The exhibition “Generations of Innovators: Russian Art of the 20th–21st Centuries,” organized by the State Museum and Exhibition Center ROSIZO, is on display at the Ekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts as part of the cultural program of the International Festival of Youth – 2026 (IFY – 2026).

The project brings together more than 100 years of Russian painting – from early 20th-century avant-garde to the work of contemporary artists. According to the curators’ concept, the project showcases not only shifting artistic movements, but also the continuity between generations.

“The exhibition turned out to be more than just substantive — it resonates with the values and ideas of the International Festival of Youth. You can clearly trace the different eras our country has lived through here. The language of fine art changed right along with them. But what never changed was an unstoppable drive forward and a continuity between generations,” noted Sergei Pershin, Deputy Minister of Culture of Russia.

Many of the avant-garde works on display at the Ekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts were created by artists in their youth – around the same age as IFY – 2026 participants, he said. “It’s especially symbolic that we’re opening this exhibition during the International Festival of Youth. After all, who if not a young, inquisitive viewer, coming into a museum and looking at these paintings, is the one who asks questions and looks for the answers,” emphasized Georgy Moskvichev, General Director of ROSIZO.

At the exhibition, century-old paintings enter into dialogue with later works. This dialogue makes it possible to see how artistic language and ideas shifted with each successive era, and how every generation reinterpreted tradition and filled it with its own meaning. Russian avant-garde becomes a space of bold artistic experimentation; Socialist Realism forms a unified artistic system for Soviet painting; the Severe Style turns to a deeper reckoning with reality and the inner life of the individual; and nonconformism reveals unofficial artistic strategies. A separate section is devoted to contemporary young artists who explore themes of digitalization, mass culture, and personal memory, combining the experience of earlier generations with new artistic practices.

“This project, opened for the Festival, will remain on display in our halls all autumn. The participation of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Nizhny Novgorod museum, and other partner institutions has made it possible to present a striking, condensed history of 20th-century Russian art through its landmark works. We hope the exhibition will be appreciated not only by Festival participants, but by the city’s residents as well,” said Nikita Korytin, Director of the Ekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts.

Through September 17, admission to the exhibition is free for International Festival of Youth participants upon presentation of their badge.

Overview:

The International Festival of Youth, held as part of the Youth and Children national project, is taking place in Ekaterinburg from September 11 to 17, 2026. The decree establishing the event was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 29, 2025. The Festival is being held under the motto “Follow Your Dream”.

Participants of the IFY – 2026 include 10,000 young leaders from 191 countries, including 5,000 Russians and 5,000 international citizens. Among them are leading representatives of creative industries and the arts, public administration, science and education, sport, entrepreneurship, media, digitalization and IT, and civic engagement – people who are already shaping the future of their countries and the world. Continuing the successful practice established at the World Youth Festival 2024, those invited include 1,000 teenagers aged 14 to 17 – 500 from Russia and 500 from abroad. The Children’s Program is organized by the Movement of the First.

The World Youth Festival took place from March 1 to 7, 2024, in Sirius, in accordance with a decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin, aimed at developing international youth cooperation. The WYF-2024 brought together 20,000 young leaders from 190 countries.

In line with instructions from Russia’s President on preserving and building on the legacy of the World Youth Festival, festival events are now held annually across Russia. The World Youth Festival Directorate continues its work to strengthen international youth cooperation and build a community of young people who care about the future of the world.