[Евгений]

According to the experts and the world press, a collection of the State Museum of Arts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan. Savitskiy is the best art collections of the Asian region, has the 2nd largest population and the collection of Russian avant-garde. The British newspaper The Guardian called the museum "one of the finest museums in the world» (Amelia Gentleman «Savitsky's secret Hoard». The Guardian, January 1, 2001). About the collection of the Nukus Museum said that it "sheds light on the history of Russian art" and "gives a true picture of the artistic life of 1920-1930 years" (Prof. Hansen-Levet, JC Markade).

Читать дальше... 

The leading critics of the West - C. Douglas, D. Bolt, A. Flaker and others - have stated that the basis for the revision of the history of Russian and Soviet art, of course, should be the museum's collection Savitsky.

History and development of the museum is unique, as well as his collection. State Museum of Arts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan. Savitskiy - a treasure trove, which gives an idea of the cultural segment, starting with the III century BC until the present. Here are objects of material and artistic culture of ancient Khorezm, folk and applied art Karakalpak - a small semi in the past ethnic group living in the north-western Uzbekistan, and has ancient history, unique culture. Division of Fine Arts Museum - is the biggest artistic discovery. It focuses not only national art school in Karakalpakstan, here - the focus of the works of the founders of the picturesque culture of Uzbekistan - a multinational group of artists working in Central Asia in the early twentieth century.

In an unprecedented short period Nukus museum has become a numerous assembly, numbering about 90 thousand units of storage. Such a fact has no analogue in the world of museum collecting practices. Must we have such a phenomenal alignment Affairs brilliant man - Igor Vitalyevich Savitsky, founder of the Nukus Museum.

Igor Savitsky was born on Aug. 4, 1915 in Kiev, the family lawyer. His grandfather - Timothy D. Florinsky - was a corresponding member of Russia Academy of Sciences, professor of Kiev University, known Slavic philology, the author of many studies, setting up a scientific school. As a child, Igor received a good education, the family had been a governess in France. In the estate of the family had a lot of antiques, which brought the artistic taste of children. His parents traveled to Europe and share the latest news of cultural life of France, Austria and Germany. The October Revolution with the ensuing process of pillaging estates destruction of Russian culture, as well as personal tragedies associated with the collapse of families, have left a heavy imprint on the life of Igor Savitsky. Subsequently, he could not remain indifferent to the processes of loss of national cultures and values will of fate turned out to be a lifeguard treasures Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan's and then, in general, Russian and Soviet culture of the first third of the twentieth century.

In early 1920 Savitsky's family moved to Moscow. Here young Savitsky enjoys drawing. Under the pressure of circumstances, the young Igor combines private lessons with artist R. Mazel, and E. Sakhnovskaya with studies in the factory school factory "Sickle and Hammer", where he specialized elektroustanovschika.

Since 1934 Savitsky studied first at the graphical department of Polygraphic Institute, then in the Art College. 1905. From 1938 to 1944 years, he - a student at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the studio of artist Leo Kramarenko, which travels to the sketches in the Crimea, the Caucasus. Common interests and opinions came together Savitsky family Kramarenko. Subsequently, the wife of L. Kramarenko, Irina Zhdanko, will make a great contribution to the formation of the Nukus collection: not only is it recommended Savitsky artists whose work is worth buying, but also represented the owners, when he appeared at their homes in order to acquire their work for the museum. Sama I. Zhdanko referred a number of valuable items as a gift to the museum. One of them is a series of tracks Lyubov Popova.

From 1941 to 1946 Sawicki - Student Institute. Surikov. War, escaped by a miracle, because of illness. In 1942 he was evacuated with the institution in Samarkand. Despite the hunger, disease, the difficulties of wartime, this was a period that defined the fate of a young man. In Samarkand, Savitsky approaches to the famous R. Falk, took lessons from Ulyanov. In itself, the opening of Central Asia has a great deal to the understanding of art.

In 1950, Savitsky gladly accepts the offer Tatiana Zhdanko famous anthropologist (sister I. Zhdanko) on a trip to the Khorezm archaeological-ethnographic expedition in Karakalpakstan. From 1950 to 1957 he was a regular artist mentioned expedition. It was led by a renowned scholar - Professor Sergei Pavlovich Tolstov. Khorezm expedition was one of the greatest discoveries of the century, which allowed to reconstruct the history of one of the most ancient civilizations - the same as the act predecessors Tolstova, to reconstruct the history of civilizations of Greece, Egypt, Babylonia, Mexico.

In the years of work in the expedition, in addition to the direct responsibilities of the artist, Savitsky involved in trips to auls Karakalpakia to collect samples of folk art. These works were studied and passed in the collections of museums in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Gradually, this exercise captures it so much that he begins to think seriously about the fate of the unknown to anyone the art of small people living in the desert, in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya. He decides to move in Nukus, leaving an apartment in downtown Moscow on the Arbat. At first he worked in Karakalpak branch of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, which was led by a young local scientist Marat Nurmukhamedov. Through him Savitsky and finds another, and support in all endeavors. This support is further facilitated the implementation of many ideas Savitsky.

Savitsky and his aides traveled and went around the north and Karakalpakstan assembled a collection that is, in fact, genetic Karakalpak culture. In those years, few people understood the value of these things. Jewelry, rugs, beautiful embroidered costumes and decorations yurts, horse gear every day life and stopped for political reasons, and because of the onset of civilization, brought to replace them with machinery to work with artificial colors, European style clothing and other "good". The younger generation, almost lost their culture, did not understand why this strange man with burning eyes to the old "rags". He even called the Ragman. It dragged things of the cattle pens, from irrigation ditches, where the carpet would stop its gateway. This renovated and advocated.

Simultaneously Savitsky continues his studies in painting, wrote the amazing landscapes of the earth, which became for him what was for Gauguin's Polynesia. He teaches first Karakalkaks artists. Convinces the authorities that need Karakalpakstan Art Museum, and in 1966 was appointed director of the Nukus Museum of Art, which opened on his initiative.

During these years, Sawicki involved, and then independently leads the archaeological excavations of monuments of ancient Khorezm. Finds from these excavations, and also conveys the material from the USSR is an interesting collection of the museum. Unfortunately, painting Sawicki left to become director of the museum. He said that it is impossible to combine these two activities simultaneously. His understanding of fine art, impeccable taste, he realizes in the selection of works for the museum. His goal was to create an unusual museum, not to repeat the ubiquitous principle of small Tretyakovok. He also wanted to show young artists Karakalpak which way their predecessors were in Moscow and Tashkent in 1920-1930 - ies. Initially, Savitsky collected works by artists associated with Central Asia (A. Isupov, L. Kramarenko, N. Ulyanov, R. Falk, M. Voloshin) and stood at the origins of the Central Asian art school (R. Mazel), in particular, Uzbek ( Volkov, M. Kurzin, N. Karahan, U. Tansykbaev, V. Ufimtsev and others), and subsequently expanded the range of artists.

As a witness to what is happening in the cultural politics of the times of Stalinism, he could not pass by and ignore a whole layer of the dying Russian culture at the time (1960) is practically useless in the USSR. Igor Savitsky begins to take out of Moscow and other cities of the Union of hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of forgotten works, branded in the formalism of artists, outcasts in the distant from political centers of Nukus. As a result, credibility of the local authorities, Savitsky for 10-15 years, a collection of the museum. He paid with public money, though, for many years. His main concern was to find the money to pay the collected paintings and drawings.

In the first years of the Nukus collection gets fame, but it was an informal glory. In 1968-1969 years of his collection is shown in Moscow, the Museum of the East. Then it was ceremonial procession through the cities of the USSR: Tallinn. Lviv, Leningrad and Alma-Ata, Ufa, Kazan, Tashkent, etc. The authority Savitsky has grown so much that to him are in Moscow. Ministry of Culture of the USSR began to support him by paying for its acquisition. Before him the doors of the archives of artistic values. In 1975, Savitsky was invited to select for its museum of art collection, donated by the USSR Ministry of Culture of Fernand Leger's widow Nadezhda Léger.

In 1981, the club art MOSKh happy evening Nukus Museum in the hall at the Kuznetsk bridge. But the way Savitsky was not easy. In his life there were many hardships, attacks on his business. All this did not pass unnoticed. Savitsky suffered from human meanness, especially when the role of guardians were those who were indebted to him. But he was no longer young and sick. Worked for wear, slept for 4-5 hours a day, leave not taken, it is not followed their own health.

Not once ended up in hospital with severe diagnoses. Even his illness were extraordinary. Saved his extraordinary strength of will and spirit, fanatical passion for his brainchild - the museum and special patient physicians who understand the full significance of the identity of the patient. Head of the Center of hyperbaric oxygenation Sergey Naumovich Efuni in recent years has followed the health of I. Savitsky, and patiently enduring all violations of the regime of his patient and to create special conditions in the assigned medical institution, where he spent the last months of his life, Igor Savitsky. The House was converted into office, there Savitsky engaged in scientific descriptions, wrote articles for magazines, letters to the museum with the guidance of the ordinary requests from various agencies and the leadership of the republic. What is striking is that their illness Savitsky used usefully. Initially Savitsky put TB diagnosis, but it is not confirmed. The final diagnosis was more severe. But he continues to operate. Lying in a hospital, negotiating with the owners on the new acquisitions, the museum addresses the problem. After leaving the hospital is making regular collections of works, instead of the recommended rest. Twice more falls in the hospital, and the third time proved to be the last. July 27, 1984 Savitsky died in hospital in Moscow. Moscow friends, artists, art critics, saying goodbye to Sawicki at the State Museum of Oriental Art, spoke heartfelt words addressed to Igor. His body was buried at the Nukus Russian cemetery.


This official recognition of the Savitsky, they gathered a collection has come with the new changes in the country, and the popularization of the museum began in 1991 when, in Nukus opened the way journalists and experts, employees of foreign embassies and international organizations. The Phenomenon of "museum in the desert" talking around the world. Correspondents of the world's leading broadcasters, journalists, well-known publications are beginning to "untwist" paradoxical facts about the museum. The name of the museum falls into many prestigious world directories.

------------------------------------- -----------------------------
Collection of paintings: http://museum.kr.uz/Uzbek_arts
1.Igor Savitsky.