Winning Art Book of 2004: The Art of the Russian Matryoshka; Awarded by Writers Notes Magazine

The definitive and ONLY comprehensive book on the Russian nesting doll charms jurists just as the dolls themselves charm visitors to Russia.

BOULDER, CO (PRWEB) April 24, 2004 -- They are the most popular souvenir of visitors to Russia. They have become a symbol of Russian folk culture, if not Russia itself. They are called Matryoshka -- wooden nesting dolls.

Despite a revolution, two world wars, and the collapse of the Soviet Union these charming, often highly artistic wooden dolls are still made the same way today that they were 100 years ago, entirely by hand. They are individually cut by handheld gouges on lathes, painted with sable and squirrel brushes, and coated by rubbing on lacquer with bare hands.

Matryoshka design reflects economic and political changes: dolls were very similar and mass-produced during the Soviet period; Gorbachev dolls started to appear with perestroika. At the end of the Soviet period, the dolls provided an artistic outlet for artists seeking self-expression. Today they provide a means of self-employment for many laid off from industrial jobs.

"In Russia, where copyright laws are not enforced," says Rett Ertl, co-author of the new book The Art of the Russian Matryoshka. "the dolls are painted with Disney characters and American sports teams, logos and all." Now major sports franchises are developing licensed promotions, creating team nesting dolls with more face-likenesses and more appeal than bobble-heads.

A generation or two ago, almost every Russian home had a matryoshka. Now nearly 80 percent of the dolls are exported to the U.S. New and interesting matryoshki have only been introduced since the late 1980s, therefore collectors can find work by artists whose reputations are just beginning to develop. Simple matryoshki sell for a few dollars on e-Bay. Artistic, collectible dolls are traded privately for over a thousand. One collector in San Francisco has over 3,000 dolls.

The Art of the Russian Matryoshka
By Rett Ertl and Rick Hibberd
Vernissage Press
ISBN: 0-9725027-1-8
9 inches x 11 inches, hardbound
240 pages, 330 color plates
$40.00 retail
Distributors: Baker&Taylor, Tolstoys (www.tolstoys.com)

The Art of the Russian Matryoshka is the most comprehensive book in English or Russian on nesting dolls, covering their history, production, varieties, and artists. Ertl and photographer-designer Rick Hibberd visited the major production centers in Sergiev Posad, Polkhovsky Maidan, Semyonov, Kirov, and Nolinsk, as well as many independent artists, to collect interviews and documentary photos of the making of this lively art.

Media kits and review copies are available. High-resolution color photography also available upon request. Mr. Ertl is available for interviews.

Call Rett Ertl at (303) 440-8102 or (888) 849-8697
E-mail: rett@vernissagepress.com
Website: http://www.vernissagepress.com.