Research Center for Soviet Nonconformist Art and Arts of Eurasia

General Information

The Zimmerli’s Norton and Nancy Dodge Collection of Nonconformist Art from the Soviet Union is the largest collection of its kind in the world, spanning the late Soviet era from the 1950s to 1991. In addition to Soviet nonconformist art, the art of Russian imperial and early Soviet eras—from the fourteenth to early twentieth century—is represented in the George Riabov Collection of Russian Art. A generous gift by Claude and Nina Gruen extended the Zimmerli’s Soviet Nonconformist and Eurasian art holdings to the 1990s and 2000s.

Extensive archives of documents, correspondence, audio and video interviews with artists, and documentary photographs, as well as a noncirculating library of related books accompany the collection and are continually being updated. Presently, the Center's archive has more than 30 collections and is growing. These include Norton Dodge and George Riabov papers, collections of nonconformist artists and art critics from the Soviet Union. The archival materials span critical decades of the Soviet nonconformist art, from 1950s-1990s and beyond. Among the archival holdings there are correspondence, documentation of performances, critical articles, artist statements, as well as hundreds of photographs, video and audio recordings of artworks, performances, events, and artists. In addition, we have over 1,000 artist files, information dossiers on artists in the Dodge collection, including materials on their life and work.

Access

The Research Center for Soviet Nonconformist Art and Arts of Eurasia provides an opportunity for students, faculty, staff, and scholars to have access to the art collections and archives.

In order to utilize our staff and resources efficiently, we encourage your research begin with the digital collections and information provided online—in our searchable database and by request.

The artworks may be accessed online via the Zimmerli collections database. Most database entries provide detailed information about art objects along with high quality images sufficient for academic research and study.

However, only a portion of our collections is available online. If you are unable to find the information you are looking for in the database, our staff can provide you with information and images for research from the Zimmerli catalog upon request.

Should digital resources be insufficient for your research needs, the Research Center is amenable to supporting in-person access on a case-by-case basis. Please follow the procedure described in the Research Guidelines and Registration Form to request the materials and plan your visit.

Please forward general inquiries and specific information requests to Vassili Schedrin, Research Coordinator at vschedrin@zimmerli.rutgers.edu