The exhibit will be on display through Oct. 1. Timothy Potts, director of the Kimbell, said the Stroganoff collections were dispersed in 1917 after the Bolshevik Revolution. As visitors enter the exhibit, they are confronted with portraits of Catherine the Great and Peter the Great, founder of St. Petersburg, Russia. Close ties to these Russian rulers enabled Alexander Stroganoff and others in his family to not only amass a great fortune, but also large amounts of art. The Stroganoffs were incredibly wealthy from their exploits in Siberia and eventually supplied 20 percent of all the taxes in Russia.
Religious themes permeate much of the exhibit.
There is a beautiful collection of icons from Stroganoff churches that help explain complex theological ideas. Stroganoff women served as an integral part in the creation of many of the exhibit's religious shrouds. They directed and sewed several on display at the Kimbell, and lent their own particular style to the art. This is the first time it has left Russia since it was created in 1810. The stone work exhibited by artists employed at Stroganoff stone-cutting facilities shows incredible skill and talent, although some pieces may not be too striking in appearance.