One of the famous modern Russian patrons of art is the Moscow businessman Abramov Mikhail Yuryevich. The founder of several companies, the actual owner of the building Plaza Development, he created and opened a famous museum of Russian icons at his own expense (Moscow, Goncharnaya street, building 3). It exists solely at the expense of its founder.
Beginning of the biography of Mikhail Yurievich Abramov
Mikhail Abramov was born on October 12, 1963 in Moscow. His parents - ordinary Soviet people, doctors, were not rich, indifferent to religion.
Michael's childhood and youth were spent in Moscow. In this city, he studied at 232 schools, which he graduated in 1981. Immediately entered the Institute of Light Industry (Moscow), where he began to study at the Faculty of Chemical Technology.
Serving in the army, continuing education, baptism
After studying for a year, Abramov was called up for urgent military service in the ranks of the Soviet Army. In 1982in the city of Yelets, he studied at the school of sergeants for six months. After graduation, he was sent to serve in the Arctic, on the Kola Peninsula. After spending two years in the ranks of the SA, he was demobilized, rising to the rank of "senior sergeant".
Having returned home, Mikhail continued his studies, since 1985, at the same faculty, but preferred the evening form of education.
In the same period, Mikhail Yuryevich Abramov makes a fateful decision for himself - he converts to the Orthodox faith, having accepted the rite of baptism.
Beginning of business and activities, career achievements
Taking into account the fact that Mikhail studied in the evening, the rest of the time he was engaged in entrepreneurial activities. Since 1985, taking advantage of the Perestroika period, he has created a number of cooperatives that are engaged in tailoring fur and leather products.
He was engaged in this activity until the early nineties of the XX century.
In 1991, he finds a new application for himself - he goes to work in the Moscow insurance company Ingosstrakh, begins to work there in structures involved in the construction of facilities in the capital and the Moscow region.
In it, he quickly and successfully begins to move up the career ladder, becoming the first deputy general director in 2000.
Hobby - collecting icons
Talking about this activity, Mikhail Yuryevich Abramov reports that in the process of fulfilling his official duties, ensuring the construction and sale (sale, lease) of residential buildings, office premises,cottages, up to entire villages in the Moscow region, he managed to collect (save) a substantial amount of money.
This led Mikhail Abramov to think about where to invest the collected funds. In 2003, he decides that the best option would be to acquire, collect icons. In the same year, Mikhail Yuryevich buys the first hundred looks.
According to Mikhail Yurievich Abramov, it follows that he began to show interest in icons from childhood. His stepfather, teacher, doctor of sciences, a very educated intellectual, kept several valuable and ancient icons. He was originally from Siberia. His ancestors were we althy breeders, manufacturers. They were educated people, patrons, well versed in art. Stepfather Mikhail told about their history, and also spoke about the icons he inherited.
Since 2003, since the purchase of ancient icons, Mikhail Abramov begins to learn them. To study in detail the history of icon painting in Russia and in Orthodoxy in general. Well-known scientists and specialists from Moscow and St. Petersburg are gradually involved in the process of collecting and systematizing the acquired icons. They assist him in creating expositions and organizing exhibitions.
Telling about his hobby, in a series of interviews, Mikhail Yuryevich Abramov says that he is confident in the spiritual power of the images of saints. He believes that icons have had and are influencing the historical path of Russia.
Abramov buys them all over the world,entering into negotiations with the owners of private collections, participating in bidding at auctions abroad. All purchased icons are shipped to Russia. Mikhail Yuryevich is sure that the process of returning them to their homeland is his fateful mission.
Museum
In 2006, Mikhail Yurievich Abramov came to the conclusion that the collected icons should be shown to people. He creates a private museum.
The Mikhail Abramov Museum of the Russian Icon is located in the center of Moscow, next to the Taganskaya metro station (the arrow of the Moscow River and the Yauza River).
Currently, museum expositions number almost 5,000 items, of which about 1,000 icons. The museum exists solely at the expense of the founder - Mikhail Yurievich Abramov.
The museum does not carry out any commercial activities. Visiting it, excursions in it are free.
The basis of the museum collection is Russian icons of the XIV - XX centuries. Also in the museum there are collections of handwritten books, unique decorative and applied products. There are thematic expositions devoted to late antique and early Christian monuments; Byzantine applied art; Greek icon painting; Ethiopian Christian art.
Businessman
According to official data obtained from the media, it follows that Mikhail Yuryevich Abramov is the founder of companies in the city of Moscow, namely, Art-Alliance AK LLC, Museum of the Russian Icon, Bonorg LLC, Persvet info LLC, Viland LLC.
Also owns the construction company Plaza Development.
Currently, this structure is working on the commissioning of a number of facilities in Moscow. Among them are the Sirius Park business center (next to the Nagatinskaya metro station), and the building of the Vereyskaya Plaza business district.
At the end of 2018, information appeared that the Moscow City Hall filed claims against Plaza Development in connection with the illegal construction of the West Park business center (Ochakovskoye Highway). From the published information it follows that the developer carried out the construction illegally, without obtaining the appropriate permits. Moscow authorities intend to legally recognize West Park as self-construction and carry out its demolition.
Abramov's personal life
Sergey Yuryevich Abramov, according to him, mostly lives in his house near Moscow, in the Nikolina Gora cottage settlement (Rublevo-Uspenskoe Highway, Odintsovsky District, Moscow Region), which he calls his dacha.
He visits the nearby Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery once a week, but does not consider himself overly religious.
Mikhail's wife, Svetlana, has been with her husband for many years. They met while studying together at the Institute of Light Industry. They have two children, a son and a daughter.
