The Art Historians Who Brought Russian Avant-Garde Art to the World

Andrey Sarabyanov tells a captivating story about his family's quest to bring to light Russian avant-garde - a very rich movement that includes names like Kandinsky and Malevich, and is represented in all of the world's leading art museums.

Even though most of the paintings were created in the beginning of 20th century, it remained forgotten until the 90s. It was then that Sarabyanov traveled across Russia and neighbouring countries, discovering priceless masterpieces tucked away in small provincial museums.

This interview shows the close connection between politics and art. Just as the Third Reich spent considerable energy on stamping out modern art it branded "degenerative," the USSR hid the avant-garde far in the storage rooms of museums and prohibited any mention of it, even in academic research.

Only the people with considerable courage and with the right connections - well-known art historians and artists, or foreign diplomats - could gain access to it. It is thanks to them that many works of art were saved from destruction due to poor conditions.