Stepan Erzia International Art Foundation is the non-profit public artistic organization, created with the aim of search, study, preservation and popularization of the universal artistic legacy of Erzia, an outstanding sculptor of the 20th century.
The cultural-educational activity of the Foundation is aimed at popularization of life and creative work of the great sculptor Stepan Nefedov – Erzia, who was born in a small Mordîvian village Bayevo in 1876. Being the pupil of the Russian sculpture school he has successfully lived and worked not only in Russia, but in Italy, France, Azerbaijan, Adzharia and Argentina. Only from Argentina Stepan Erzia brought back almost 300 works of art, but nearly one hundred of his works are still abroad and are waiting to be returned; the location and destiny of many of his sculptures are still unknown, just like quite a few of his life pages.
The staff of the Fund has already gathered valuable information concerning the life and creative activity of this great sculptor. Together with the Mordovian Republic Erzia Museum of Fine Arts (Saransk) a unique album “Stepan Erzia: splendor and tragedy. Stepan Erzia: documental biography” was published. Here one can find a documentary novel by Y.Paporov, who personally has known him in Argentina, and besides there is a voluminous archive material from the museums of Saransk, Gelendzhik, and Alatyr, containing the formerly unknown pages of Erzia biography, the memoirs of people that were close to the sculptor, and the most valuable pictures published for the first time.
The Foundation is called up to be a coordination, consulting and information centre, to provide the management and legal support to the international cultural projects, to be responsible for the co-operation with foreign partners, to popularize the knowledge about Erzia’s cultural legacy and to help draw investments in the sphere of international cultural and art collaboration.
The Foundation co-operates with a number of foreign funds and non-profit organizations in Russia, Europe and Latin America; it organizes the events directed to strengthening social and cultural relationships between Russia and foreign counties.
Among the immediate tasks of the Foundation is the accomplishment of artistic projects aimed at promotion of Erzia cultural heritage in Russia and world community, creating the open communication environment for more successful studies on the master’s legacy, research and investigation on his little known works, publication of sculptor’s archives, and organization of international science conferences, festivals and fine arts exhibitions in Russia, Europe and America.
The programs of the Foundation financing is carried out at the expense of international sponsors support. Erzia International Art Foundation is open for co-operation, it is looking for companions with views identity, and therefore we are offering you to render a timely support of the new international organization in accomplishing its creative projects.