Exhibition “85 Year History Of Russian Aviation” Has Arrived at The Chelsea Art Museum In NYC Starting Sept. 22

NEW YORK -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- A unique exhibition entitled 'History in the Aeroflot Posters' enjoyed great success in Moscow earlier this year and has now opened at the Chelsea Art Museum. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Yakovenko and U.S. Aeroflot General Director Anatoli Deloveri opened the exhibition that celebrates 85 years of Russian Aviation and the 40th anniversary of the first Aeroflot flight to New York on the IL-62 long range aircraft.

This unique collection of more than 60 posters illustrates the history of civil aviation in Russia, as well as major events of Russian modern history, starting from the 1920s, when the first Russian commercial air carrier was established, all the way to the 1990s, a period of major transformation for Russia. In his welcoming speech Alexander Yakovenko pointed that art is the most expressive way to illustrate the history of Russian Aviation and the relationship between Russia and the U.S. “Aeroflot is proud of its history and we are proud of our national carrier,” added Yakovenko.

The exhibition represents the best of Soviet and Russian commercial advertising in its social communications artwork, created by famous artists. It will delight historians, advertising and marketing professionals, and art-lovers alike.

"It is an exciting opportunity and an honor for a commercial company of any scale and maturity to be part of an art exhibition" said Lev Koshlyakov, Deputy General Director of Aeroflot. "This collection is steeped in turbulent Russian history and represents an incredibly rich tapestry of forgotten historical facts and milestones. Rediscovering the stories and characters featured in these posters was similar to visiting a carnival of endless entertainment”. Mr. Koshlyakov expressed his strong belief that, “this exhibition is guaranteed to be an excellent event for all residents and visitors of New York, a city that is not only the financial center of the world, but also the cultural capital of the United States.”

This exhibition was made possible by Aeroflot’s efforts to collect and design the exhibition, as well as the Chelsea Art Museum. The exhibition will run until Sept. 27, 2008.

“Our vision is a commitment to art as a living entity which reacts and interacts with us and changes our outlook, gives us insight into historical events, and that changes our vision of other countries" – stated Dorothea Keeser, Co-Founder & President of the Chelsea Art Museum. “The idea and mission of this exhibition is to gain greater insight into the history of Russia, its aviation, and through this collection, open new facets of relations between our two countries.”

About Aeroflot Russian Airlines

“Aeroflot- Russian Airlines,” a publicly held company, was founded in 1923, and is the largest air carrier in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). It is responsible for 39% of total air traffic on international routes and 11% of total air traffic on the domestic routes in Russia. Aeroflot Russian Airlines operates 302 flights a day worldwide and the size of the airline’s fleet is 90 aircraft. On April 14, 2006 Aeroflot officially became the tenth member of Sky Team, the first global airline alliance to welcome a Russian carrier.