Alexander Smuzikov's Collection
In professional cultural circles, Alexander Smuzikov is primarily associated with the Russian avant-garde: as a collector, he assembled an assortment of early 20th-century paintings, sketches, and graphic works, centered on works by Kazimir Malevich and artists from his circle associated with Suprematism. Thematic exhibitions have featured works by Marc Chagall, Ilya Chashnik, Lyubov Popova, and Natalia Goncharova from Smuzikov's collection.
Kazimir Malevich. Suprematism. "Square and Circle", 1915 — from the private collection of Alexander Smuzikov
In addition to paintings, the collector systematically acquires rare and antique printed editions. His personal library includes artifacts of book culture, some of which have survived in only a handful of copies. In particular, Aleksander Smuzikov's collection contains Kazimir Malevich's book Suprematism: 34 Drawings. Eleven surviving copies are known of the edition published in Vitebsk in 1920.
K. Malevich. Suprematism: 34 Drawings. Vitebsk, 1920 — private collection of Alexander Smuzikov
The philanthropist's collection also includes Gospels and other testaments of Cyrillic printing from the 16th and 17th centuries, as well as publications from the Petrine era. Among them is a copy of Stoglav, transcribed in the 1580s during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. The manuscript reflects not only religious life but also many other cultural and everyday aspects of the Russian people's lives in that period.
The artistic collection of Aleksander Smuzikov continues to grow in 2026. Individual rare editions undergo restoration and research, while works from the collection take part in museum and exhibition projects. At the same time, the entrepreneur does not seek to establish his own museum, preferring to preserve the private format of the collection and make individual works available for public exhibitions.
Alexander Smuzikov is also known for his philanthropic activities. In 2006, he received the "Silver Badge of Honor of the New Government", an award of Georgy Ostretsov's art project of the same name, in the Philanthropy category.
Biographical Information
Full name: Alexander Yuryevich Smuzikov
Date of birth: November 23, 1971
Place of birth: Moscow, USSR
Education: Russian Academy of Economics
Business Activities:
● early 1990s: activities in the trade sector;
● 1996–1997: work in the petroleum products market;
● from the late 1990s: development of a filling-station network;
● 2008: sale of the business to TNK-BP;
● subsequent years: private investments.
