An exhibition showcasing over one hundred original works by Ivan Bilibin, focusing on fairy-tale themes, will be held at the Brusnitsyn cultural quarter from August 1 to October 5, 2025. The exhibition will feature items from the collection of the Osnova Design Museum, including sketches of theatrical productions and other pieces.

The exhibition highlights Bilibin’s famous illustrations for the bylina “Volga” and a watercolor from 1902 once owned by Alberto Snadretti, the honorary consul of Russia in Italy, a collector of Russian art. Bilibin’s illustrations for Pushkin’s fairy tales are also prominently featured, including the works for “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” that inspired the Soviet cartoon.

Another significant exhibit is the engraving “Ruslan and the Head” for “Ruslan and Lyudmila,” which was acquired by the museum through the granddaughter of the Minister of Culture of the RSFSR. Additionally, the exhibition includes a poster for Sergei Diaghilev’s ballet “Walking at the Yarila Festival,” which announced the third season of Russian ballets at the Royal Theatre in Covent Garden.

Ivan Bilibin (1876-1942), a member of the Mir Iskusstva movement and a student of Ilya Repin, developed his distinctive style early in his career. He created illustrations for fairy tales, participated in ethnographic expeditions, and contributed to magazines such as “Golden Fleece” and “Shipovnik.”

After the October Revolution, Bilibin lived in Crimea, Egypt, and Paris before returning to his homeland. He participated in the design of the Soviet embassy in Paris in the 1930s. In 1936, Bilibin returned to Leningrad and began teaching at the Academy of Arts.

During the Great Patriotic War, Bilibin remained in Leningrad and died in February 1942, during the siege. He was buried in a mass grave of professors of the Academy on Dekabristov Island.