The Elisava’s Enric Bricall Library hosts an exhibition by the Ukrainian artist and illustrator Alexandra Exter

Ukrainian artist Alexandra Exter was one of the so-called “Amazons of the Avant-Garde” who, along with Natalia Goncharova, Liubov Popova, Varvara Stepanova and others, revolutionized the art of the first decades of the 20th century.

Cubism, Futurism and Constructivism are the styles that define the work of Exter who, in addition to painting, also dedicated herself to scenography and book illustration.

In 1924 she settled in Paris where she came into contact with Paul Faucher, founder of the innovative collection of children’s books Albums du Père Castor from the publishing house Flammarion. Faucher commissioned various émigré Russian artists to illustrate the books in tune with the pedagogical renewal that took place after the Revolution of 1917.

Panorama du fleuve, Panorama de la montagne and Panorama de la côte were created by Alexandra Exter in 1937/1938. The publications consist of a continuous frieze composed of 10 panels in an unusual accordion format.

The three panoramas stand out for a refined use of color and an aerial point of view reminiscent of futuristic paintings. These are true scenographies that not only include the elements of an idyllic landscape but also the imprint of human intervention in nature that progress entails.