Yeltsin Center in Yekaterinburg opened the first exhibition from Kozlov's collection—"Twenty-One Long, One Short." The exhibition literally opened the doors of Anton Kozlov's collection and demonstrated his readiness for the public presentation of his holdings.

Ekaterina Lapshina began collecting contemporary art about ten years ago at the Cosmoscow fair, gradually specializing in new media art. Her interest in video art developed in parallel with her business ventures in cinema: through the online cinema OKKO, she realized the idea of merging cinematography and contemporary art. The core of her personal collection became video art.

Private collections are forming an alternative museum network, particularly noticeable in the regions. The Piano Workshop Museum of Alexei Stavitsky in Rybinsk, the "Siyanie" Center for Contemporary Art in Apatity, "Street Art Storage" in St. Petersburg, the Underground Museum in Yekaterinburg—these institutions consistently create new exhibitions, lifting the veil on collections for audiences.

Author: Vera Kantor