Russian Émigré Artists in New York – The Real Thing

This catalog is published in conjunction with the exhibition Russian Émigré Artists in New York – The Real Thing, organized by the Russian American Cultural Center (RACC) in cooperation with the Harriman Institute of Columbia University. The exhibition was on view at Columbia University October 22 – November 20, 2018.

Many Russian émigré artists have invigorated the New York art scene over the past three decades. The ’90s was a particularly important decade for these artists’ integration and search for relevance in contemporary art and critical discourse, areas that remained inaccessible to them in Russia during the post-Soviet transition. The Real Thing aims to revisit and revitalize the history of Russian artists in New York during the 1990s and early 2000s, a time when the history of contemporary Russian art was in the making – in America.

The exhibition of Russian Émigré Artists in New York – The Real Thing marks the twentieth anniversary of RACC, and highlights twenty-five years of curatorial work in the U.S. by art historian and RACC founder Regina Khidekel. This unique publication is a comprehensive survey of Dr. Khidekel’s curatorial work and RACC’s artistic mission, accompanied by an article, exhibition highlights and bibliography.