GENEVA.- Artvera’s is a prestigious art gallery located in the heart of Geneva’s old city that specializes in European and Russian art from the late 19th-century and the early 20th-century. Artvera’s unveils today an exceptional retrospective, which covers all creative periods of Serge Charchoune, a Russian grand master active in Paris for over 50 years. Artvera’s is an institution midway between an art gallery and a museum. Thanks to privileged contacts with major international art collectors, the gallery curated a unique exhibition dedicated to Charchoune that comprises 80 oil paintings, a dozen of which have not been shown to the public for more than 25 years. The exhibit will run from November 13, 2009 until spring 2010 and will allow visitors to (re)discover this artist who was both unique and multi‐faceted, with deeper understanding.

"If Serge Charchoune has had the honor of solo exhibits in prestigious institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in Paris (7‐June 21, 1971), the Pouchkine Museum in Moscow (2006), and the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg; he deserves to be better known," , says Sofia Komarova, director of the Artvera’s Gallery and an art historian. This exhibit is unique for the sheer number and quality of the artworks displayed for each creative period. It allows visitors to discover or rediscover with a fresh look the work of this great painter, who developed many facets in the course of his long career while maintaining an internal sense of cohesion. The art historian Chantal Bartolini states: "Of course, Charchoune is often mentioned in relation to the Parisian Dadaist movement, but he reached the peak of his art in his purist period, and probably even more in the last stages of abstract neosymbolism, which was influenced by music and mysticism. This is when he attained maturity and developed his most personal style."

Artvera’s: an ascending gallery Sofia Komarova sees art as a different way to understand life and humanity. Her goal is to create a cultural haven in the heart of Geneva’s old city, by displaying exceptional works of modern art. This new retrospective meets this goal. Artvera’s positions itself as a pioneering institution that aims to be at the forefront of the artistic scene. Artvera’s ambition goes beyond the frontiers of Geneva, where it has already become a must. Internationally, Artvera’s has become a one‐stop art institution that compares to the most prestigious art galleries in Europe and New York.

An encounter with Purism
To meet museum‐like quality, the gallery sometimes presents additional artworks that illustrate all facets of an artist or a theme. Today, it is Artvera’s privilege to display the first Purist artwork by Amédée Ozenfant. "La Carafe" is an oil painting (35 x 27 cm, 1918‐19) that was painted in 1918, the year of the publication of Purist principles in the journal L’Esprit Nouveau; and is one of the artist’s masterpieces. Ozenfant had a great influence on Charchoune, who said after their first encounter in 1917: “I think that I did not come out of it in one piece!”

International experts on fundamental issues
Pierre Guénégan is an expert at the Paris Court of Appeal and the author of the ongoing annotated catalogue about Charchoune’s works. He presents the third volume hot off the press, on time for this retrospective. In his presentation, he addresses the issues facing the author of an annotated catalogue in relation to research and to the authentication of artworks. Hamish Dewar, a Londonbased art restorer of international renown, also traveled to Geneva for this occasion. He collaborates regularly with the Artvera’s gallery in analyzing the condition of artworks and in confirming their authenticity. Hamish Dewar will talk with professionalism and rigor about what is at stake in his work.