The “unnoticed generation” of Russian emigrant artists in France and the Fedorov committee (1920s -1930s)

The article examines the situation with beginning Russian artists who belonged to the younger generation of the first wave of Russian emigration. In Russian historiography these young people are referred to as “the unnoticed generation”. Coined to sum up the reflections about the destinies of young Russian writers in exile, this publicistic term can be fully applied to the young emigrant artists as well. On the basis of archive documents the author examines the key problem of acquiring the professional qualifications of an artist in France by the young Russian emigrants, particularly, obtaining higher education in art, which shaped the specificities of their social and cultural adaptation, enabling them to become artists. The decisive role in obtaining an art degree was played by a Russian emigrant organization founded and headed by Mikhail M. Fedorov, a high-ranking Russian officer, public figure and entrepreneur. Commonly named as “the Fedorov Committee”, this organization was active from 1922 to 1940, being the largest and most successful Russian establishment that provided scholarships for emigrant youth aspiring to obtain higher education in a foreign land. Even though technical education was a priority when the scholarships were distributed, some young people, due to their creativity, talent and persistence, became scholarship recipients to study at art schools. Having obtained art qualifications with the help of the Fedorov Committee, the young emigrant artists succeeded in working as artists. Most of them used their education for the benefit of France, their second home.