This was an interesting portrait of a family whose experience reflected various facets of the Russian and Soviet systems. The Morozovs rose from serfdom, became Old Believers, amassed a fortune as textile manufacturers, and then the brothers Mikhail and Ivan became art collectors, only to have their treasures confiscated after the Revolution. Ivan was even appointed "assistant curator" when his mansion was turned into a state museum. In the years after Ivan's death, the collection was seen as too opulent and too distant from Soviet aesthetics and so was not exhibited for decades. The author began with minimal primary sources and reconstructed a narrative that spans generations. It can feel a little unfocused at times, but all in all, it is an interesting read.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Wonderfully compelling account of the life and times of Ivan Morozov and his passion for collecting art, and whose comprehensive and valuable collection ultimately had to be handed over to the new Bolshevik regime – but one which was preserved and which can still, thankfully, be viewed today. A must read for anyone interested in Russian culture – or indeed anyone interested in art history in general.

# ' Morozov' is the newest novel by #Nataya Semenova. For those of you that enjoy art history this is very interesting. The pictures are the bonus they are nice. Overall a nice read.
Thank you,
#Netgalley, # Natalya Semenova, and #Yale University Press

I received a digital copy of this book for free via NetGalley for an honest review.

This is a generally quite interesting account of one of the more famous Russian art collections and the family that founded it. The author is a Russian art historian, and while the translation is good, the text in many ways remains clearly intended for a Russian audience. I don't mind this, but some readers may find it occasionally odd in style or content. Although the book is at some level presented as a biography specifically of Ivan Abramovich Morozov, it's in many ways an overview of art collecting in late 19th/early 20th century Russia (mainly Moscow) with an emphasis on the Morozov family as a whole.

As an accompaniment to an exhibition, it would undoubtedly be fascinating. Unfortunately, without most of the paintings being featured in the book's illustrations, I don't recognize many of them by title alone. A significant portion of the book is a fairly detailed account of what was purchased and when, presumably reconstructed from the apparently very meticulous record of receipts left by Ivan Morozov, and I'm not really enough of an art aficionado to fully appreciate this.

Nevertheless, it's a really interesting look at the changing fortunes of a family of Old Believer peasants turned giants of the textile industry, and how they came to make a permanent mark on the Russian art world through their activity as collectors. While the collection was nationalized after the Revolution and later dispersed, the book very strongly demonstrates its overall importance.

The notes and bibliography are extensive, and I think it would be of interest to many people who enjoy art history regardless of whether they are primarily interested in Russian or Western European artists.

I do wish the cover design hadn't gone for pseudo-Cyrillic, though.

This captivating biography tells the fascinating story of how eccentric members of the Morozov family, mid-nineteenth century Russian peasants, had become some of the wealthiest Russians by the time of the Revolution, some seventy years later. It reads very well in English with very few hints that it could possibly be a translation.
The most successful family member, Ivan, is the subject of this biography. As well as being a major industrialist with quite a diverting private life, he was an enthusiastic collector of art, and art seems to have interested him very much more than the family business. He not only bought a magnificent collection of contemporary Russian art and modern French art (Impressionist, Cubist, Fauve ...) but also commissioned paintings from French artists and, importantly, from Russian artists. Many of these Russian artists' styles were influenced by the French art they saw in Morozov's personal collection in Moscow and thus he directly contributed to the rapid development of Russian avant-garde art in the twentieth century.
He always intended to give his collection to the Russian nation but, after his collection and home were seized in the Revolution, he eventually moved to Paris. Much of his collection was considered too decadently capitalist under Stalin, and it was not until Khrushchev's time that many of the pictures appeared in the Hermitage and Pushkin museums.
With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book to review.