World of Art

World of Art (Mir Iskusstva). The name of an informal association of Russian artists and of the journal they published from 1899 to 1904; the association was formed in St Petersburg in 1898 and in its original form lasted until 1906 (it was revived in 1910 as an exhibiting society, and this lasted until 1924). Sergei Diaghilev was the journal's editor, and his contributors and collaborators included Léon Bakst and Alexandre Benois. The group encouraged interchange with Western art (many articles in the journal had previously appeared in European magazines) and became the focus for avant-garde developments in Russia. In particular it promoted the Art Nouveau style. Some of the artists involved in the group (notably Nikolai Roerich) were also interested in evoking the spirit of ancient Russia, and this synthesis of old and new was best expressed in the decor for Diaghilev's ballet company, which revolutionized European stage design when he brought it to Paris. The revived World of Art—with Benois providing the initial impetus—held 21 exhibitions between 1910 and 1924 in St Petersburg, Moscow, and elsewhere. Among the artists who showed work at them were leading avant-garde figures including Chagall, Kandinsky, Lissitzky, and Tatlin.