Famous philanthropists of the 20th century. The largest philanthropists of modern Russia

Antonovich Irina Vladimirovna, Candidate of Sciences, Associate Professor, Associate Professor
Bocharova Anna Sergeevna, student
Altai State University

MAECENAS
PRIVATE CHARITY
DOMESTIC CULTURE
DYNASTY
CHARITY

This article presents an analysis of the history of the formation of private charitable activities in Russia. The motives and forms of manifestation of philanthropic activities are considered, and the importance of the charitable activities of outstanding Russian philanthropists is assessed.

Civil society: cartography of Russian regions based on the results of FOM surveys 2007-2008
The influence of volunteer activities of social work students on the formation of a tolerant attitude towards people with special needs
Cruelty to children in the family (using the example of the Altai Territory)

Our country has a great cultural heritage, both spiritual and material culture. Significant role in the formation of the national cultural fund, replenishment of national art collections, construction of theaters, museums, creation literary monuments, the development of science and education belongs to Russian patrons and public figures. Savva Ivanovich Mamontov, Savva Timofeevich Morozov, Kozma Terentyevich Soldatenkov, Nikolai Aleksandrovich Alekseev, Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov - these names of patrons and educators are inextricably linked with the history and development of our country. All of them were united by a passionate commitment to the cause of public education and cultural creation.

Today, Russia is going through one of the difficult stages of its development. Now in our country there is a loss of moral and ethical guidelines. Modern Russia needs the revival of spiritual traditions and there is a need to form new attitudes that would help the country take the path of progressive development. Based on this, it is relevant to study our historical heritage, get acquainted with the biographies of those people who for many years have been examples of true patriotism, selflessness, desire to help their homeland, and love for people.

Charity is special shape social support, consisting of free provision financial assistance to those in need. The needy refers not only to people living in need , but also people and public organizations who lack the means to solve various cultural, individual, civic and professional problems.

Patronage is a type of charity in the field of culture. The word "patron" comes from the name of the Roman statesman and patron of artists and sciences, Maecenas Gaius Cilnius (8th century BC). Patronage in Russia has become widespread since the end of the 18th century.

This article examines the activities of the most famous and major philanthropists and philanthropists of the 18th-19th centuries.

Dmitry Mikhailovich Golitsyn (1721-1793)

Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Golitsyn, a Russian officer and diplomat, was one of the most famous philanthropists. He was among the first Russians who became interested in collecting paintings. During his trips to Europe, he managed to collect an amazing collection of 300 paintings, many of which were written by the most famous masters, such as P.P. Rubens, Raphael, Caravaggio and many other artists.

In memory of his wife (after her death in 1761), Dmitry Mikhailovich began organizing hospitals in Europe and Russia, donated money to support young doctors and medical students, as well as research in the field of medicine.

Golitsyn bequeathed 850 thousand rubles and his art gallery for the construction and maintenance of the Golitsyn Hospital, which was opened in Moscow in 1802 as a “hospital for the poor.” Now this is the Golitsyn building of the First City Clinical Hospital.

Morozov Dynasty

Timofey Savvich (1823-1889) and his wife Maria Feodorovna (1830-1911) Morozovs

Timofey Savvich Morozov - manufacturing advisor, merchant.

It is from these people that the charitable activities of the Morozov family begin. Initially, it was associated with the improvement of the workers of their factories. Schools, colleges, hospitals, and dormitories for workers were built at each manufactory.

Accumulating their capital, these philanthropists willingly shared it with the poor and needy, donating large sums of money to many societies and institutions. With their help, for example, the largest and most famous psychiatric hospital in Moscow, Alekseevskaya, was built.

Maria Fedorovna was known for her charitable deeds and in secular society and in religious world. After the death of her husband, she built an almshouse in his name in Orekhovo-Zuevo, depositing 500 thousand rubles into her account, with the interest from which the almshouse could exist. The philanthropist donated money to Moscow University, Moscow Technical School, and allocated money for scholarships and laboratories. With her funds, hospitals, buildings, labor exchanges in Moscow, and several houses for the poor were built.

Savva Timofeevich Morozov (1862-1905)

S.T. Morozov is a Russian philanthropist and philanthropist, the son of Timofey Savvich Morozov.

Provided great importance in development national culture. His greatest merit lies in helping the Moscow Art Theater. The establishment of the theater required significant funds. Having received no help from the government, Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko began to turn to philanthropists. Morozov took on all the expenses of the theater himself.

Mikhail Abramovich (1870-1903) and Ivan Abramovich (1871-1921) Morozov made a significant contribution to charity, helping the development of medicine, culture, and science.

Bakhrushin Dynasty

Alexey Fedorovich Bakhrushin (1800-1848) – founder of the partnership of manufactories, manufacturer.

He actively invested funds, first of all, in medicine, culture and social construction of Moscow. At the end of each financial year, most of the profits were donated to charity.

The Bakhrushins first built the first building of the hospital for the chronically ill (1887), which was well equipped with equipment and technology. Then a second building was built for the terminally ill. A surgical building, a maternity ward and an outpatient clinic were built. About 1 million rubles were spent on all this.

The next thing that was built by the Bakhrushins was the Orphanage. There were 5 houses where 20-25 children lived. Moreover, the houses were predominantly inhabited not by people of the same age, but by children of different ages, so that the older ones could help and take care of the younger ones. In this orphanage, all boys received vocational education. For this purpose, an educational building with craft and plumbing workshops was built on the territory of the shelter. Later, a church was built on the territory of the shelter.

Alexei Fedorovich had three sons, whom he instructed “not to refuse help to anyone and not to wait for someone to turn to them, but to be the first to offer it to those in need. You knew the need with me, so know how to respect it in others.”

In 1895 eldest son Peter died. In memory of his soul, a House of free apartments was erected for young ladies who came to Moscow to receive higher education, and for poor widows with many children. More than 400 people lived there. Everything was free for children there: education, food, all levels of education, treatment, etc.

In 1900 The Bakhrushin brothers Alexander and Vasily were given the title of Honorary Hereditary Citizen of Moscow. 6 schools, 8 churches, 3 theaters, in total more than 100 buildings were built by the Bakhrushins. In addition, they constantly donated money to the People's Houses. Another example of the Bakhrushins’ charitable activities was in 1914. Vasily Fedorovich transferred absolutely all his capital to the needs of the front.

In the third generation, the Bakhrushins were glorified by Alexey Petrovich and Alexey Alexandrovich, who were both passionate collectors and left unsurpassed collections to their descendants.

The elder brother Alexey Petrovich (1853-1904) collected very valuable antiques such as snuff boxes, miniatures, engravings, porcelain dishes, jewelry, books, jewelry and much more. He bequeathed every last thing to Moscow museums.

Alexey Alexandrovich (1865-1929) influenced cousin also became a collector. But he chose a rather original direction of collecting. Posters, program programs for performances, photographic portraits of actors, sketches of costumes, personal belongings of artists, their costumes - all this became Bakhrushin’s area of interest. He became the founder of the Moscow Literary and Theater Museum. This entire collection was donated to the Academy of Sciences.

Savva Ivanovich Mamontov (1841-1918)

S.I. Mamontov is a sculptor, singer, writer, successful industrialist who continued his father’s work and built railways, also Savva Ivanovich is the progenitor of Russian opera and painting.

He organized an informal association of artists in Moscow, gathering around him the best representatives of Russian painting, such as V.M. Vasnetsov, V.A. Serov, Polenov, Nesterov, Repin, M.A. Vrubel and many others. Savva Ivanovich helped people of art, relieving them of solving everyday issues, allowing them to completely devote themselves to creativity.

Savva Ivanovich created the first private opera in Russia in 1885. The idea was to promote on stage the works of Russian opera composers, who at that time were completely unrated not only abroad but also in Russia. Thus, the goal was to increase the popularity of Russian composers and singers.

But, unfortunately, in the 1890s, Savva Mamontov was ruined and arrested. Savva Ivanovich's property was almost completely sold out.

Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov (1832-1898)

In the first half of the 1850s, he inherited his father’s business and developed operations for the purchase of flax, its processing and sale of textiles. In 1860, together with his brother S.M. Tretyakov and son-in-law V.D. Konshin established the trading house “P. and S. br. Tretyakov and V.D. Konshin", in 1866 - Partnership of the New Kostroma Linen Manufactory.

Being engaged in charity, the Tretyakov brothers allocate funds to Moscow for the construction of almshouses and hospitals. They give money to establish a Children's Psychiatric Hospital. Hundreds of young people and girls receive education at the expense of the Tretyakovs. Among other charitable deeds of Pavel Sergeevich was that he provided financial support to the research expedition of N.N. Miklouho-Maclay.

In the 1880s, the Tretyakov Brothers participated in collecting money for construction Orthodox church in Japan. Their range of charitable works was extremely wide and varied.

In the 1860s, the first specialized school for deaf and dumb children appeared in Moscow. Pavel Mikhailovich heads its board of trustees and sponsors the activities of this institution. Since 1863 and until his death, Tretyakov annually financed not only the activities of this school, but also the construction of new buildings. In addition, he participated in the life of this institution, often visited it, took exams for students, and communicated with children. Children at the school were provided with free shelter, clothing, food, taught basic communication skills, taught them to speak, and taught them to read and write.

The main work of Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov’s life was the creation of the National Art Gallery. The patron began collecting his collection in 1854. He began collecting mainly Russian paintings. Tretyakov dreamed of creating a gallery that would present works by Russian masters. Since 1881 his gallery became public. The Tretyakov Gallery has become one of the capital's attractions.

In August 1892, Tretyakov donated his collection and mansion to Moscow. By that time, his collection included many paintings and drawings of the Western European school, paintings and graphic works of the Russian school, several sculptures and a collection of icons.

Kozma Terentyevich Soldatenkov (1818-1901)

K. T. Soldatenkov is a Moscow entrepreneur, Old Believer, philanthropist and philanthropist.

While traveling around Europe I studied European culture and art. Since the 1940s, he sent to collect his personal library, looking for best books about science, literature and art in general. A few years later, Kozma Terentyevich organized his own publishing house. Thanks to this, many scientific, philosophical works are being published for the first time, and a lot of foreign translated literature is being published. Soldatenkov keeps only 5% of the annual profit for himself, and the main income goes to publishing new books.

From 1856-1901 The publishing house has published more than 200 books. Many books were published for the first time and once. Thus, by this alone Soldatenkov made an invaluable contribution to Russian culture.

This whole publishing business was a charity, since the publishing house had a non-profit store where people could buy published literature at very low prices.

Kozma Terentyevich was the first who began collecting Russian paintings. Its collection was second in scale after the Tretyakov Gallery.

In addition, Soldatenkov helped many educational institutions and museums. With his money, Europe's largest charitable hospital for the poor was built.

He left almost all of his eight million dollar fortune to charity. For example, he bequeathed several million for the construction of a hospital for the poor, which became the largest at that time in Moscow. Kozma Terentyevich also founded an almshouse, which he maintained until the end of his life, and bequeathed a large sum of money to this institution. He left a lot of money for the creation of a Trade School, where young men were trained to work in Moscow factories and factories. Soldatenkov’s entire collection of books, newspapers, magazines, icons and curtains also went to museums and libraries and the cathedral, where he was subsequently buried.

Demidov dynasty

The Demidovs are Russian entrepreneurs and philanthropists.

The Demidovs spent very large sums of money on charity.

Nikita Akinfievich Demidov (1724-1789) provided great support to Moscow State University. This included assistance in construction, payment of benefits to young professors, scholarships to poor students, as well as the transfer of part of Nikita Akinfievich’s collection into the ownership of the university.

At the end of the 18th century. The first Orphanage appears in Moscow. At the origins of its creation was Prokofy Akinfievich Demidov (1710-1786), who donated more than 1 million rubles in silver.

Stroganov Dynasty

The Stroganovs are a family of Russian merchants and industrialists, large landowners and statesmen.

More specifically, the charitable assistance of the Stroganov family can be traced back to the 19th century. For the period from 1816 to 1830, there is archival information on Pavel Alexandrovich (1774-1817) and Sofya Vladimirovna (1775-1845) Stroganov. Their contributions to charity and charitable assistance ranged from 1.8 to 6.4% of all their expenses.

Pavel Aleksandrovich donated his pension to the poor, keeping his pupils in educational institutions, various charitable donations, one-time benefits and more.

Sofya Vladimirovna made donations to the Patriotic Women's Society, distributed alms to the poor, donated pensions to various people, for the maintenance of a mining school and hospital, and much more.

IN archival documents Stroganov for the 1st quarter of 1866 there is an entry: “for providing assistance to the poor” of the St. Petersburg part of the city of St. Petersburg: income - 745 rubles, expenses - 738 rubles. Of these: apartment distributions - 360 rubles, one-time cash assistance - 68 rubles, "for Christmas" - 59 rubles, "one old woman was given bread for bread" - 1 ruble, to a "patriotic girls' school" - 2 rubles.

In the report for the 2nd quarter there is an entry that the Stroganovs had 78 poor families under their care, of which 15 families received rent of 26 rubles 50 kopecks per month, which amounted to 318 rubles. In addition, six families had their apartments paid for in full.

By the beginning of the First World War, a dressing station for Count A.S. was organized. Stroganov. From the explanatory note to the expenses of Count A.S. Stroganov for 1905 - 1914, one can see that the total amount of payments to the state amounted to 8.1 million rubles. Of these, 210,178 rubles were spent on pensions and benefits, and 1,677,115 rubles were spent on the “purchase of the cruiser Rus”. This amounted to 23.1% of the total amount of his expenses.

The charitable traditions of the representatives of the Stroganov dynasty were nurtured and passed on from generation to generation. They made a great patriotic contribution to supporting the state, moral development And social assistance to our compatriots in need.

In conclusion, I would like to say, whatever the motives of Russian philanthropists and patrons of the arts, it was thanks to them that in Russia in the 18th-19th centuries. There have been significant positive changes in many spheres of society, such as education, medicine, culture, social sphere, etc. Nowadays, many cultural and scientific institutions are not able to fully perform their functions due to insufficient funding. Hence, there is a growing need for the revival of patronage and charity in Russia as social phenomena.

From today's perspective, activities patrons of the XIX century V. has a wide historical meaning. They were and are the personification of the best, bright sides of the human personality, since they saw more and felt more keenly than many of their contemporaries the needs of social development, to which they devoted their strength, knowledge, mind and heart. And it is important not only to adequately evaluate the activities of such devotees, but also to comprehend it in the context of everything historical development.

Bibliography

Azernikova, N. Origins of charity in Russia // Questions of history. – 2010. – No. 6. – P. 159-165.
Bokhanov, A.N. Collectors and patrons of art in Russia / A.N. Bokhanov. – M: Nauka, 1989. – 192 p.
Historian – socio-political magazine [ Digital library]. – Access mode: http://www.historicus.ru/mecenatstvo_i_blagorvoritelnost/. – Patronage and charity in Russia at the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th centuries.
Kostina E. Yu. History of social work. Vladivostok: TIDOT DVGU, 2003. P.110
Sverdlova A.L. Patronage in Russia as social phenomenon// Sociological research. 1999. No. 7. P.134-137.

Russian entrepreneurs of the 19th century approached their business differently than Western entrepreneurs. They considered it not so much a source of income as a mission that was entrusted to their shoulders by God or fate. IN merchant environment it was believed that wealth should be used, so merchants were engaged in collecting and charity, which was considered by many as a destiny from above. Most entrepreneurs of those times were fairly honest businessmen who considered patronage almost their duty. It was thanks to patrons of art that museums and theaters, large temples and churches, as well as extensive collections of art monuments. At the same time, Russian philanthropists did not seek to make their business public; on the contrary, many helped people on the condition that their help would not be advertised in newspapers. Some patrons even refused their titles of nobility.

The Tretyakov brothers, Pavel Mikhailovich (1832-1898) and Sergei Mikhailovich (1834-1892). The fortune of these merchants was more than 8 million rubles, 3 of which they donated to art. The brothers owned the Great Kostroma Linen Manufactory. At the same time, Pavel Mikhailovich conducted business at the factories themselves, but Sergei Mikhailovich was in direct contact with foreign partners. This division was in perfect harmony with their characters. While the older brother was reserved and unsociable, the younger brother loved social gatherings and moving in public circles. Both Tretyakovs collected paintings, with Pavel preferring Russian painting, and Sergei preferring foreign, mainly modern French. When he left the post of Moscow city mayor, he was even glad that the need to hold official receptions had disappeared. After all, this made it possible to spend more on paintings. In total, Sergei Tretyakov spent about a million francs, or 400 thousand rubles, on painting. Already from their youth, the brothers felt the need to make a gift to their hometown. At the age of 28, Pavel decided to bequeath his fortune to the creation of an entire gallery of Russian art. Fortunately, his life turned out to be quite long; as a result, the businessman was able to spend more than a million rubles on purchasing paintings. And Pavel Tretyakov’s gallery, worth 2 million, and even real estate, was donated to the city of Moscow. The collection of Sergei Tretyakov was not so large - only 84 paintings, but it was estimated at half a million. He managed to bequeath his collection to his elder brother, and not to his wife. Sergei Mikhailovich feared that his wife would not want to part with the valuable collection. When in 1892 Moscow got Art Museum, then it was called the City Gallery of the brothers Pavel and Sergei Tretyakov. It is interesting that after Alexander III attended the meeting, he offered his elder brother the nobility. However, Pavel Mikhailovich refused such an honor, declaring that he wanted to die as a merchant. But Sergei Mikhailovich, who managed to become an actual state councilor, would clearly accept this proposal. In addition to the gallery's collection, the Tretyakovs maintained a school for the deaf and dumb, helped widows and orphans of painters, and supported the Moscow Conservatory and art schools. Using their own money and on their site in the center of the capital, the brothers created a passage to improve transport links in Moscow. Since then, the name Tretyakovskaya has been preserved in the name of both the gallery itself and the passage created by the merchants, which turned out to be a rarity for a country with a turbulent history.

Savva Ivanovich Mamontov (1841-1918). This bright personality in the history of Russian culture had a significant influence on it. It is difficult to say what exactly Mamontov donated, and it is quite difficult to calculate his fortune. Mamontov had a couple of houses in Moscow, Abramtsev’s estate, land on the Black Sea coast, roads, factories and millions of dollars in capital. Savva Ivanovich went down in history not just as a philanthropist, but also as a real builder of Russian culture. Mamontov was born into the family of a wine farmer who headed the Moscow-Yaroslavl Railway Society. The industrialist made his capital from the construction of railways. It was thanks to him that the road from Yaroslavl to Arkhangelsk, and then also to Murmansk, appeared. Thanks to Savva Mamontov, a port appeared in this city, and the road connecting the center of the country with the North saved Russia twice. First this happened during the First World War, and then during the Second. After all, almost all allied aid came to the USSR through Murmansk. Art was not alien to Mamontov; he himself was a good sculptor. The sculptor Matvey Antokolsky even considered him talented. They say that thanks to his excellent bass, Mamontov could become a singer; he even managed to make his debut at the Milanese opera. However, Savva Ivanovich never made it onto the stage or into school. But he was able to earn so much money that he was able to set up his own home theater and establish a private opera, the first in the country. There Mamontov acted as a director, conductor, and decorator, and also provided a voice for his artists. Having purchased the Abramtsevo estate, the businessman created the famous Mammoth circle, whose members constantly spent time visiting their wealthy patron. Chaliapin learned to play the Mamontov piano, and Vrubel wrote his “Demon” in the study of the patron of the arts. Savva the Magnificent made his estate near Moscow a real art colony. Workshops were built here, peasants were specially trained, and the “Russian” style was introduced in furniture and ceramics. Mamontov believed that people should be accustomed to beauty not only in churches, but also at train stations and on the streets. The millionaire was also sponsored by the World of Art magazine, as well as the Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow. Only now the art lover became so carried away by charity that he managed to get into debt. Mamontov received a rich order for the construction of another railway and took out a large loan as collateral for the shares. When it turned out that there was nothing to repay the 5 million, Savva Ivanovich ended up in Tagansk prison. His former friends turned away from him. In order to somehow pay off Mamontov’s debts, his rich collection of paintings and sculptures was sold for next to nothing at auction. The impoverished and aged philanthropist began to live at a ceramic workshop behind the Butyrskaya outpost, where he died unnoticed by everyone. Already in our time famous philanthropist erected a monument in Sergiev Posad, because the Mamontovs laid the first short route here railway line specifically for transporting pilgrims to the Lavra. It is planned to erect four more monuments to the great man - in Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, on the Donetsk Railway and on Teatralnaya Square in Moscow.

Varvara Alekseevna Morozova (Khludova) (1850-1917). This woman owned a fortune of 10 million rubles, having donated more than a million to charity. And her sons Mikhail and Ivan became famous art collectors. When Varvara’s husband, Abram Abramovich, died, from him she inherited the Tver Manufactory Partnership at the age of 34. Having become the sole owner of large capital, Morozova began providing for the unfortunate. Of the 500 thousand that her husband allocated to her for benefits to the poor and the maintenance of schools and churches, 150 thousand went to a clinic for the mentally ill. After the revolution, the clinic named after A.A. Morozov was named after the psychiatrist Sergei Korsakov, another 150 thousand were donated to the Trade School for the Poor. The remaining investments were not so large - 10 thousand were received by the Rogozhsky Women's Primary School, the amounts were spent on rural and earthly schools, on shelters for the nervously ill. The Cancer Institute on Devichye Pole received the name of its patrons, the Morozovs. There was also a charitable institution in Tver, a sanatorium in Gagra for tuberculosis patients. Varvara Morozova was a member of many institutions. Trade schools and primary schools, hospitals, maternity hospitals and almshouses in Tver and Moscow were eventually named after her. In gratitude for the donation of 50 thousand rubles, the patron's name was engraved on the pediment of the Chemical Institute of the People's University. For the Prechistensky courses for workers in Kursovoy Lane, Morozova bought a three-story mansion, and she also paid for the Doukhobors to move to Canada. It was Varvara Alekseevna who financed the construction of the first free library-reading room named after Turgenev in Russia, opened in 1885, and then also helped to purchase necessary literature. The final point of Morozova’s charitable activities was her will. The factory owner, held up by Soviet propaganda as a model of money-grubbing, ordered all her assets to be transferred into securities, deposited in a bank, and the proceeds given to the workers. Unfortunately, they did not have time to appreciate all the kindness of their mistress - a month after her death the October Revolution happened.

Kuzma Terentyevich Soldatenkov (1818-1901). A wealthy merchant donated more than 5 million rubles to charity. Soldatenkov traded in paper yarn, he was a co-owner of the Tsindelevskaya, Danilovskaya, and Krenholmskaya textile factories, and also owned the Trekhgorny brewery and the Moscow accounting bank. Surprisingly, Kuzma Terentyevich himself grew up in an ignorant Old Believer family, not learning to read and write. WITH early years he was already standing behind the counter in his rich father's shop. But after the death of his parent, no one could stop Soldatenkov from quenching his thirst for knowledge. A course of lectures on ancient Russian history was given to him by Timofey Granovsky himself. He introduced Soldatenkov to the circle of Moscow Westerners, teaching him to do good deeds and sow Eternal values. A wealthy merchant invested in a non-profit publishing house, printing books for the common people at a loss. Even 4 years before Pavel Tretyakov, the merchant began to buy paintings. The artist Alexander Rizzoni said that if it were not for these two major patrons of the arts, there would simply be no one for Russian fine art masters to sell their works to. As a result, Soldatenkov’s collection included 258 paintings and 17 sculptures, as well as engravings and a library. The merchant was even nicknamed Kuzma Medici. He bequeathed his entire collection to the Rumyantsev Museum. For 40 years, Soldatenkov donated annually to this public museum 1000 rubles each. By donating his collection, the patron only asked that it be placed in separate rooms. The unsold books of his publishing house and the rights to them were donated to the city of Moscow. The philanthropist allocated another million rubles for the construction of a vocational school, and gave two million for the creation of a free hospital for the poor, where they would not pay attention to titles, classes and religions. As a result, the hospital was completed after the death of the sponsor; it was called Soldatenkovskaya, but in 1920 it was renamed Botkinskaya. The benefactor himself would hardly be upset upon learning this fact. The fact is that he was especially close to Botkin’s family.

Maria Klavdievna Tenisheva (1867-1928). The origin of this princess remains a mystery. According to one legend, her father could be Emperor Alexander II himself. Tenisheva tried to find herself in her youth - she got married early, gave birth to a daughter, began taking singing lessons in order to get on the professional stage, and began to draw. As a result, Maria came to the conclusion that the purpose of her life was charity. She divorced and remarried, this time to a prominent businessman, Prince Vyacheslav Nikolaevich Tenishev. He was nicknamed the “Russian American” for his business acumen. Most likely, the marriage was of convenience, because only in this way could a girl raised in an aristocratic family, but illegitimate, get a firm place in society. After Maria Tenisheva became the wife of a wealthy entrepreneur, she devoted herself to her calling. The prince himself was also a famous philanthropist, having founded Tenishevsky School In Petersburg. True, he still fundamentally helped the most cultured representatives of society. While her husband was still alive, Tenisheva organized drawing classes in St. Petersburg, where one of the teachers was Ilya Repin, and she also opened a drawing school in Smolensk. In her Talashkino estate, Maria opened an “ideological estate.” An agricultural school was created there, where ideal farmers were trained. And in handicraft workshops masters of decorative and applied arts were trained. Thanks to Tenisheva, the “Russian Antiquity” museum appeared in the country, which became the country’s first museum of ethnography and Russian decorative and applied arts. A special building was even built for him in Smolensk. However, the peasants, for which the princess cared well, thanked her in their own way. The prince's body, embalmed for a hundred years and buried in three coffins, was simply thrown into a pit in 1923. Tenisheva herself, who together with Savva Mamontov ran the magazine “World of Art”, gave Diaghilev and Benois their own funds recent years lived in exile in France. There she, not yet old, took up enamel art.

Yuri Stepanovich Nechaev-Maltsov (1834-1913). This nobleman donated a total of about 3 million rubles. At the age of 46, he unexpectedly became the owner of an entire network of glass factories. He received them from his diplomat uncle Ivan Maltsev. He turned out to be the only one who survived the memorable massacre at the Russian embassy in Iran (Alexander Griboyedov was killed at the same time). As a result, the diplomat became disillusioned with his profession and decided to take up the family business. In the town of Gus, Ivan Maltsev created a network of glass factories. For this purpose, the secret of colored glass was obtained in Europe; with its help, the industrialist began to produce very profitable window glass. As a result, this entire glass and crystal empire, along with two rich houses in the capital, painted by Aivazovsky and Vasnetsov, was inherited by the middle-aged, already single, official Nechaev. Along with his wealth, he also received double surname. The years lived in poverty left their indelible imprint on Nechaev-Maltsev. He was known as a very stingy person, allowing himself to be spent only on gourmet food. Professor Ivan Tsvetaev, the father of the future poetess, became a friend of the rich man. During rich feasts, he sadly calculated how many building materials could be bought with the money spent by the gourmet. Over time, Tsvetaev managed to convince Nechaev-Maltsev to allocate 3 million rubles required to complete the construction of the Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow. It is interesting that the philanthropist himself did not seek fame. On the contrary, for the entire 10 years that construction was underway, he acted anonymously. The millionaire went to unimaginable expenses. So, 300 workers he hired mined special white frost-resistant marble right in the Urals. When it turned out that no one in the country could make 10-meter columns for the portico, Nechaev-Maltsev paid for the services of a Norwegian steamship. Thanks to a patron of the arts, skilled stonemasons were brought from Italy. For his contribution to the construction of the museum, the modest Nechaev-Maltsev received the title of Chief Chamberlain and the Diamond Order of Alexander Nevsky. But the “glass king” invested not only in the museum. With his money, a Technical School appeared in Vladimir, an almshouse on Shabolovka, and a church in memory of the murdered on Kulikovo Field. For the centennial anniversary of the Museum of Fine Arts in 2012, the Shukhov Tower Foundation proposed to give the institution the name of Yuri Stepanovich Nechaev-Maltsov instead of Pushkin. However, the renaming never took place, but a memorial plaque appeared on the building in honor of the philanthropist.

Alexander Ludwigovich Stieglitz (1814-1884). This baron and banker was able to donate 6 million from his fortune of 100 million rubles to good causes. Stieglitz was the richest man in the country in the second third of the 19th century. He inherited his title of court banker, along with his capital, from his father, the Russified German Stieglitz, who received the title of baron for his services. Alexander Ludvigovich strengthened his position by acting as an intermediary, thanks to whom Emperor Nicholas I was able to conclude agreements on external loans for 300 million rubles. Alexander Stieglitz in 1857 became one of the founders of the Main Society of Russian Railways. In 1860, Stieglitz was appointed director of the newly created State Bank. The baron liquidated his company and began to live on interest, occupying a luxurious mansion on the Promenade des Anglais. The capital itself brought Stieglitz 3 million rubles a year. Big money did not make the baron sociable; they say that even the barber who cut his hair for 25 years never heard the voice of his client. The millionaire's modesty took on painful traits. It was Baron Stieglitz who was behind the construction of the Peterhof, Baltic and Nikolaevskaya (later Oktyabrskaya) railways. However, the banker remained in history not for his financial assistance to the tsar and not for the construction of roads. His memory remains largely due to charity. The Baron allocated impressive sums for the construction of the Technical Drawing School in St. Petersburg, its maintenance and museum. Alexander Ludvigovich himself was no stranger to art, but his life was devoted to making money. The adopted daughter’s husband, Alexander Polovtsev, managed to convince the banker that the country’s growing industry needed “scientific draftsmen.” As a result, thanks to Stieglitz, a school named after him and the country’s first museum of decorative and applied arts appeared ( best part his collections were eventually transferred to the Hermitage). Polovtsev himself, who was Secretary of State Alexandra III, believed that the country would be happy when merchants began to donate money to education without the selfish hope of receiving government awards or preferences. Thanks to his wife’s inheritance, Polovtsev was able to publish 25 volumes of the Russian Biographical Dictionary, but because of the Revolution this good deed was never completed. Now the former Stieglitz School of Technical Drawing is called Mukhinsky, and the marble monument to the philanthropist baron was thrown out of it long ago.

Gavrila Gavrilovich Solodovnikov (1826-1901). This merchant became the author of the largest donation in Russian history. His fortune was about 22 million rubles, 20 of which Solodovnikov spent on the needs of society. Gavrila Gavrilovich was born into the family of a paper merchant. The future millionaire was introduced to business from childhood, so he never really learned to write or express his thoughts. But at the age of 20, Solodovnikov had already become a merchant of the first guild, and at the age of 40 he earned his first million. The businessman became famous for his extreme prudence and frugality. They say that he did not hesitate to eat yesterday's porridge and ride in a carriage without tires on the wheels. Solodovnikov conducted his affairs, albeit not entirely cleanly, but he calmed his conscience by drawing up a well-known will - almost all of the merchant’s fortune went to charity. The patron made the first contribution to the construction of the Moscow Conservatory. A contribution of 200 thousand rubles was enough to build a luxurious marble staircase. Through the efforts of a merchant, it was built on Bolshaya Dmitrovka concert hall With theater stage, where ballets and extravaganzas could be staged. Today it has become the Operetta Theater, and then it housed the Private Opera of another philanthropist, Savva Mamontov. Solodovnikov wanted to become a nobleman, for this he decided to build a useful institution in Moscow. Thanks to the philanthropist, a Clinic for Skin and Venereal Diseases appeared in the city, equipped with all the most interesting things. Today, its premises house the Moscow Medical Academy named after I.M. Sechenov. At that time, the name of the benefactor was not reflected in the name of the clinic. According to the merchant's will, his heirs were left with about half a million rubles, while the remaining 20,147,700 rubles were spent on good deeds. But at the current exchange rate this amount would be about 9 billion dollars! A third of the capital went to the development of zemstvo women's schools in a number of provinces, the other third to the creation of vocational schools and a shelter for homeless children in the Serpukhov district, and the remaining part to the construction of houses with cheap apartments for poor and lonely people. Thanks to the will of the philanthropist, in 1909 the first “Free Citizen” house with 1,152 apartments for single people appeared on 2nd Meshchanskaya Street, and the “Red Diamond” house with 183 apartments for families was built there. With the houses came the features of communes - a store, a dining room, a laundry, a bathhouse and a library. On the ground floor of the family house there was a nursery and kindergarten, the rooms were offered already with furniture. Only officials were the first to move into such comfortable apartments “for the poor.”

Margarita Kirillovna Morozova (Mamontova) (1873-1958). This woman was related to both Savva Mamontov and Pavel Tretyakov. Margarita was called the first beauty of Moscow. Already at the age of 18, she married Mikhail Morozov, the son of another famous philanthropist. At 30, Margarita, pregnant with her fourth child, became a widow. She herself preferred not to deal with the affairs of the factory, whose co-owner was her husband. Morozova breathed art. She took music lessons from composer Alexander Scriabin, whom for a long time financially supported him to give him the opportunity to create and not be distracted by everyday life. In 1910, Morozova donated the art collection of her deceased husband Tretyakov Gallery. A total of 83 paintings were transferred, including works by Gauguin, Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Munch, Toulouse-Lautrec, Renoir, and Perov. Kramskoy, Repin, Benois, Levitan and others). Margarita financed the work of the publishing house “Put”, which until 1919 published about fifty books, mainly on the topic of religion and philosophy. Thanks to the philanthropist, the magazine “Questions of Philosophy” and the socio-political newspaper “Moscow Weekly” were published. On her Mikhailovskoye estate in the Kaluga province, Morozova transferred part of the land to the teacher Shatsky, who organized the first children's colony here. And the landowner supported this establishment financially. And during the First World War, Morozova turned her house into a hospital for the wounded. The revolution destroyed both her life and her family. The son and two daughters ended up in exile, only Mikhail remained in Russia, the same Mika Morozov, whose portrait Serov painted. The factory owner herself lived out her days in poverty at a summer dacha in Lianozovo. Personal pensioner Margarita Kirillovna Morozova received a separate room in a new building from the state several years before her death.

Savva Timofeevich Morozov (1862-1905). This philanthropist donated about 500 thousand rubles. Morozov managed to become a model of a modern businessman - he studied chemistry at Cambridge, and studied textile production in Liverpool and Manchester. Returning from Europe to Russia, Savva Morozov headed the Nikolskaya Manufactory Partnership, named after him. The managing director and main shareholder of this enterprise remained the industrialist's mother, Maria Fedorovna, whose capital was 30 million rubles. Morozov's progressive thinking said that thanks to the revolution, Russia would be able to catch up and overtake Europe. He even drew up his own program of social and political reforms, which aimed to transition the country to a constitutional regime of government. Morozov insured himself for the amount of 100 thousand rubles, and issued the policy to bearer, transferring it to his favorite actress Andreeva. There, in turn, she transferred most of the funds to the revolutionaries. Because of his love for Andreeva, Morozov supported the Art Theater; he was paid a 12-year lease for premises in Kamergersky Lane. At the same time, the patron’s contribution was equal to the contributions of the main shareholders, which included the owner of the gold-canvas manufactory Alekseev, known as Stanislavsky. The reconstruction of the theater building cost Morozov 300 thousand rubles - a huge amount for those times. And this despite the fact that the architect Fyodor Shekhtel, the author of the Moscow Art Theater Seagull, did the project completely free of charge. Thanks to Morozov's money, the most modern stage equipment was ordered abroad. In general, lighting equipment in Russian theater first appeared here. In total, the patron spent about 500 thousand rubles on the Moscow Art Theater building with a bronze bas-relief on the facade in the form of a drowning swimmer. As already mentioned, Morozov sympathized with the revolutionaries. Among his friends was Maxim Gorky, and Nikolai Bauman was hiding in the industrialist’s palace on Spiridonovka. Morozov helped deliver illegal literature to the factory, where the future People's Commissar Leonid Krasin served as an engineer. After a wave of revolutionary uprisings in 1905, the industrialist demanded that his mother transfer the factories to his complete subordination. However, she succeeded in removing her obstinate son from business and sent him with his wife and personal doctor to the Cote d'Azur. Savva Morozov committed suicide there, although the circumstances of his death turned out to be strange.

In the development of Russian culture in the 19th and early 20th centuries, such patrons and collectors as Savva Mamontov, Alexei Bakhrushin, the Tretyakov brothers, the Ryabushinskys, and the Morozovs played a significant role. But even today there are still many philanthropists among the Russian business elite. Here is a list of the most famous philanthropists of our country, compiled based on materials from Forbes Russia, Kommersant, RIA Novosti and others open sources:

Vladimir Potanin

The president of Interros, Vladimir Potanin, founded the Hermitage Development Fund and contributed five million dollars to it. The businessman is considered one of the most consistent Russian philanthropists. Among his most significant sponsorship and charitable endeavors are museum projects“A Changing Museum in a Changing World”, “First Publication”, the “Museum Guide” festival, grants to Hermitage staff, the creation of the Russian Living Room at the Kennedy Center. Potanin is also known for donating one million dollars for the state’s purchase of the famous “Black Square” by Kazimir Malevich, which was in the collection of INCOM Bank.

Victor Vekselberg

Viktor Vekselberg, a big fan of the Faberge firm, created a museum of the famous jewelry workshop in St. Petersburg, where eleven easter eggs imperial series, which the head of the Renova company purchased from the descendants of billionaire Malcolm Forbes for one hundred million dollars and returned to Russia. In 2014, Vekselberg’s “Link of Times” foundation bought items from the personal archive of the Yusupov princes at auction and donated them to the State Archive.

Roman Abramovich

The owner of Millhouse Capital, Roman Abramovich, sponsored a tour of the Sovremennik Theater in London in 2010. The former governor of Chukotka, known for his passion for art, became the founder of the Garage cultural center, which, according to some estimates, cost the businessman fifty million euros. And in 2017 the reconstruction of the island should be completed New Holland in St. Petersburg, in which Abramovich invested four hundred million dollars to transform local warehouses and other 18th-century buildings into a complex of museums and art galleries.

Roman Trotsenko

In 2007, the owner of AEON Corporation, Roman Trotsenko, created Cultural Center"Winzavod", the reconstruction of its production facilities cost twelve million dollars. Roman Trotsenko's wife, Sofya Sergeevna, is a famous Russian art producer, president of the Support Fund contemporary art"Winzavod", Advisor to the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation.

Andrey Skoch

Businessman Andrey Skoch finances literary prize“Debut”, designed to support young authors. The prize fund is six million rubles.

Shalva Breus

In 2007, the owner of the Balakhna pulp and paper mill, Shalva Breus, founded the annual Kandinsky Art Prize, which is awarded for the best artistic achievements of the last two years. The prize fund is estimated at fifty-seven thousand euros. Breus' immediate plans include the creation of a new museum of contemporary art. It is likely that it will be located in the building of the Udarnik cinema, which Shalva Breus rents from the city. According to the businessman, about thirty million dollars will be needed to implement this project.

Alexander Mamut and Sergey Adoniev

One of the largest domestic projects in the field of art, the Strelka Institute of Media, Architecture and Design, exists with the money of the head of SUP Media, Alexander Mamut, and the owner of the Yota company, Sergei Adonyev. Strelka's annual budget is about ten million dollars. Sergey Adoniev is also known large-scale reconstruction Electrotheater "Stanislavsky", after which the theater received a universal hall for two hundred seats with a transformable stage, a multifunctional foyer, six rehearsal rooms, workshops and workshops, a scenery warehouse with a lift and a sewing workshop. The reconstruction was carried out entirely at the expense of Sergei Adonyev, who, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, invested several hundred million rubles in the restoration of the theater.

Mikhail Prokhorov

Businessman and politician Mikhail Prokhorov financed the festival of Russian art “Unknown Siberia” in Lyon, at which the Russian National Orchestra conducted by Mikhail Pletnev performed, investing about two million euros in this enterprise, and also sponsored the production of the play “Stories of Shukshin” at the Theater of Nations. In the year of the bicentenary of N.V. Gogol, Mikhail Prokhorov established the NOS literary prize “to identify and support new trends in modern artistic literature in Russian". A prize fund of one million rubles is distributed annually among the winners and finalists of the competition.

Vladimir Kekhman

One of the most colorful philanthropists - Chairman of the Board of Directors of the JFC company Vladimir Kekhman combines charitable activities with the management of two theaters - the Mikhailovsky and Novosibirsk. In 2007, having become director of the Mikhailovsky Theater, Kekhman invested five hundred million rubles in the reconstruction of the building and organized several tours and gala concerts. (However, Vladimir Kekhman was declared bankrupt and is accused of fraud on an especially large scale).

Alisher Usmanov

Alisher Usmanov's charity expenses in 2012 amounted to one hundred and eighty million dollars. He personally established the Art, Science and Sports foundations, supports theaters, museums, and participates in social projects and in helping seriously ill children. In 2007, the head of USM Holdings, Alisher Usmanov, even before the start of the auction, bought a collection of art by Mstislav Rostropovich and Galina Vishnevskaya, consisting of four hundred and fifty lots, put up for auction at Sotheby’s for more than one hundred and eleven million dollars. It is noteworthy that, according to preliminary estimates, the cost of the collection was estimated by experts to be only in the range of twenty-six to forty million dollars. After the purchase, Usmanov donated the collection to the Russian government, in this moment it is exhibited in the Konstantinovsky Palace in St. Petersburg. Two weeks before this, Alisher Usmanov committed another act, worthy of respect: acquired a collection of classic animated films by Soyuzmultfilm from the American company Films by Jove and donated it to a Russian children's television channel"Bibigon". The transaction amount is estimated at five to ten million dollars. Alisher Usmanov is also responsible for the exhibition “Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Avant-Garde” and the exhibition of William Turner at the Pushkin Museum. A. S. Pushkin, financing the publication of the magazine “Murzilka”, support for projects of Vladimir Spivakov, organization International competition tenors in memory of Luciano Pavarotti.

Alexey Ananyev

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Promsvyazbank Alexey Ananyev, known for his commitment to traditional Orthodox values, founded the Institute of Russian realistic art, for which one of the ancient buildings of the former calico-printing factory, built in Zamoskvorechye at the end of the 19th century, was purchased. The businessman constantly adds to the collection of the museum and exhibition complex. Now his collection contains about five hundred works of Russian and Soviet art.

Leonid Mikhelson

Chairman of the Board of Novatek OJSC Leonid Mikhelson decided to bring the light of culture to Muscovites and bought HPP-2 from Mosenergo, on Bolotnaya Square, in order to turn the power plant into an Art Museum. Previously, the businessman created V-A-C fund(Victoria – the Art of being Contemporary), named after his daughter Victoria. The organization provides support to museums of contemporary art, sponsors young artists and their curators.

Oleg Deripaska

General Director of RusAl Oleg Deripaska actively supervises Kubansky Cossack choir and the Moscow Art Theater School Studio, which, with the support of the entrepreneur, toured the Kuban, Siberia and the Volga region. Deripaska heads the Volnoe Delo charity foundation, which provides sponsorship to children with disabilities, the Moscow State University education system, the Russian Chess Federation and the Phanagoria archaeological expedition.

Mikhail Abramov

Businessman Mikhail Abramov created the Museum of Russian Icons in Moscow in 2011. It exists solely on the money of the patron and does not conduct any commercial activities, does not charge fees for visits and excursions. In a magnificent museum collection– five thousand exhibits, including unique monuments of the 15th–16th centuries. The museum, which has its own restoration workshops and a scientific department, was accepted into the International Council of Museums at UNESCO.

Peter Aven

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Alfa-Bank banking group, the famous collector Peter Aven, initiated the creation of the non-profit organization “Russian Avant-Garde Research Project”, which aims to combat counterfeits of works of Russian art. He is known as an art connoisseur and philanthropist, a member of the board of trustees State Museum Fine Arts named after A. S. Pushkin, collector of paintings by artists of the “Silver Age”.

Boris Mints

Chairman of the Board of Directors of O1 Group Boris Mints preferred troublesome everyday life to the sweet life of a billionaire museum worker- bought the building of the Bolshevik confectionery factory on Leningradsky Prospekt and decided to turn it into the Museum of Russian Impressionism, investing ten million dollars in reconstruction. The basis of the exhibition was the personal collection of paintings by Boris Mints, who for several years collected paintings by Russian artists bit by bit.

Sergey Popov

Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of MDM Bank Sergei Popov has been sponsoring music festivals of Yuri Bashmet and Valery Gergiev for many years, but tries not to talk about it. Amazing fact: the entrepreneur even entered into an agreement with a PR agency, one of whose main tasks is to minimize mentions in the press about Sergei Popov and his business. This is the opposite of PR!

Danil Khachaturov

General Director of Rosgosstrakh Danil Khachaturov sublimated his unfulfilled youthful dreams of becoming a film director into financing cinema. "Rosgosstrakh" paid for the filming of such films as "Eggs of Destiny", "High Security Vacation", "Freaks", and personally produced the films "Inhale-Exhale" and "Generation P".

Russian merchants acquired and preserved priceless treasures of domestic and world culture for Russia, but time erased many names from the memory of posterity. Unfortunately, people have short memories. But art has eternal life.

The Tretyakov Gallery, the Bakhrushin Theater Museum, the Shchukin collection of French impressionists, the Morozov Handicraft Museum, gymnasiums, hospitals, shelters, institutes - all these are gifts from the Moscow merchants to their native city. The historian M. Pogodin set Moscow merchants-philanthropists as an example to tight-fisted European entrepreneurs: “If we count all their donations for the current century alone, they would amount to a figure that Europe should bow to.”

Tretyakovs

Among Moscow patrons of the arts, the name of Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov has a special place: it is to him that we owe the unique collection of paintings stored in the famous Tretyakov Gallery. The Tretyakov merchant family could not boast of special wealth, but Pavel Mikhailovich did not spare money to purchase paintings. Over the course of 42 years, he spent an impressive amount of money on them at that time - over a million rubles. Unfortunately, Pavel’s brother, Sergei Mikhailovich, is much less known to our contemporaries. He collected Western European paintings, and after his death in 1892, all the paintings he acquired passed, according to his will, into the possession of Pavel Mikhailovich. They were also donated to the city. On August 15, 1893, appeared in Moscow new museum- “City Art Gallery of Pavel and Sergei Tretyakov.” At that time, the collection consisted of 1,362 paintings, 593 drawings and 15 sculptures. Art critic V. Stasov wrote about it: “An art gallery... is not a random collection of paintings, it is the result of knowledge, considerations, strict weighing and, most of all, deep love for one’s dear business.”

Bakhrushins

The Bakhrushins came from the city of Zaraysk and were engaged in leather and cloth making. Both in Zaraysk and in Moscow the family donated large sums those in need. In the mother throne, the Bakhrushins were called “professional philanthropists” from whom “donations pour in like from a cornucopia.” Judge for yourself, they built and maintained: a city hospital, a house of free apartments for the poor, a shelter for orphans, a vocational school for boys, a home for elderly artists... For this, the city authorities made the Bakhrushins honorary citizens Moscow offered nobility, but the proud merchants refused the titles. Alexey Petrovich Bakhrushin was a passionate collector, collecting Russian medals, porcelain, paintings, icons and ancient books. He bequeathed his collection Historical Museum, several museum halls were named after him. Alexey Petrovich's uncle, Alexey Alexandrovich Bakhrushin, collected everything related to the theater: old posters, programs, photographs famous actors, stage costumes. Based on his collection in Moscow, in 1894, the world's only Theater Museum named after. Bakhrushin. It is still in effect today.

The Khludov family, who came from Yegoryevsk, owned cotton factories and built railways. Alexey Ivanovich Khludov collected a unique collection of ancient Russian manuscripts and early printed books. Among them are the works of Maxim the Greek, “The Source of Knowledge” by John of Damascus, translated and with comments by Prince Kurbsky (the author of angry letters to Ivan the Terrible). In total, the collection consisted of more than a thousand books. In 1882, after the death of Khludov, the precious collection, according to his will, was transferred to the St. Nicholas Monastery of Edinoverie in Moscow. Alexei's brother, Gerasim Ivanovich, was also an avid collector: he collected paintings by Russian artists. The Khludovs, like the Bakhrushins, did not spare money for charity: they built an almshouse, free apartments for the poor, wards for terminally ill women and a children's hospital with their own funds.

This dynasty gave Russia a lot talented people: industrialists, doctors, diplomats. Let us at least remember Pyotr Kononovich, the pioneer of the tea business in Russia, or Sergei Petrovich, the famous Russian aesculapian. Many Botkins were collectors. Privy Councilor and artist Mikhail Petrovich collected Western European paintings, terracotta figurines, Italian majolica of the 15th-17th centuries, as well as Russian enamel for almost 50 years. He was keenly interested in the work of the artist Ivanov: he bought sketches and even published his biography. Vasily Petrovich and Dmitry Petrovich Botkin collected paintings by European masters and were friends of Pavel Tretyakov.

Mamontovs

The rich and populous merchant family of the Mamontovs “rose up” in the wine farming industry. Fyodor Ivanovich is still at the end XVIII century was known as a generous benefactor, for which he was awarded posthumous monument from the grateful residents of Zvenigorod. However, the most outstanding figure among the Mamontovs was Savva Ivanovich. Nature generously endowed him with talents: singer (studied in Italy), sculptor, theater director, playwright. It was Savva who discovered the talent of Chaliapin, Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov to the world. In his own theater he staged operas, the scenery for which was written by Polenov, Vasnetsov, Serov, Korovin. Savva Ivanovich helped achieve recognition for Vrubel: at his own expense he built a pavilion for the artist and exhibited his paintings in it. The estate of Savva Ivanovich, Abramtsevo, became “a haven of peace, work and inspiration” for many talented artists and performers.

Morozovs

The range of cultural activities of the Morozov dynasty is enormous: they were extremely talented people. Savva Timofeevich Morozov did a lot for the Art Theater (MAT). He was passionate about the revolutionary movement and idolized Maxim Gorky. Moscow owes its creation to Savva’s brother, Sergei Timofeevich. Handicraft Museum. He collected works of Russian decorative and applied art of the 17th-19th centuries, trying to preserve their national flavor and traditions. After the revolution, the museum was renamed the Museum as a sign of respect for his services. folk art them. S.T. Morozova. Mikhail Abramovich Morozov collected Russian and French paintings from a young age, but, alas, died at the age of 33. His collection was transferred to the Tretyakov Gallery. Ivan Abramovich Morozov was also a famous philanthropist; it was he who became the first patron of the unknown Vitebsk artist Marc Chagall. In 1918, Ivan Abramovich left Russia. His rich collection of paintings was distributed among the Museum of Fine Arts. Pushkin and the Hermitage.

Representatives of the Shchukin family have preserved truly unique treasures for us. Pyotr Ivanovich was the largest collector of Russian antiquities. What was missing from his collection: rare books, Old Russian icons and coins, silver jewelry. In 1905, Pyotr Ivanovich donated his collection to Moscow; the catalog of valuables included 23,911 items! The canvases of Dutch painters Dmitry Ivanovich Shchukin are to this day the pearl of the Pushkin Museum. And a whole generation of Russian avant-garde artists grew up on the paintings of French impressionists acquired by Sergei Ivanovich Shchukin. He had an amazing sense of talent. When Shchukin met Picasso in Paris, he was an unknown poor artist. But even then the insightful Russian merchant said: “This is the future.” For six years, Sergei Ivanovich sponsored Picasso, buying his paintings. Thanks to Shchukin, paintings by Monet, Matisse, and Gauguin appeared in Russia - artists considered “outcast” in France. But after the revolution in Russia, Shchukin turned out to be an “outcast”, and he had to emigrate to France. Bitter irony of fate. At the end of the 1920s. There was a rumor among Russian emigrants that Shchukin was demanding the return of his nationalized collection from the Bolsheviks. But Sergei Ivanovich denied the speculation: “I collected not only and not so much for myself, but for my country and my people. Whatever is on our land, my collections must remain there.”

Dmitry Kazennov

Here is a list of the most famous philanthropists of our country, compiled based on materials from Forbes Russia, Kommersant, RIA Novosti and other open sources:

I.E. Repin. Portrait of P.M. Tretyakova, 1901

Vladimir Potanin

The president of Interros, Vladimir Potanin, founded the Hermitage Development Fund and contributed five million dollars to it. The businessman is considered one of the most consistent Russian philanthropists. Among his most significant sponsorship and charitable endeavors are the museum projects “A Changing Museum in a Changing World”, “First Publication”, the “Museum Guide” festival, grants to Hermitage employees, and the creation of the Russian Living Room at the Kennedy Center. Potanin is also known for donating one million dollars for the state’s purchase of the famous “Black Square” by Kazimir Malevich, which was in the collection of INCOM Bank.

Victor Vekselberg

Viktor Vekselberg, a big fan of the Faberge company, created a museum in St. Petersburg of the famous jewelry workshop, where eleven Easter eggs of the imperial series are kept, which the head of the Renova company purchased from the descendants of billionaire Malcolm Forbes for one hundred million dollars and returned to Russia. In 2014, Vekselberg’s “Link of Times” foundation bought items from the personal archive of the Yusupov princes at auction and donated them to the State Archive.

Roman Abramovich

The owner of Millhouse Capital, Roman Abramovich, sponsored a tour of the Sovremennik Theater in London in 2010. The former governor of Chukotka, known for his passion for art, became the founder of the Garage cultural center, which, according to some estimates, cost the businessman fifty million euros. And in 2017, the reconstruction of the territory of New Holland Island in St. Petersburg, in which Abramovich invested four hundred million dollars to transform local warehouses and other buildings of the 18th century into a complex of museums and art galleries, is due to be completed.

Roman Trotsenko

In 2007, the owner of AEON Corporation, Roman Trotsenko, created the Winzavod cultural center, the reconstruction of the production premises of which cost twelve million dollars. Roman Trotsenko's wife, Sofya Sergeevna, is a famous Russian art producer, president of the Winzavod Foundation for the Support of Contemporary Art, advisor to the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation.

Andrey Skoch

Businessman Andrei Skoch finances the Debut literary prize, designed to support young authors. The prize fund is six million rubles.

Shalva Breus

Alexander Mamut and Sergey Adoniev

One of the largest domestic projects in the field of art, the Strelka Institute of Media, Architecture and Design, exists with the money of the head of SUP Media, Alexander Mamut, and the owner of the Yota company, Sergei Adonyev. Strelka's annual budget is about ten million dollars. Sergei Adoniev is also known for the large-scale reconstruction of the Stanislavsky Electrotheater, after which the theater received a multi-purpose hall for two hundred seats with a transformable stage, a multifunctional foyer, six rehearsal rooms, workshops and workshops, a scenery warehouse with a lift and a sewing workshop. The reconstruction was carried out entirely at the expense of Sergei Adonyev, who, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, invested several hundred million rubles in the restoration of the theater.

Mikhail Prokhorov

Businessman and politician Mikhail Prokhorov financed the festival of Russian art “Unknown Siberia” in Lyon, at which the Russian National Orchestra conducted by Mikhail Pletnev performed, investing about two million euros in this enterprise, and also sponsored the production of the play “Stories of Shukshin” at the Theater of Nations. In the year of the bicentenary of N.V. Gogol, Mikhail Prokhorov established the NOS literary prize “to identify and support new trends in modern literary literature in Russian.” A prize fund of one million rubles is distributed annually among the winners and finalists of the competition.

Vladimir Kekhman

Alisher Usmanov

Alisher Usmanov's charity expenses in 2012 amounted to one hundred and eighty million dollars. He personally established the Art, Science and Sports foundations, supports theaters, museums, and participates in social projects and in helping seriously ill children. In 2007, the head of USM Holdings, Alisher Usmanov, even before the start of the auction, bought a collection of art by Mstislav Rostropovich and Galina Vishnevskaya, consisting of four hundred and fifty lots, put up for auction at Sotheby’s for more than one hundred and eleven million dollars. It is noteworthy that, according to preliminary estimates, the cost of the collection was estimated by experts to be only in the range of twenty-six to forty million dollars. After the purchase, Usmanov donated the collection to the Russian government; it is currently on display in the Konstantinovsky Palace in St. Petersburg. Two weeks earlier, Alisher Usmanov committed another act worthy of respect: he purchased a collection of classic Soyuzmultfilm animated films from the American company Films by Jove and donated it to the Russian children's television channel Bibigon. The transaction amount is estimated at five to ten million dollars. Alisher Usmanov is also responsible for the exhibition “Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Avant-Garde” and the exhibition of William Turner at the Pushkin Museum. A. S. Pushkin, financing the publication of the magazine “Murzilka”, supporting the projects of Vladimir Spivakov, organizing the International Tenor Competition in memory of Luciano Pavarotti.

Alexey Ananyev

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Promsvyazbank Alexey Ananyev, known for his commitment to traditional Orthodox values, founded the Institute of Russian Realistic Art, for which one of the ancient buildings of the former calico-printing factory, built in Zamoskvorechye at the end of the 19th century, was acquired. The businessman constantly adds to the collection of the museum and exhibition complex. Now his collection contains about five hundred works of Russian and Soviet art.

Leonid Mikhelson

Chairman of the Board of Novatek OJSC Leonid Mikhelson decided to bring the light of culture to Muscovites and bought HPP-2 from Mosenergo, on Bolotnaya Square, in order to turn the power plant into an Art Museum. Previously, the businessman created the V-A-C (Victoria – the Art of being Contemporary) foundation, named after his daughter Victoria. The organization provides support to museums of contemporary art, sponsors young artists and their curators.

Oleg Deripaska

General Director of the RusAl company Oleg Deripaska actively supervises the Kuban Cossack Choir and the Moscow Art Theater School Studio, which, with the support of the entrepreneur, toured the Kuban, Siberia and the Volga region. Deripaska heads the Volnoe Delo charity foundation, which provides sponsorship to children with disabilities, the Moscow State University education system, the Russian Chess Federation and the Phanagoria archaeological expedition.

Mikhail Abramov

Businessman Mikhail Abramov created the Museum of Russian Icons in Moscow in 2011. It exists solely on the money of the patron and does not conduct any commercial activities, does not charge fees for visits and excursions. The magnificent museum collection includes five thousand exhibits, including unique monuments of the 15th–16th centuries. The museum, which has its own restoration workshops and a scientific department, was accepted into the International Council of Museums at UNESCO.

Peter Aven

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Alfa-Bank banking group, the famous collector Peter Aven, initiated the creation of the non-profit organization “Russian Avant-Garde Research Project”, which aims to combat counterfeits of works of Russian art. He is known as an art connoisseur and philanthropist, a member of the board of trustees of the State Museum of Fine Arts named after A. S. Pushkin, and a collector of paintings by artists of the “Silver Age”.

Boris Mints

Chairman of the Board of Directors of O1 Group Boris Mints preferred the troublesome everyday life of a museum worker to the sweet life of a billionaire - he bought the building of the Bolshevik confectionery factory on Leningradsky Prospekt and decided to turn it into the Museum of Russian Impressionism, investing ten million dollars in reconstruction. The basis of the exhibition was the personal collection of paintings by Boris Mints, who for several years collected paintings by Russian artists bit by bit.

Sergey Popov

Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of MDM Bank Sergei Popov has been sponsoring music festivals of Yuri Bashmet and Valery Gergiev for many years, but tries not to talk about it. An amazing fact: the entrepreneur even entered into an agreement with a PR agency, one of whose main tasks is to minimize mentions in the press about Sergei Popov and his business. This is the opposite of PR!