Moscow on September, 2021  

Project Start
December 27, 2007. We started preparations to the world’s largest event in the history of calligraphy: established contacts with calligraphers and art historians, visited museums, libraries, and publishing houses, actively searched for partners and confederates. It was a very eventful, emotionally charged time! We have applied considerable effort to achieve a beautiful and substantial result.

The mission
is to keep the unique art of calligraphy alive for the future generations

Clerical leaders addresses:
Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus ...
Chief Rabbi of Russia ...
Chairman of the Mufti Council of Russia ... 

Calligraphy (from the Greek καλλιγραφία — "beautiful handwriting") — is the art of beautiful and clear writing.

Since 2008 the Sokolniki Exhibition and Convention Centre has been running the world’s largest project about lettering art – the International exhibition of calligraphy. Its every stage has been a significant milestone in the cultural life of Russia and the interest for the event exceeds the boldest expectations of the organizers. The exhibition was started on September 16, 2008 in St. Petersburg where the 1st International exhibition of calligraphy was successfully organized in the Russian Academy of Fine Arts. The show drew about 68 foremost calligraphers from 26 countries. During six exhibition days the show was attended by seventeen thousand people nine thousand of which were children. More than two thousand people attended twenty-seven lectures and master classes. 

The same year there was established the National Union of Calligraphers and founded the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy. In 2009 the Museum was admitted to institutional member society of ICOM (International Museum Council), and in 2010 the Museum initiated the National school of Calligraphy.

The project’s framework includes regular thematic expositions and events: Mystery of the World Calligraphy, Sakura Festival of Japanese Culture, Days of Slavonic Writing, Day of birchbark manuscripts master, master-classes of calligraphers from across the world, other relevant artistic and educational programs.

Then, the 2nd International exhibition of calligraphy was organized from October 14 till November 14, 2009 in Moscow. The show was run under the aegis of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO and support of the Ministry for Cultural Affairs of the Russian Federation. The three exhibition pavilions totaling over 5,000 sq.m. demonstrated over 500 calligraphy artworks created by 101 calligraphers from 34 countries. The exhibition context included an open contest on Orthodox Calligraphy and 72 master classes with the illustrious calligraphers from a quantity of countries participating. The meticulous attention of the public was attracted to the artworks of the sacral Calligraphy collection. The project was welcomed and blessed by the leaders of the three main religious confessions of Russia: Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar, Chairman of the Council of Muftis Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II, Apostolic Nuncio Antonio Mennini, President of the Russian Association of Buddhists, the Karma Kagyu school Alexander Koibagarov. 25 000 visitors came to appreciate the elegance and abundance of the exposition.

In 2009 the exhibition was approved by UFI (Global Association of the Exhibition Industry) for high professional level of exhibitions organization, and then in 2010 the project entered the final three of exhibitions World Cup according to Exhibition News Awards (London).

The 3rd International exhibition of calligraphy was held in Velikiy Novgorod, September 10 – 12, 2010. It is the old Orthodox centre of Rus, the treasurer of centuries-long writing traditions. The centerpiece of the exposition was formed by the exhibits from the Sacral Calligraphy collection, that demonstrated the national and cultural diversity and spiritual unity of the contemporary civilization. For three days the exhibition at Yaroslav's Court near the Kremlin was attended by over 37,000 people. The exposition featured works of art by one hundred and thirty-five masters from forty-three countries and 46 workshops of famous calligraphers were successfully run. First everthe audience could attend a lesson of calligraphy on porcelain. The exhibition was supported by the Novgorod area Governor Sergey Mitin, Mayor of Velikiy Novgorod Yury Bobryshev, Archbishop of Novgorod and Staraya Russa Lev.

The 4th International Exhibition of Calligraphy was held in the Contemporary museum of calligraphy, Moscow, November 1st — December 15th, 2012. The 4th International Exhibition of Calligraphy presented the chefs d'oeuvre of the world's most beautiful handwriting by one hundred and forty-three calligraphers from forty-four countries. The forty-five days of the Fixed Event Period saw forty-two thousand visitors. This exhibition featured a six-time thematic recharge, allowing not only to display a lot of new works, contributing to museum's exposition, but also previously showcased chefs d'oeuvre, like the famous I Ching Signs by Valeryan Bakharev, comprising 64 hexagrams. The programme featured master-classes and lectures, both adults and children being its target audience. The art of calligraphy is closely connected to music, therefore melodious performances were a pleasant surprise for the guests. The most exotic musical instrument, creating a unique atmosphere for Yekaterina Nazarova's workshop, was Shakuhachi, Japanese flute.

The 5th Anniversary International Exhibition of Calligraphy was held in Moscow from March 14th to April 12th, 2015. That year, the exhibition attracted a record number of 90 participants from 52 countries of the world, who presented as many as 201 calligraphy pieces at the exhibition. The works were united by the general theme: Reflections on the Motherland.

The pieces presented at the exhibition were unique in their integrity and technique. Famous calligrapher Andrei Drachenkov, for instance, displayed a piece entitled The First Translation, the Gospel of John scrabbled on wax in Glagolitic letters. Another outstanding work by a Russian artist was premiered at the exhibition: the handwritten Gospel of Mark by Apollinariya Mishina. The piece received high accolade of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Over the weekends, the exhibition hosted workshops of prominent calligraphy masters, allowing visitors to get a glimpse of various national calligraphy styles: Arabic, Japanese, Hebrew, Slavic and so on.

The 6th International Exhibition of Calligraphy was held September 1st till 10th, 2017. The venue for the exhibition was a special-built pavilion on Festivalnaya Square of Sokolniki Park, Moscow. Over 150 calligraphy masters participated in the event. Through the whole 10 days, exhibition programme featured lectures, practical workshops, presentations, talks and Q&As, attracting the interest of both professionals and amateurs. 82 new participants joined the project, among them recognized masters of calligraphy as well as those beginning their professional artistic career in the field.

September, 2021, will see the International Exhibition of Calligraphy, a flagship project of the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy, held for the 7th time. The event is bound to become a major cultural event of 2021.

Calligraphy is a painting in letters. Calligraphy is a mystery of symbols and signs, it is reflection of thought, image, character.

Album "Mystery of the world calligraphy"

The project of the International exhibition of calligraphy is being continiously developed. The number of its participants is growing, the exhibition funds are being completed with new artworks which not only facinate but also surprises giving a new look on the calligraphy art and its beauty with multiple facets.