To understand the level of human and cultural destruction that was leveled against the citizens of Russia by the Soviet Government.
One only needs to look at the life of the poet, Anna Akhmatova.
Her first husband, the poet, Nikolai Gumilev, was executed by the Petrograd Cheka (precursor to the KGB) for making the sign of the Cross in public; he also made it clear that he didn’t have respect for the Bolsheviks, whom he called “half-literate.”
The art represented in this story suffered a similar fate. In the 1930s, after Stalin consolidated power, this type of experimental art was banished, removed from public view, and erased from museum ledgers. The mere mention of this art movement could land a person in the Gulag, or worse.
During the chaos of the Soviet collapse, nearly twenty-five million religious icons left Russia through the porous borders. The art in this collection, experimental and raw, was produced in en masse between 1918 and the early 1930s in large state-run art schools, a utopian vision for the new Soviet citizen.
When Stalin decreed this art to be decadent, enormous quantities of these works were hidden from Public view in warehouses and vaults called spetsfonds, or “Special Files.” In the chaos of the collapse of the Soviet State, these abandoned treasures made their way to the free nations of Western Europe.
This story is an adaptation of a true account of my struggle and that of others to valorize this orphaned art. This collection does exist, as do many of the individuals depicted.
Jackson Todd
A rugged, repo-man from Colorado, Jackson is thrust into the murky depths of the art world after the death of his brother, Andrew. Practical and grounded, Jackson is a widower and a grandfather, carrying emotional weight beneath a dry, skeptical demeanor. His journey becomes a reluctant yet determined mission to vindicate his brother’s controversial art collection and expose corruption within elite cultural institutions.
Jackson plays the role of the broken soul who seeks the truth, or some semblance of it. Unbeknownst to him, he is on a quest for the grail. Jackson understands the world through his gut.
Archetype: Reluctant Hero
Function in Story: Wounder Seeker
Anne-Sophie Janssens
Elegant and insightful, Anne-Sophie is a museum director with a passion for discovering and championing overlooked artists. She’s deeply cultured, with a historic 18th-century villa in Belgium, and possesses a sharp sense of humor and charm. Beneath her graceful exterior lies a fiercely committed guardian of artistic truth and legacy.
Anne-Sophie is the positive embodiment of human empathy. She believes that people need to have a space to dream-up new things and have a reason to fight. Anne-Sophie holds the grail. She is a muse. For her art is life, and through meaningful art, the artist’s soul can never die.
Archetype: Mystical Mentor, Timeless Muse
Function in Story: She guides Jackson toward belief and purpose
Ivan Kulanov
A wealthy and cunning Russian oligarch and art collector, Kulanov is steeped in power and manipulation. With ties to a global art conspiracy, he orchestrates smear campaigns and market control to eliminate “barn finds” that challenge established collections. Charismatic and dangerous, he thrives in shadowy dealings.
Kulanov is wounded, he has a genuine grievance that is rooted in a suppressed past. He is a negative creation of circumstances that are beyond his control. For the Kulanov, this refugee art represents a past that needs to be suppressed at all costs. Kulanov invokes the act of disruption when he attacks Anne-Sophie.
Archetype: Shadow, Tyrant
Function in Story: Represents Institutional Corruption
“If you fear the wolf, don’t enter the forest.” - Russian proverb