Gifts to the leaders

"Treasury ship. Takarabune"
Japan, before 1963.
Silver, wood; casting, engraving, gilding.
Height: 25,0 cm
32,0 х 21,5
The Moscow Kremlin Museums .
Gold-bound congratulatory address
Presented to J.V. Stalin by the Mongols in 1951.
Mongolia, Ulan Bator, 1951
Gold, paper; chasing, engraving, stamping.
40,0х25,5
The Moscow Kremlin Museums.
Vase "Allegory of the cardinal points"
Presented by the Agricultural union of the Pl'zenskogo krai to J.V. Stalin in 1949 to commemorate his 70th birthday.
Czechoslovak republic, 1949.
Glass; gravity bending
Height: 20,6; diameter: 12 cm
The Moscow Kremlin Museums.
Vanity bag
Presented to N.S. Khrushchev by Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia during his visit to the USSR in 1959.
Belonged to N.S. Khrushcheva
Ethiopia, 1950s
Gold, silk; chasing, filigree, granulation.
Length: 19,0, width: 17,0 cm.
Inscription «MADE IN ETHIOPIA».

October, 27 - November, 26, 2006

Russia, the Moscow State Exhibition Hall "New Manege"

Organised by:: The Moscow Kremlin Museums

The exhibition represents the unique collection of the historical monuments and artworks, executed in the XXth century. By means of artifacts, it reveals the complicated mutual relations between people and authorities.

The display includes over 500 various items, from the art masterpieces to industrial articles, such as piece of the Trans-Siberian Railway. The visitors will see remarkable models of the electric power stations, ships and machines, memorial items of the international working-class movement, portraits of the leaders, made in different unusual materials, i.e. feathers, tobacco leaves or rice. There are also original works of authorship and ordinary household goods, large-sized china vases and miniature knickknacks.

Archival photographs, audio and video recordings of interviews with the authors of gifts help to learn the history of each exhibited item.

The most noteworthy items are from the Moscow Kremlin Museums' collection, for example, items from the Museum of Gifts to the Soviet Union. Within this collection, gifts of J.V. Stalin stand out particularly, for example the gold-bound congratulatory address of 1951 from Mongolia, vase "Allegory of the cardinal points" of 1949, presented by the Agricultural union of the Pl'zenskogo krai.

The exhibition is supplemented with illustrated subject catalogue of the exhibited articles-gifts, photographs and historical documents.