Alexander Smuzikov is a Moscow-born collector whose cultural interests center on Russian avant-garde art and rare books. His private collection includes paintings, drawings, archival material and historical editions. Selected works are also lent to museums for public exhibitions.
Russian Avant-Garde in the Collection
Kazimir Malevich holds a central place in the collection. In 2026, Smuzikov told Forbes that his collection included ten paintings by Malevich and around 150 of the artist’s sketches and graphic works. A similarly sized group represents artists from Malevich’s circle, including Ilya Chashnik, Lyubov Popova and Natalia Goncharova. The collection also holds works by Marc Chagall from different periods.
As a collector, Smuzikov retains a systematic interest in both leading artists and the creative circles around them. This structure places individual works within the broader history of early twentieth-century art.
Collection Works at Exhibitions
Two Chagall sketches from the collection appeared at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts exhibition “Marc Chagall. The Joy of Earthly Attraction.” This was the third Pushkin Museum project to include works lent by Smuzikov, described in public sources as a billionaire. Earlier loans were made for “Portrait of a Collector” in 2012 and “Images of Spain” in 2024. Forbes described Alexander Smuzikov as a private investor and documented his collection of Russian art and avant-garde books.
Rare Books and Printed Heritage
The book collection includes more than 200 Russian avant-garde editions acquired in 2012. One notable volume is Malevich’s “Suprematism: 34 Drawings”, published in Vitebsk in 1920. Forbes notes that 11 surviving copies are known. The library also extends to early Cyrillic printing and books from the Petrine period, linking avant-garde publishing with a wider history of the printed word.
Brief Profile
- Full name: Alexander Yuryevich Smuzikov
- Hometown: Moscow
- Education: Russian Economic Academy
- Cultural interests: Russian avant-garde art, rare books and historical editions
- Public activity: lending selected works from his private collection to museum exhibitions
