Tulane professor receives high praise from Russian Ambassador

Tulane University professor William Brumfield has dedicated much of his life and career to showcasing Russian architecture through breathtaking photos of the country’s cathedrals and historic sites. This week, Brumfield was lauded for his work by Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov during a visit to the Embassy of the Russian Federation to the United States of America in Washington, D.C. According to the embassy’s Facebook page, Antonov stressed the significance of Brumfield’s role in preserving Russia’s cultural heritage and expressed gratitude for “this grandiose contribution.”

Brumfield, the professor of Slavic Studies and Sizeler Professor of Jewish Studies in Tulane’s School of Liberal Arts, visited the embassy and presented Antonov with his new book, “Architecture at the End of the Earth: Photographing the Russian North”.

“The meeting with Ambassador Antonov was very cordial. It was an extraordinary experience and rare privilege to spend time with one of Russia’s top diplomats,” Brumfield said. “He gave me an hour of his time and began the visit with a very diplomatic remark stating that my Russian was better than theirs. We spoke a common language and it was clear they have great esteem for my contributions to the Russian heritage. Despite the difficulties with media and politics, I believe there is a large area for cooperation in the cultural sphere.” 

“The meeting with Ambassador Antonov was very cordial. It was an extraordinary experience and rare privilege to spend time with one of Russia’s top diplomats.”

- William Brumfield

Brumfield is the author and photographer of several works on Russian architecture, as well as numerous other publications on Russian photography and literature. He has lectured frequently on these topics at museums and universities in North America and Europe. Brumfield has explored almost all of Russia’s historical sites. His photographs of Russian architecture, which have been on exhibit at numerous galleries and museums, are now part of the collection of the Department of Image Collections at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Brumfield, who has lived in Russia for a total of 15 years, was elected to the State Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences in 2002 and was named an Honorary Fellow of the Russian Academy of the Fine Arts in 2006, becoming the only American elected to two Russian state academies.