[Евгений]

Collector pearls

Armenian Art Gallery - the pride of our city. It contains over 19,000 works of Armenian, Russian and Western European art.

Being the richest cultural fund, (and our gallery in the Land of the Soviets considered the best after the museums of Moscow and Leningrad), it had grown organically in the body tissue of the city and to imagine today, Yerevan, without the white-stone building the gallery is rather difficult. And it seems that it has always been. But how, may I ask? How does this treasure could appear in the impoverished, famine-stricken city, where "there were no museums or private collections of art, which could become the nucleus of the future museum"? Known role of personality in the course of events. That person to create the National Gallery was a talented art Ruben G. Drampyan.

"For today's residents of Armenia, for the vast majority of the existence of the gallery - the indisputable historical fact. It seems that this museum, as well as the Matenadaran - the repository of medieval Armenian manuscripts, was always. But for me, as for the people of my generation, my staff and colleagues, the history of the gallery was a page of our own biography. Each exhibited at work is not only a valuable piece of art, but a good old friend, whose history we now know only two of us.

He was born in the city Aleksandropol Erivan Province (formerly Leninakan, now Gyumri) 29 June 1891 on the Gregorian calendar.

Quite a wealthy family Drampyanov came from areas Bajazet,

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but nearly three centuries ago, they move to Kars, where, as they say, and still is their home. His grandfather was a strict man, preaching the Spartan lifestyle that did not stop him in equal measure to show exceptional entrepreneurial skills and acquire already Aleksandropol shops and houses.

Entrepreneurial skills from his grandfather's four children inherited more than all the eldest son Gregory (father of the future of the great art historian).

The youngest son, was educated in St. Petersburg, he did not like to do business, and loved to play the stock market and ride to Paris. In short, to live in his pleasure. Daughters as his married and left one in Tbilisi and one in Alexandropol. Incidentally, it is the last in the future will be charged with the custody of the young nephews of Constantine and Ruben - so early orphaned children of her older brother Gregory.

Lost his mother at the age of five, Ruben G. tried to resurrect her image in the memory: "I remember twenty-five women who die from tuberculosis. When she realized that her life was coming to an end, she wanted to bless the children. Her room was on the second floor of our house. I remember where she stood her bed and as she crossed my brother. Then we increase the next day saying that his mother had gone to Paris. But later we were led to the cemetery to her grave. Since then I have avoided entering into this room. Everything else associated with her death, I do not remember. And only well preserved in my memory tombstones over her grave, which I visited always Aleksandropol on arrival. Later, when I arrived was a student, next to her were two graves - my brother and father. "

Russian governess (the children had to learn Russian language) did not linger long. Typically, they moved or got married. When little boys grew up, they were sent to Tbilisi to learn. The hostel Ostsee baronesses girls Tiesenhausen children were taught early literacy, preparing for entrance into secondary schools. "Hostel housed in a mansion at the foot of David in the mountains in the upper end of the street Chavchavadze, down to the Golovinsky Avenue (now Rustaveli Avenue). After studying a year at the German women, the brothers come to school and take up residence in a damp, not suitable for residential house of German families in the future, if not cause, in any case, the fatal factor in the terrible tragedy that happened with Constantine. In the 21 years he died of tuberculosis.

Brother's death, as told Ruben, "the only truly close to me man" was very tough test. Himself Ruben (for his health, too, feared) saved by the fact that his uncle had taken him to an Armenian family Gazazyanov, which then always remember with very great affection and warmth. School years is remarkable because it was at this period is the first meeting of Ruben Drampyana with art. Interestingly, carried away by something he did not start painting, and theater and music even studied for some time to play the violin. Attend concerts and theaters seen such talented Armenian actors as Siranush, Abelian, Petrosian, Adamian. Despite the great difference in age, became friends with Zarifyanom and even played some minor roles in plays, who set the local dramatic circle. A first encounter with the visual arts in secondary schools has occurred in the pages of the weekly Rech, unpublished letters by Alexander Benois. The young man had never seen the artist's works and these letters were given a rich soil for his imagination. In the future, a well-known musicologist Kushnaryov of G formed in high school friends, was the closest Ruben: "At school we have observed not only grades, but who was the first, second, third, etc. I was always in the top ten. The first student from the first class and before the end of high school was Christopher Kushnaryov. On it, I wrote a book dedicated to him. I will just say that out of this, our eight by the end of life, only two of us saved a friendship. The rest of life scattered in different directions - who emigrated, who died in the Civil War, and who later ...». Native escorted eighteen youth in St. Petersburg. It must have been like in its very admission to the university, and loyalty to his choice (he decided to enroll in Law School), none of them had no doubt: Ruben graduated from the Tiflis Gymnasium with a silver medal and read speeches well-known lawyers. He has successfully passed all the exams. Settle on a rented apartment in St. Petersburg is very cozy. The money which he received regularly from relatives, often spent on the acquisition of the first books and paintings. For luxury Benoit released the album, whose letters he had read in my school library, had to pay a prohibitively expensive - the amount that sent him an aunt of money the student, of course, could not be. Still, seed of doubt about the contents of such an expensive book had stuck to my aunt's soul. "What book is she?" - She did not hesitate to inquire, when visited by his nephew. Fortunately, her fears proved unfounded.

In 1910 the disease had brother Constantine. Ruben had to interrupt his university studies and go with her brother in Switzerland, where Constantine is dying in his arms. The health of Ruben also feared, and as Petersburg climate was his definition of harm, his aunt insisted on his move to Moscow. Later, due to the weakness of the lungs, a few months of the year he spent in the south of France and Switzerland. Despite his boundless love for St. Petersburg to Moscow, he still moves, moreover, thoroughly: to buy an apartment on Clean Ponds (flat is in love is being heralded as the walls there are pictures of Sarian and miriskussnikov ") and spring 1916 final examination at Moscow University. In the midst of WWI. From the Navy for life preserved features of the marine vocabulary ("Get up - bed knitting!") And memories of Japan. "Since 1916 serving his military service in the Navy. Joined the Navy midshipmen courses in Petrograd, who graduated at the end of 1917. With the abolition of ranking imperial army was not made in the warrant and was demobilized in 1918. At 19, he was again mobilized the navy, where he remained until 1922, working at various command posts. For these few lines is autobiographical October Revolution, which was almost in tears reflected on his fate. Saved him from the massacre of the Bolsheviks that he did not have time to make the officers of the tsarist army. He was released from custody. In naval uniform Drampyana imprinted Nathan Altman. The artist had to interrupt work on the portrait and sent to the Congress of Soviets, to draw the leader. Altmanovskie portraits of Lenin 20-ies - one of the most famous. I must say that the portraits Drampyana written by famous artists, - an interesting topic for another article. Of particular importance is the fact that Alexander Benois, with the creativity which is still in the school years, take up the arts, in the future they will bind friendships. Portrait of brush Benoit Jr. Drampyany Benoit family gave the museum in Peterhof and received an enthusiastic response to the letter of thanks.

In 41г. On the eve of the war A.Ostroumova-Lebedev wrote a portrait Drampyana. Was asked to come next time in the same suit, for what he had said nothing. In the circle of the same family laughed: "I have another suit, and no. Portrait of Ostroumova-Lebedev did not finish, and they were forced to blockade window. Portrait has survived and is now stored in the Russian Museum.

Selling Moscow apartment, Drampyan returned to Petrograd, and in 1923 went to work in the Russian Museum, which manages the department reserve collections, and in the same year married Shushanik. In 1929 they had a son, Konstantin, and ten years later, his daughter Irina. Work in the Russian Museum was short. In autumn 1924 at the urging of his friends - M. Saryan and A. Tamanyan he moved to Yerevan. "In the summer of 1924 Tamanyan, being in Leningrad, went to the Russian Museum, saying goodbye, he called me to work in Armenia. I already was thinking about this, persuaded to move to Armenia, friends and relatives are strongly advised M. Sarian. They have infected me with their enthusiasm, and in 1924 I moved to Yerevan. At the end of 1924. I was appointed head of the art department and later director of the Museum of Fine Arts of Armenia ". RG Art Gallery of Armenia created virtually from scratch. The art historian G. Igityan wrote: "Often, extolling this or that figure, we leave in the shadows who really deserves attention. Almost before he moved to Armenia, Ruben G. museum itself was not. Yes, the first exhibition of twenty works took place in August 1921. Government of the young republic was decided on the basis of the State Museum in Yerevan, Armenia with four divisions: historical, archaeological, historical and revolutionary, ethnographic and artistic, but the idea is materialized anyone having a breadth of culture, erudition, taste, precise intuition collector and great love for art ... "The art historian and collector of God, he took up the systematic compilation of museum collections. Most of the works of Russian and Western European art to them taken away from nationalized private collections, as well as new acquisitions of the Hermitage, which were both wrote Ruben Drampyan - "work, representing an exceptional artistic value. For example, a picture of one of the greatest painters of the Italian Jacopo Tintoretto's "Apollo and Marsyas", the work of the great Flemish painter PP Rubens' Procession of Silenus, "the picture of the outstanding French artist of XVIII century Fragonard" Rinaldo and Armida ".

It is easy giving nothing. So, got to the Hermitage from some estate work Fragonard, was in Yerevan on the negligence of employees of the Hermitage. This helped, but rather, did not prevent the occur-known artist and connoisseur of painting

SP Yaremich. "They do not know what to give to you" - he whispered.

"Descent from the Cross" Van Dyck got out of the Armenian Church in Astrakhan, where she was presented to the XVIII century, the Armenian Archbishop Joseph Argutinsky. On this work, RG learned from an artist and an outstanding art historian IE Grabar: "At the request of the Government of Armenia from Moscow, received permission to transfer its Yerevan museum. However, while it was still difficult to send a picture of an officer of the museum or restorers we could not. In helping us come to House of Armenian Culture in Moscow: one of Moscow students Armenians, riding on a vacation home, supplied with money and instructed to call in Astrakhan and take the picture. Shortly into my office comes a young man with a roll in his hand, he deploys a roll - and on the floor in front of me a beautiful picture of the great Flemish master.

Masterpiece G. Courbet "head girl" was purchased from the sculptor Yervant Kochar, who bought it in the years of study in Paris.

An interesting case with malyavinskoy "Baba". This time, the Leningrad museum staff have shown great restraint and did not want to give a masterpiece. Upon learning that the museum issued the transfer, even threatened to complain to Moscow Committee for the Arts. Without waiting for the next day, RG decided to carry the picture. A strong wind and he barely came to his Senate Square, took a cab and went to the apartment of his friend Kushnaryov. Fortunately, the Committee on the Arts, export picture is not hindered.

One of the pearls of Armenian Art Gallery - Portrait MN Akimova of VA Serov. RG recalled: "The very Serov according to the IE Grabar, called this portrait among the fifteen of his best works. MN Akimov was from Moscow Armenian family, her stepfather was a director Lazarev Institute in Moscow. In a conversation with me IE Grabar recalled that during the period when he wrote this portrait (ie in 1908), they, along with Serov several times before in Akimova and carried her "wonderful evening". In 1907, when he published his monograph on Serowe, Grabar (then director of the Tretyakov Gallery) presented a copy of his book Akimova with the inscription: "Dear Maria Nikolaevna, ask to see pages 204-212 (there is a question of the portrait) and recalled that there is wonderful place, as the Tretyakov Gallery. In the late 20-ies, we turned to Maria Nikolaevna with a proposal to sell the portrait to the museum in Armenia. Times were hard, Akimova lived while alone with his mother, in need of funds and could accept an offer by the museum. But refused to sell the portrait: she gave it to the museum. It was one of the most generous gifts received by National Gallery of Armenia.

Classic Armenian painting Hagop Ovnatanyan - actually a great discovery, RG Exciting and challenging at the same time was the job search process portraitist, who lived in the first half of the XIX century. Worked with photographic accuracy, he enjoyed great success with the wealthy Armenians of Tiflis. Of the 70 works by famous masters 34 are stored in the Picture Gallery.

A wide circle of friends and acquaintances, too, was involved in the museum looking for. From the letter M. Saryan: "Here the rich Armenian Gulbenkian has a great collection of good masters, I have not got to it, but I want some way to get there, may be able to extract our museum something. Then our museum after Moscow and Leningrad will be the best in the USSR "(24. I .1927, Paris). "I can make you happy chance acquisition for our museum, a small oil paintings Vardges Surenyantsa" (9. II .1941, Moscow).

Along with the continuous search for artistic works of past centuries, RG closely followed the works of his contemporaries. In 1936 held an exhibition of a talented graphic Edgar Shahin, who lived in Paris and who gave the museum 170 etchings.

Best work Drampyanom purchased directly from the show. So in our gallery was "Dacha" Chagall.

Introduction A. Bazhbeukom-Melikyan - artist, of which RG wrote: "His vital talent continues to live in his canvases in a living, immortal beauty created by its female characters, in the hearts of all those who at least once saw the creation of this wonderful craftsman - began rather strangely, although it has grown into a friendship in the future. Send your work at a meeting with Armenian artists, he somehow failed and asked them to go. RG went to his home and, to his indignation, found no one there. Being in the life of a restrained and gentle person, this time he blew up and christened it all "ugly".

The interests of the museum RG always jealously defended. On the occasion of 175 anniversary of the Hermitage, the director Joseph Orbeli wanted to get a gift from the Armenian completely unique things - carved Mushskuyu door and a huge relief from the boiler Haghartsin. To confirm the act of transfer of these things CPCC required signatures of Directors of the historical museums and art galleries. "My hand is not up this sign. This unique things! "But RG replied: "Do you know that Gregory Artemyevitch (Arutyunov, first secretary of the Communist Party of Armenia) has promised these things Joseph Abgarovichu?" - "My hand is not up to sign it. I will not sign it. "

RG accidentally met Orbeli in the Hermitage, who approached him, and with joyful anticipation, said: "Well, Ruben G., a door and our boiler?" - "No, Joseph Abgarovich, ours!" - replied Drampyan to himself he thought: "I knew would you know that my hand ... "Orbeli obviously did not know. «Эх!» - вздохнул он и махнул рукой. Человеком он был очень импульсивным, но к Р.Г. до конца дней относился очень хорошо. Делегация Армении преподнесла Эрмитажу капитель гарнийского храма ( I в. н.э.), две деревянные резные капители IX века из Севанского монастыря и рукопись XIV века, украшенную выдающимся миниатюристом Саркисом Пицаком.

RG занимался плодотворной искусствоведческой деятельностью. Его перу принадлежит множество журнальных и газетных статей по истории искусства, а также ряд монографий об армянских художниках.

Тихий и скромный по природе человек, он проявил большое гражданское мужество, пригласив в 36 году на работу в Армению признанного искусствоведа Лидию Александровну Дурново, которой было запрещено жить и работать в Москве и Ленинграде, и создав ей все необходимые условия для плодотворной работы. «В музее можно познакомиться с памятниками, которые разбросаны по всей Армении и находятся подчас в труднодоступных горных местах, составить себе ясное представление о средневековой армянской стенописи и книжной миниатюре, не листая древние манускрипты (что дозволительно далеко не каждому). Это стало осуществимо благодаря ценнейшей коллекции копий, созданных выдающимся исследователем древнерусского, а затем и средневекового армянского искусства – Лидии Александровны Дурново», - писал Р.Г.

Страшные годы репрессий по счастливой случайности обошли Р.Г. Спустя много лет адвокат Григор Чубар (отец скульптора Чубара), вернувшийся из заключения, скажет ему: «Вы думаете, Вас не было в списках?» Более того, окажется, что своим везением он во многом обязан Арутюнову, которому эти самые списки были представлены на подпись. Первым в них стояло имя Сарьяна, в этом же списке был и Дрампян. Вычеркнув имя Сарьяна, Арутюнов сказал: «Таких людей сажать нельзя». Имя Дрампяна он тоже вычеркнул.

Так, избежавший тоталитарной машины в 30-е годы, он столкнулся с взросшей на пропаханной ею почве несправедливостью в 51 году.

Как об этом пишет Генрих Игитян: «Невежественные интриганы, неучи и завистники – постоянные спутники любой созидательной личности, - регулярно «украшали» его и без того нелегкую жизнь. Как правило, «оппоненты» видят лишь ту часть айсберга, которая находится над поверхностью воды, и завидуют именно ей. Страшно не столько то, что невежественные карьеристы делали существование Рубена Григорьевича невыносимым, а то, что никто не защитил, никого не оказалось рядом, - то ли от эгоистической трусости, то ли от сволочного безразличия. В 1951 году его освободили от должности директора (его место занял циничный, бездарный карьерист), понизив его до должности заведующего отделом, а в 1954 году он навсегда покинул стены родного детища».

С 54 года он работает в секторе искусств академии наук Армянской ССР и одновременно активизирует свою преподавательскую деятельность. Читает лекции по истории искусств в разных вузах Еревана. Как вспоминает его студент, художник Николай Котанджян, «лекции читал он спокойно, очень интересно. Он был современником многих людей, которые вошли в историю русского искусства. Когда замечал, что внимание студентов рассеивалось, старался оживить их интерес историями из жизни художников. Так запомнился рассказ о похоронах В. Серова». Однажды, решив проверить своего учителя, студент Н. Котанджян воспользовался его недолгим отсутствием и поменял местами подлинник и удачно выполненную копию ( урок проводился в кабинете директора Картинной Галереи). «Немедленно поставь работу на место!» - возмутился Р.Г., мгновенно заметив подвох. Преподавателем он был очень снисходительным. Двоек не ставил никогда. Был даже случай, когда одна из студенток, не ответив ни на один вопрос, стала выпрашивать отличную отметку. RG поставил ей пятерку, но запомнил «отличницу» на всю жизнь.

Как-то сосед Р.Г., известный художник Габриэл Михайлович Гюрджян предложил: «Дорогой Рубен Григорьевич, давайте жить до ста лет». Пожелание своего друга Р.Г. исполнил и, наверное, во многом благодаря тому, что в последние годы жизнь вел спокойную и размеренную. Делал утреннюю гимнастику, на завтрак любил пить крепкий чай (некрепкий чай он называл «кронштадским», то есть, настолько светло, что Кронштадт виден из Петербурга). До обеда работал над монографией об Акопе Овнатаняне и писал воспоминания. По вечерам читал или же один гулял по городу. Ходил в кино.

Вспоминает дочь Дрампяна, Ирина Рубеновна: « Однажды он сильно запаздывал. Вышел погулять и задержался часа на четыре. Мы уже не знали, что нам делать. Оказалось, что он был на двухсерийном фильме в кинотеатре клуба МВД.»

До конца своих дней был молод душой и не ощущал своего возраста. Уступал места женщинам в транспорте. Как-то выпрыгнул на ходу из троллейбуса, перепутав номер, ушибся, долго просил дочь маме не рассказывать. Прогулки по городу он любил всегда. Еще с маленькой Ириной они устраивались поудобнее у трамвайного окна и отправлялись смотреть, как отстраивается Ереван.

Он занимался любимым делом и стоял выше чинившихся против него козней и интриг. Он с легкостью забывал обиды и никогда не держал ни на кого зла. Самым же мудрым поступком своей жизни всегда называл переезд в Армению.

Скончался Р. Дрампян 10 марта 1991 года в Ереване. Buried in the new Pantheon.

Марина Фарамазян

В статье использованы материалы:

RG Дрампян «У истоков музея» («Наука и жизнь», 1977г.)

Отрывки из неопубликованных воспоминаний Р.Г. Дрампяна

Г. Игитян «Создатель Национальной Галереи Армении»