Between Paris and Moscow. Alexandra Bychkova and Sergey Koltsov

This project continues the narrative of the exhibition Muscovite: Women of the Soviet Capital in the 1920s–1930s, which featured Alexandra Bychkova as one of its central figures. Her husband, Soviet sculptor Sergey Koltsov, was also a prominent artist of the time. Although they never collaborated directly, and their partnership was not regarded as a creative duo by their contemporaries, visual and conceptual connections can be traced between their works. Both shared a commitment to modernist principles and artistic positions of the era.

The exhibition’s lighting concept is built around contrasts in illumination across different rooms. Some spaces are intentionally kept in semi-darkness, where only the artworks are lit, creating an intimate, focused atmosphere. Other rooms are deliberately bright and filled with light. This scenographic approach supports and enhances the curatorial narrative, highlighting shifts in tone and meaning throughout the exhibition.