Ivan Andreyevich Arzamastsev (February 20, 1897, Yeysk, Kuban Region, Russian Empire, May 9, 1982, Prague, Czechoslovakia) was a Czechoslovak banker of Russian origin, art collector, and philanthropist.
He was born in Yeysk on February 20, 1897, into a merchant family that traded grain. After graduating from the Yeysk Real School, shortly before the start of World War I, his family moved to Kyiv, where Ivan studied at an electrical engineering school. In 1914, he enrolled in the Kharkiv Practical Technological Institute. In 1921, Arzamastsev emigrated with his parents to Prague, where he entered the banking business and amassed a significant fortune.
Having become wealthy, Arzamastsev developed an interest in art, frequently visiting art exhibitions, meeting and befriending Czechoslovak artists, and acquiring icons and paintings both before and after World War II.
While in exile, Arzamastsev retained his Soviet citizenship and was a member of the 'Society of Soviet-Czechoslovak Friendship.' In the 1970s, he occasionally visited the USSR. He died on May 9, 1982, in Prague, having bequeathed all his property, including savings, to the city of Yeysk a year prior. His collection, which included over 200 works, was transferred to the Yeysk Local History Museum in 1987. His collection featured works by unknown Italian Renaissance artists, as well as pieces by Alois Bilek, Ludwig Hofmann, Thomas Webster, Eduard Demartini, Karel Cerny, Klaudius Lebedev, Karel Shimunek, Ferdinand Knab, Josef Kudelka, and many others.
Since 2017, the Yeysk Art Museum has been named after Arzamastsev, and a large part of its exhibition is presented from Arzamastsev's collection. In the same year, he was posthumously awarded the honorary title 'Philanthropic Name of Kuban.'
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