Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
On February 6, an exhibition dedicated to the memory of Elena Artsutanova opened in the art space of the St. Petersburg Creative Union of Artists.
The famous St. Petersburg artist Elena Dmitrievna Artsutanova is the great-granddaughter of the first director of the St. Petersburg Polytechnic Institute, Prince Andrei Grigorievich Gagarin, and the granddaughter of his eldest son, Andrei Andreevich.
Elena Artsutanova’s grandfather was born on May 23, 1886, in the Gagarin family estate of Kholomki. He graduated from high school and the Mikhailovskoye Artillery School, and from 1911 he served in the Life Guards Horse Artillery Brigade, and from August 1914 he fought at the front. After the Civil War, he remained in Russia. He was arrested several times and was shot on July 18, 1937. Andrei Gagarin was married to Olga Nikolaevna Yastrebova. Their daughter Irina Andreyevna married Dmitry Nikolaevich Artsutanov, a teacher at the St. Petersburg Power Engineering Institute for Advanced Studies, and in 1955 their daughter Elena was born.
In 1980, Elena Artsutanova graduated from the Leningrad Higher School of Art and Industry named after V. I. Mukhina (now the St. Petersburg State Academy of Art and Industry named after A. L. Stieglitz). In the 80s and 90s, she participated in city and republican exhibitions with decorative and applied works (tapestry, textiles). She has been painting since 1998, was a member of the Union of Artists and the Independent Art Society “Pushkinskaya-10”, participated in many exhibitions in Russia and abroad.
Elena Dmitrievna maintained relations with the Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, which her great-grandfather once headed. She participated as a guest in the events in his memory in the White Hall, in the ceremony of transferring the personal diary of her great-grandmother, Princess Maria Gagarina, for permanent storage in the Kholomki estate, which the Polytechnic restored and renovated.
Elena Dmitrievna passed away at the end of 2024. Friends, students, colleagues, and like-minded people of the artist decided to organize an exhibition of her paintings in her memory and to coincide with her anniversary – in February 2025, Elena Artsutanova would have turned 70 years old.
“In addition to her obvious gift as a painter, Elena Dmitrievna had the gift of teaching. People who created art always gathered around her. That is how our group of artists RGB appeared,” said artist and graphic designer Marina Oz at the opening of the exhibition. “Today, here, when there are so many of her paintings around, there is a sense of her presence and inner warmth, as if she were embracing us through art. This year, our first exhibition took place without her participation. And everything went with a sense of her approval. The exhibition took place thanks to the union that Elena Dmitrievna loved and valued, so she would be glad to see her works within these walls. Elena Dmitrievna will forever be with us. Eternal memory to our beloved teacher.”
Also, a few words were said by the artist and designer, teacher of additional education, artistic director of the Theater of decorative author’s costume “Podium” Irina Gress: Elena Dmitrievna was first my teacher in painting. Then we worked together, made exhibitions together, and then we were friends. It is sad that she is gone, but it is joyful that today was her birthday. And it is joyful that there are so many people who love and remember her, and her paintings will live with us. Elena Dmitrievna remains in our hearts. In the hearts of relatives, parents and loved ones. In the hands and minds of colleagues, students, followers, and, of course, in the eyes of those watching. Today’s exhibition is a vivid proof of this. Next to her loss, this is, of course, incredibly little, but at the same time a lot, if we talk about the richness and significance of these works.
The exhibition “In Memory of Elena Artsutanova” will last until February 19. Working hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 15:00-19:00. Monday – closed. Address: Nevsky Prospekt, 60. Admission is free.
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