Compared to other similar books on the period, this doesn't add much to the scholarly discussion of cultural ties between Russia and Western Europe. Its main strength is its high quality reproductions of familiar and unfamiliar works. It is intended as a broad visual overview of artistic exchange between Russia and France and the essays for the most part speak to that purpose. There also is no bibliography of the works cited and referenced.

The selection of French works was typical with a mix of Barbizon, Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Modernist works. The highlights for me were the Matisses and Cezannes. Some of the works have been shown in the UK and US in various exhibitions over the past 15 years, so they are familiar. The text that explains the art work is rather terse and not too frequently cites other scholars. There also is no exhibition history of the works shown.

The Russian works were a revelation. Kandinsky, Malevich, and Chagall are among the few who are familiar to museum goers, even though Kandinsky is better properly appreciated with the German modernists. The real discoveries for me were the various Russian modernist movements from the World of Art to the Futurist-Cubist hybrid style.

Other recommended books
-Old Masters, Impressionists, and Modernists French masterworks from the State Pushkin Museum, Moscow / Irina Antonova
-Natasha's Dance / Orlando Figes
-The Pearl / Douglas Smith ( )

Well printed, but in most other aspects a bit of a disappointment; obviously the curators of the exhibition have a very different conception of this art than people like me. Just a few remarks on the russian section: My holy beasts- Somov, Rozanova, Filonov- got short shrift; Serebryakova did not even appear. Goncharova's roayal bird was reduced to a sparrow. The decision to cut the story at 1920 (not 1925) is inexplicable on artistic or historical grounds, but very predictable on political ones. I bothered to read carefully only the piece on gender, that starts from a sound remark -in no artistic movement till then did women play as significant a role as in the early 1900s russian avant-garde. The rest of the chapter, not overly informed by the scholarly discussion on gender in the last thirty years, was so full of cliches that i did not believe my eyes. ( )