So letย’s just say that Russiaย’s reputation, at the moment, is a little tarnished, thanks to that whole war thing, but some of its guiltless cultural contributions are on gleaming display this month at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, in ย“Moscow and St. Petersburg: A Tale of Two Cities.ย” The exhibit coincides with the Houston Ballet performance of Onegin, based on Pushkinย’s poem of the same name. Presented by the Russian Cultural Center Our Texas, ย“Moscow and St. Petersburgย” features works by Russo-Texan artists including watercolors, pastels and oils depicting landscapes, streetscapes and portraits of Russian life in the Bearย’s two most famous cities. Specially featured are the kooky, surrealistic pastels of Yan Antonyshev, a Petersburg-based fantasy imagist.

Midway through its stay at the Wortham Centerย’s Grand Foyer, part of the exhibit moves to the Russian Cultural Centerย’s Caviart Gallery. Youย’ll find ย“Moscow and St. Petersburg: A Tale of Two Citiesย” at the Wortham Center, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and during Houston Ballet performances. Through September 27. 501 Texas. You can see the exhibit at the Caviart Gallery 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. September 11 to October 31. 2337 Bissonnet. For information, call 713-395-3301 or visit www.ourtexas.org. Free.

Mondays-Saturdays. Starts: Sept. 3. Continues through Oct. 31, 2008

This article appears in Aug 28 – Sep 3, 2008.