Alexandra Exter

Key facts

Lived

1882–1949, Russian

Movement

• Russian avant-garde

Works held in

13 museums^[1]

• Construction

  Museum of Modern Art

  Midtown Manhattan, United States

  3 works

  

  Museum detailsMap
• Non-Objective Composition

  Russian Museum

  Saint Petersburg, Russia

  2 works

  

  Museum detailsMap
• Composition (Genoa)

  Museum Ludwig

  Gebäudekomplex der Kölner Philharmonie und des Museum Ludwig, Germany

  2 works

  Museum detailsMap
• Landscape with Houses and Trees

  Cleveland Museum of Art

  Wade Park, United States

  1 works

  Museum detailsMap
• Italian Town by the Sea

  Minneapolis Institute of Art

  Minneapolis, United States

  1 works

  Museum detailsMap
• Venice

  Moderna Museet

  Skeppsholmen, Sweden

  1 works

  Museum detailsMap

Plan your visit to see Alexandra Exter →

• What is Alexandra Exter's most famous work?+

  It is difficult to name one single work as Alexandra Exter's most famous. She was a versatile artist who moved between different styles and media. Born near Kiev in 1882, Exter was involved with the avant-garde. She participated in exhibitions such as The Link (1908) and Tramway V (1915). She explored non-objective painting, influenced by Malevich and Tatlin. Exter's paintings, such as *City at Night*, display dynamic colour and a sense of movement, reminiscent of Italian Futurism, though she did not fully embrace its doctrines. *Composition (Genoa)* (1912-14) is another example of her work from this period. Exter also worked in theatre design, creating costumes and sets for productions such as *Thamira Khytharedes* (1916) and *Salome* (1917) at the Chamber Theater in Moscow. Later, she designed clothing and film sets, including for the Martian sequence in the film *Aelita* (1934). Exter taught at her own studio in Kiev and at Vkhutemas, influencing artists such as Isaak Rabinovich and Pavel Tchelitchew.
• What should I know about Alexandra Exter's prints?+

  Alexandra Exter (born 1882 near Kiev; died 1949) was a key figure in the Russian avant-garde. She moved between St Petersburg, Moscow, Venice, and Paris; however, she often returned to her home in Kiev. There, she introduced new ideas and helped organise avant-garde exhibitions such as The Link (1908) and The Ring (1914). Exter worked in many fields, including interior, exhibition, clothing, and book design, as well as movie sets. She is also remembered as a teacher. Some of her students, such as Simon Lissim and Pavel Tchelitchew, later became well known in Europe and the United States. Exter designed costumes and sets for plays, and after emigrating, she continued to create designs for plays by Aeschylus and Sophocles. In the 1930s, she designed costumes and sets for Alexander Tairov's productions at the Chamber Theater in Moscow, including Thamira Khytharedes (1916) and Salome (1917).
• What style or movement did Alexandra Exter belong to?+

  Alexandra Exter (1882-1949) was a Russian artist who worked across several avant-garde styles. She is associated with Cubo-Futurism, Suprematism, and Constructivism. These movements shared an interest in abstraction and modern technology. Exter began her studies at the Kiev Art School. By 1907, she travelled to Paris, where she encountered the work of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Their Cubist paintings influenced her turn toward non-representational art. Returning to Russia, Exter became part of the Russian avant-garde. She exhibited alongside Kazimir Malevich, the founder of Suprematism. Suprematist art used basic geometric forms, such as squares and circles, to create abstract compositions. Exter adopted these ideas in her own painting. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Exter became involved in theatrical design. She created costumes and sets for Alexander Tairov's Chamber Theatre in Moscow. She also taught art, including a stint at the Vkhutemas, the state art and technical school. During this period, her work shifted towards Constructivism, which emphasised the social role of art and the use of industrial materials.
• What techniques or materials did Alexandra Exter use?+

  Alexandra Exter was a painter and designer who experimented with diverse media and styles. She moved between St Petersburg, Moscow, Venice, and Paris in the early 1900s, but she often returned to her studio in Kiev. In Paris, Exter absorbed Cubist principles regarding volume, surface, texture, form, composition, and rhythm. However, she placed greater emphasis on colour than did Picasso or Braque. She combined Cubist and Futurist ideas, adapting them to Russian and Ukrainian subject matter. She may have introduced the term "Cubo-Futurism" into the Russian art lexicon. Exter is known for her bold colour compositions, which create a sense of movement. She explored non-objective painting, and her work encompassed studio painting, stage designs, clothing designs, book design, exhibition design, and film sets. Exter also taught; some of her students became designers for the Soviet stage.
• What was Alexandra Exter known for?+

  Alexandra Exter (born 1882 near Kiev, died 1949) was a member of the international avant-garde. She participated in Russian exhibitions such as Tramway and The Store. Exter was associated with Natalia Goncharova, Liubov Popova, Olga Rozanova, and Nadezha Udaltsova. She travelled extensively in the 1910s, connecting artistic circles in Russia, France, and Italy. Exter explored non-objective painting, influenced by Malevich and Tatlin. Her work City at Night evokes the energy of movement through colour and form, though she did not embrace Futurism wholesale. Exter's painting features explosions of colour, with colours overflowing and transcending composition. Her non-objective works create a sense of enchantment through suspensions and declivities of multicoloured forms. She designed costumes and sets for plays and theatrical productions, including Aeschylus's and Sophocles's works. She also designed clothing, books, and film sets, such as for the Martian sequence in Aelita. Exter taught many younger Ukrainian and Russian artists including Simon Lissim and Pavel Tchelitchew.
• When did Alexandra Exter live and work?+

  Alexandra Exter (born Aleksandra Grigorovich) was born in 1882 in Białystok, then part of the Russian Empire; she died in Fontenay-sous-Bois, France, in 1949. In 1886, Vasilii Vasilievich Kandinsky studied economics and law at the University of Moscow. In 1889, he travelled to Paris to see the World's Fair. Subsequently, in 1892, he completed his university studies and passed the law examination. He was appointed teaching assistant at the Faculty of Law, University of Moscow in 1893. He became artistic director of Kusnerev printing firm in Moscow in 1895, designing covers for chocolate boxes. In 1896, he declined a teaching position at the University of Dorpat; instead he moved to Munich to study painting.
• Where can I see Alexandra Exter's work?+

  Alexandra Exter's paintings and theatre designs are held by several museums. These include institutions in both Ukraine, where she was born, and Russia, where she helped develop Constructivism and Cubo-Futurism. The Museum of Modern Art^[6], New York, holds a number of her works on paper. These include costume designs for Oscar Wilde's *Salome* and scenery designs for the play *Romeo and Juliet*. The Yale University Art Gallery also owns several of her Cubo-Futurist paintings. Her work is less frequently seen at auction than that of some of her contemporaries. However, major auction houses such as Christie's and Sotheby's occasionally offer her paintings and gouaches. These sales are usually held in London or New York. Catalogues from these auctions provide another avenue for viewing and studying her artistic output. Exter's stage designs can be difficult to view outside of occasional exhibitions. Many are held by theatre museums or in private collections. These designs offer important insight into her theories of colour and space.
• Where was Alexandra Exter from?+

  Alexandra Alexandrovna Exter (born 1882) was a Russian artist with strong ties to Ukraine. Born near Kiev, she grew up in Kiev and attended art school there. Although Exter moved between St. Petersburg, Moscow, Venice, and Paris in the early 1900s, she consistently returned to Kiev. The city was home to her studio and family until she emigrated in 1920. Kiev was an important motif in her paintings. In her correspondence as an émigré, she continued to evoke memories of her youth there. Exter was instrumental in bringing new ideas to Ukraine. She helped organise avant-garde exhibitions in Kiev, such as The Link (1908) and The Ring (1914). She also played an important organisational role in Vladimir Izdebsky's first international Salon, which travelled from Odessa to Kiev in 1910. These exhibitions introduced the Ukrainian public to the latest trends in French, German, Russian, and Ukrainian art.
• Who did Alexandra Exter influence?+

  Alexandra Exter had a wide-ranging influence as a teacher and artist. She taught an entire school of younger Ukrainian and Russian artists. Some of these pupils, such as Simon Lissim and Pavel Tchelitchew, later became well known in Europe and the United States. Alexander Khvostenko-Khvostov, Vadim Meller, and Anatolii Petritsky also studied with Exter; they achieved reputations as designers for the Soviet stage. Exter's Kiev studio attracted artists, writers, theatre directors, and choreographers such as Les Kurbas, Konstantin Mardzhanov, and Bronislava Nijinska. As an artist, Exter combined Cubist and Futurist ideas, adapting them to Russian and Ukrainian subjects. Although she knew Picasso and Braque, she did not formally study Cubism. Instead, she developed her own approach to colour, which she considered the most important element of painting.
• Who influenced Alexandra Exter?+

  Alexandra Exter's artistic development was influenced by a range of figures and movements. In the early 1910s, Kiev became a centre for intellectual exploration, and Exter cultivated relationships with artists such as Alexander Bogomazov and Alexander Archipenko. She also connected with philosophers, poets, and musicians, developing an interest in Ukrainian folk culture. Exter first visited Paris in 1907, where she encountered Cubism. She met Picasso, Braque, and poet Max Jacob through Guillaume Apollinaire and Serge Ferat. While she learned from Cubism's principles, she found it difficult to accept their colour theories, as colour was very important to her. Aware of both Cubism and Futurism from her travels, Exter combined both tendencies in her art. Although she acknowledged the value of Italian Futurism, she did not embrace its doctrines fully. As a teacher, Exter influenced many younger Ukrainian and Russian artists, some of whom became well known. Her studio in Kiev brought together artists, writers, theatre directors, and choreographers.
• Who was Alexandra Exter?+

  Alexandra Exter (1882-1949), born Alexandra Alexandrovna Grigorovich, was a Ukrainian artist who moved between Kiev, St Petersburg, Moscow, Venice, and Paris in the early 1900s. Kiev remained important to her, as she maintained a studio and family ties there until she departed for good in 1920. Exter participated in important Russian exhibitions such as Tramway 1 (1915) and The Store (1916). She was associated with Natalia Goncharova, Liubov Popova, and Nadezhda Udaltsova. Exter was an important link between Russia, France, and Italy. She knew Apollinaire, Braque, and Picasso. Initially painting in an Impressionistic style, she moved to Cubist cityscapes, then assimilated elements of Cubism and Futurism. She participated in the International Futurist Exhibition in Rome in 1914. Around 1915, influenced by Malevich and Tatlin, she began non-objective painting. She is remembered as a teacher, and she designed costumes and sets for plays. Exter also worked in interior design, exhibition design, clothing design, and film-set design. In 1924, Exter emigrated to France, settling in Paris where she taught at the Académie Moderne.
• Why are Alexandra Exter's works important today?+

  Alexandra Exter (1885-1949) occupies an important place in the history of the avant-garde movement. A native of Ukraine, Exter moved between St. Petersburg, Moscow, Venice, and Paris in the early 1900s; however, she consistently returned to Kiev. She transplanted new ideas onto Ukrainian soil and helped artists discover trends such as Neo-Primitivism and Cubism. Exter helped organise two avant-garde exhibitions in Kiev, The Link (1908) and The Ring (1914). Exter was an important link between Russia, France, and Italy. Moreover, she taught an entire school of younger Ukrainian and Russian artists. Her talent extended into interior, exhibition, clothing, and book design, as well as movie-set design. Although Exter acknowledged Futurism, she did not follow it blindly. Movement was important to her pictorial philosophy; like the Futurists, she tended to equate movement and rhythm. In the mid-1910s, Exter painted many cityscapes. Explosions of colour are a characteristic feature of Exter's painting. Her colours overflow, transcending the laws and conventions of composition.