The first of this year’s two Shouky Shaheen Lectures forms a part of an international symposium organized in conjunction with the exhibition One Heart, One Way: The Journey of a Princely Art Collection at the Georgia Musuem of Art.

Sergey Kuznetsov is a professor of Art History at the University of Saint Petersburg and also serves as the Director of Research for the Stroganoff Palace Museum, a branch of the Russian Museum. He is the author of a seminal study devoted to one of the most prominent 18th century Russian portraitists Dmitry Levitskii (1735-1822). In recent years Kuznetsov's research has focused on the history of the Stroganoff family, their philanthropic work, art collection, and palaces.

Considering the dynastic links between the Belosselsky-Belozersky and Stroganoff families, the lecture will focus on the cultural meanings manifested in the architecture of Saint Petersburg’s main thoroughfare.