This year the AZ Museum (Anatoly Zverev Museum) celebrates the anniversary of its hero - in November, the artist Zverev turns 90 years old. A large-scale art marathon is timed to this date, which will begin in early autumn and will last until the end of the year. The first in a series of high-profile events will be two exhibition projects related to acutely modern and most relevant art.

According to the general opinion of the director general of the AZ Museum Natalia Opaleva and art director and curator of the museum Polina Lobachevskaya, the anniversary of the recognized genius of the 20th century, who opened a new page in Russian art, is a reason to think about the future. Why not see what kind of art opens (or closes) our era, i.e. the first quarter of the XXI century? That is why the AZ Museum has relied on contemporary artists, whose creativity and breadth of views are comparable to the Zverev energy and artistry.

At the beginning of 2021 (to be precise, on February 23), the AZ Museum announced a competition of art projects for the Anatoly Zverev Art Prize. The conditions for filing and considering applications were extremely democratic. The theme and motto of the competition was the famous aphorism of the "world of art", reformulated by A. Zverev in his autobiography: LIFE IS CHARGED, ART IS FREE. The applicants were expected to project projects that would reflect creative freedom, creativity, overcoming the framework of stereotypes and platitudes. All these qualities were assessed by the Expert Council, which included leading gallery owners, critics and teachers of various art institutions (the list of members of the Expert Council is attached).

More than 2 thousand applications from 169 cities of Russia and 32 countries of the world were submitted for the competition. Each of the 7 experts had the opportunity to study in detail any of the applications and secretly vote "for" or "against": those applicants who received the largest number of votes were automatically included in the shortlist. As a result of the vote, a list of 50 artists was formed, whose works will now be presented at the final exhibition.

An important condition of the competition was the novelty and originality of the submitted works. Artists were not limited to thematic or specific frames. It is not surprising that 50 completely different projects made it to the finals: from painting series and experimental videos to large-scale installations and monumental objects. The Anatoly Zverev Prize exhibition curators Antonio Geusa and Sergei Solovyov were faced with the task of not only collecting all the competitive works in one space (many of them were created just before the opening day), but also trying to see the internal connections between them in order to create a holistic exposition. The spatial and design solution was taken over by a team led by architect Petr Tolpin. This exhibition was conceived not just as a parade of outstanding artists; it is intended to show a characteristic slice of contemporary art, the most current trends and phenomena of today's Russian art scene.

Simultaneously with the announcement of the competition, the composition of the Jury was formed, which will select three winners of the Zverev Art Prize (announcement of the winners - November 15). It's no secret that the prestige and level of any award is directly related to the competence of judges. That is why Natalia Opaleva and Polina Lobachevskaya (also members of the jury) came up with the idea of ​​the second part of the exhibition project: showing the achievements of the panel of judges, united by the ironic title "Who are the judges?"

So, on two sites, two parts of the art project will unfold, connected with each other by a dedication to Anatoly Zverev and, at the same time, looking into the future. Perhaps today we are experiencing another round of the historical spiral: once Zverev's art inspired contemporaries, gave them a stream of fresh air and led them beyond the gray, shackled everyday life, and today the search for new life and artists can be associated with the name of Anatoly Zverev.

Isn't this the best homage to one of the brightest heroes of the "second avant-garde"?

Participants of the project "Who are the judges?": Grigory Bruskin, Vladimir Nasedkin, Francisco Infante, Sergei Shutov, Aristarkh Chernyshev, Sergei Bratkov.

Participants of the Anatoly Zverev Prize exhibition: Abikh Vladimir, Agant Mele, Alekseeva Marina, Andrzhievskaya Anna, Anosova Elena, Artemenko Elena, Arkhipov Vladimir, Afonina Anna, Baever Antonina, Vouba Diana, Gaidel Ivan, Ganeev Eldar, Grikovsky Valery, Gronsky Alexander, Dashevsky Alexander , Zubarev Ivan, Kavarga Dmitry, Kazmina Anna, Kolesnikov Ilya, Korina Irina, Croitor Olga, Krutkin Alexey, Kulkov Vlad, Kutovoy Alexander, Lerner Lera, Lipatov Danila, Martynov Ilya, Morozov Alexander, Motolyanets Semyon, Muzalevsky Evgeniy, Muravyeva Katerina, Muravёva Katerina Ekaterina, Nasybullova Mayana, Novikov Ivan, Ovcharenko Margo, Parshchikov Tim, Perkin Vova, Plavinskaya Elizaveta, Potapov Vladimir, PROVMYZA, Sergei Prokofiev, Savintsev Fedor, Trushina Margo, Tumorin Ilya, Urban Alla, Fatkhullina Antonina, Fedorichev Egorychev Inna, Yusupova Iraida.