Paintings by Fedor Olevskiy and Aleksandr Kalinin.
An exhibition at Southwell Minster organised by
The Friends of Southwell Cathedral
12 – 24 June 2021, in the Quire
This exhibition showcases the work of two Russian artists who fell in love with Southwell, and Nottinghamshire, when Fedor Olevskiy was commissioned by a private donor in 2008 to do a painting of the Nave, marking the 900th anniversary of the commencement of its construction. The pictures in this exhibition are of both the locality, and the landscapes of the wild and unspoilt Russian countryside. Fedor Olevskiy (37) and Aleksandr Kalinin (42), with their wives and families, are members of the resurgent church in St. Petersburg and are often employed to decorate new churches – or to help with the restoration of churches abandoned during the communist era. A recent commission was a church used by the Tsar and his family.
Mounting this exhibition is a new departure for the Friends of Southwell Cathedral in its schedule of events during the year and one we hope visitors will enjoy. The paintings (oil on canvas) are for sale at modest prices with a percentage of proceeds going to Friends’ funds. As well as raising funds, the Friends hope the exhibition will encourage new members to join. Please ask for our updated membership leaflet or visit our webpage here.
The Friends is an independent charity, founded in 1947, with members nationwide and overseas. Subscriptions, events and legacy income are used to contribute to the cost of restoration and repair of the fabric of Southwell Minster, as well as for its adornment, in its daily work of maintaining public worship. At the moment, the Friends is the largest single donor to the Minster’s Leaves of Southwell project (focused on better presenting the famous 1287 Chapter House) after the National Lottery Heritage Fund itself.
Finally, Fedor is a talented portrait artist as well, with sitters from several local families. Some loans are included within the exhibition.
Charles Leggatt
Exhibition organiser & member of the Council of the Friends of Southwell Cathedral
