The Moscow and Paris offices of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP have advised the Vladimir Potanin Foundation (the “Foundation”) in the organization of an exhibition of Soviet and Russian contemporary art at the Centre Pompidou in Paris: an unprecedented exhibition, one of the most important in recent times, which included the generous donation of a remarkable collection of Soviet and Russian contemporary artworks to the Centre Pompidou by the Foundation and other benefactors. Debevoise & Plimpton LLP was privileged to donate its legal services to the Foundation to support the exhibition.

The Foundation arranged for more than 250 artworks of 65 Soviet and Russian artists to be donated to the Centre Pompidou both by the Foundation and by private collectors, artists and their families. The exhibition of these artworks, titled Kollektsia! Contemporary Art in the USSR and Russia, 1950-2000, will be unveiled on September 14, 2016 and will run until March 27, 2017 as part of the program of the Franco-Russian Year of Cultural Tourism. After the exhibition is over, the artworks will remain in the permanent collection of the Centre Pompidou.

The Foundation is a major private foundation in Russia established by the Russian businessman Vladimir Potanin that supports the training of art and culture professionals and works to promote philanthropic activity in Russia. Since its creation in 1999, the Foundation has supported hundreds of museums across Russia to introduce innovations, advance their impact on local communities and boost professional networks, and has built partnerships with the most prominent museums in Russia, including the State Hermitage Museum, the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Kunstkamera and the Polytechnic Museum.

The Debevoise team is led by partner Alyona Kucher and includes partners Pierre Clermontel and Alan Kartashkin, associates Mikhail Movshovich, Svyatoslav Skopintsev, Daria Serebrova and Elena Bader and legal assistants Alexey Khnalkov and Olga Kiseleva.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is a premier law firm with market-leading practices, a global perspective and strong New York roots. We deliver effective solutions to our clients’ most important legal challenges, applying clear commercial judgment and a distinctively collaborative approach.