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Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov, 1727-1797, trustee
and founder of the Moscow University, started to work on the problem. He was
genuinely interested in art and the education of his people, to which he
dedicated all his life. He was a close friend of many Russian scholars,
particularly Lomonosov, whom he assisted several times n his cultural projects
and undertakings. It is very possible that they also discussed the idea of
establishing the academy. Shuvalov's relations with other intellectuals, were
not only domestic. He corresponded with Voltaire, and sent him the material for
his History of Peter the Great. In 1756 or 1757 Shuvalov submitted to the
Senate a proposal for the establishment of "The Academy of the Three Fine
Arts." His intimate friendship with Elizabeth, whom Shuvalov's family
helped climb to the Russian throne, secured favorable consideration of the
project. In 1758 the Academy was formally established as part of Moscow
University, though it actually operated independently in Saint Petersburg. The
aim of the Academy was to promote the arts and become their highest authority
in the country, and Shuvalov did much to get it off to a good start. He
attracted young, talented men to enlist and offered them a free education. Most
of the best Russian architects and painters were trained a the Academy.
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