IMAGE DETAILS

Ikat chapan, Uzbekistan, 19th century, Tair Tairov Collection, Tashkent

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Friday, July 26, 2002

For its Russian audience the exhibition will open a window onto a hitherto little-known world of oriental elegance, luxury and beauty. The fact that such an exotic exhibition is to take place in one of the country's major fine arts museums is in itself a bold declaration of the high artistic quality of the pieces on display.

The 'author' of the show is Tair Tairov, a well-known Uzbek textile dealer and collector based in the city of Tashkent, who has for many years enjoyed the privileged position in the market of first access to the best ikats to be found in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and the other Central Asian countries. As a result, his collection includes amazingly beautiful silk and velvet ikat objects, including robes, wall hangings, bed covers and textile panels. The present show will include seventy silk and cotton and thirty all-silk ikat robes and hangings, and is the first of a planned series of Tairov Collection exhibitions to be held in Moscow.

Tair Tairov's interest in textiles dates back to the 1970s, when he started to buy silk ikats and suzanis in the bazaars, initially as modest gifts for his family and friends. As time went on, what began as a general interest turned into a passion. The disintegration of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s opened doors to all kinds of merchants, among them many well-funded Turkish dealers in antique carpets and textiles. They were soon enthusiastically seeking out colourful ikats in every Uzbek town and city, causing rapid price escalation, and it became evident to Tairov that haste was of the essence if he wanted to continue to find items of quality. 'I jumped onto the train when it was already travelling at high speed', he says, 'and started with those 'leftovers' that I could afford with my limited budget. Later I selected better pieces, especially those in good condition, to replace their less valuable forerunners, many of which have since found their way to other collections.

'As time went by I saw some European and American publications, and decided to compile a real collection. I regularly consulted Sayora Mahkamova, who is internationally known as an ikat specialist, and she gave me much valuable advice. From there it was a short step for me to decide to present the stars of my collection to the general public, not just to my friends and colleagues. Now my wish is being fulfilled with this exhibition in Moscow.'

The exhibition will be accompanied by an illustrated bilingual Russian/English catalogue written by Sayora Mahkamova and Ekaterina Ermakova. Further exhibitions of textiles from the Tairov Collection, including Central Asian suzanis and carpets, are planned for 2003.

Clouds Captured in Silk: Ikats of TurkestanA.S. Pushkin State Museum, Ul Precistenka 12, Moscow, Russia9 September - 27 October 2002

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