Jubilee VA Guseva - Director of the Russian Museum

[SergeiSK]

Today the 65 th anniversary of Vladimir Aleksandrovich Gusev, director of the State Russian Museum. A good man, a professional in their field. Wonderful staff. Happy Birthday!
Vladimir Gusev was born April 25, 1945 in Kalinin (now Tver). In 1974 he graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture named after IE Repin, specializing in art history. " Doctor of Arts, member of the Academic Council of the Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture named after Ilya Repin, has the title "Honored Artist of Russia, member of the Russian Academy of Arts and author of numerous research papers, exhibition catalogs, television and video on Russian art, museum business, the history of the Russian Museum.
The State Russian Museum Vladimir Gusev runs from January 1978 to June 1988 he was elected as its director. Now the Russian Museum is not only the largest collection of native art, and scientific research, scientific and educational center. With the direct participation Gusev in 1989-1996 St. Petersburg donated to the museum for three unique architecture of the palace - the Marble Palace, St. Michael's (Engineers) Castle and the Stroganov Palace. Work carried out in the Russian Museum, is directed not only at the restoration of the facades and the unique interiors of these palaces, but also the revival of them as centers of cultural life.

[Сима]

SergeiSK, join in the congratulations. Even with the Order of Merit of the fourth degree. Although the current shaky position of museums as institutions (a landmark event as it is now clear, was the removal of the icon is from the Russian Museum) is much to ponder.
And where is he in the pictures? Surely in our Moscow subway train them. Andriyaka. Or in St. Petersburg also has a train?

[SergeiSK]

Сообщение от Sima

While the current precarious situation of museums as institutions (a landmark event as it is now clear, was the removal of the icon is from the Russian Museum) is much to ponder.

Interview on the subject of Ivan Charles - the main custodian of the Russian Museum:

Why can not pass the icons from the museum in the church?
My personal position is no different to the one followed by all the Russian museum community. And I am convinced that the discussion should be not aggressive but constructive - this concerns both sides.
Collection of the Russian Museum - an example, of course, and demonstration, and instructive. The collection of ancient art predate 1917. The way it evolved - the exact opposite of what is happening now. In the late XIX - early XX century, the church authorities, knowing that the monuments of church history should be kept in museum conditions, transferred to a museum icons and liturgical objects of daily use either on its own initiative or at the request of the founder of the Museum of Nicholas II and director of the museum the Grand Duke Georgy Mikhailovich . In addition, some items were found under circumstances which must also think. For example, an icon, "Angel with the Golden Hair" was found in the Moscow Kremlin on the belfry of Ivan the Great, among the "junk". When ponovlyat icon was no longer possible, the church sent them to "ruhlyadnye pantries. Often that is where they later found the researchers pre-revolutionary Russian life and passed on to the museum collections.
Now we are talking about respect for the museum as an institution. What is it - the temporary storage, which, in view of short-term, political or economic reasons can all be transferred to another organization? Or socio-cultural institution, the repository of national heritage, scientific research institution that studies and preserves cultural memory of the people for the next generations?
Do you think that there is a substitution of concepts?

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Yes. Even the fact that all the time say: you have to "pick up icons from the museum. Icons do not belong to museums, by law they have museums in the operational management. Owner - the State, through the Ministry of Culture. And we must provide appropriate conditions for storage sites, examining them and display in the permanent and temporary exhibitions. Icons needed in the daily specialized attention, especially from the restorers. The existing museum storage and restoration taking shape for decades, and the new place it is impossible to build from scratch.
The Minister of Culture Alexander Avdeev said that museums should collaborate with the church, but not at the expense of museums. This is like?
Let me explain, in practice, the Russian Museum. Since the early 1990's under the current legislation we have passed 238 "late" icons - aged 100 years or less - Property various parishes of St. Petersburg Diocese: These icons are not included in the Museum fund and no interest for the museum's collection. Also today dozens of works from the museum are in temporary storage in the churches of St. Petersburg. But there are fundamental things that under no circumstances can not be changed. For example, from the museum's collections do not sell. Occasionally - once in ten or 15 years - in someone's head emerging hot idea: why not sell some paintings, if the museum has no money? This is criminal intent, and, thank God, no one to implement it failed.
If you can send the icons of the church for use within the existing legislation, but the church is not going to confiscate them, why you need the bill?
In fact of the matter. I have experience in dealing with representatives of those parishes, where we have already transferred to the temporary storage of the exhibits - they are for these icons of the full responsibility. So treat them very anxiously, even fearfully. The dispute is about the same individual monuments, which are not only an important cultural value, but a special ecclesiastical history. Icon of the Virgin Toropetzkaya "- a vivid example. For many years Toropetzkaya temple asked her to us. But in this temple was not even the elementary necessary conditions have been heating stove. I know that the temple said that the icon will soon travel to them. But neither we nor the ministry of culture, there are no decisions on this issue. And I am sure that in September this icon will return to the Russian Museum from the church near Moscow, where she is now in temporary storage.
That is, the church wants to take away from the museum collections in the first place the most valuable exhibits?
Here we say "want to take, but no list no. We only guess that we'll discuss the unique monuments. There is an example of "Trinity", which could not take away from the Tretyakov Gallery. There is a reverse example of the icon of the Virgin Toropetzkaya. For the first time the patriarch turned into a museum about the temporary transfer of the icon. And we felt that this was a step in a constructive dialogue with the church. We have issued an icon for the temporary display in the church in compliance with the unprecedented rules. The icon is located in a special (made in Austria) of the climate window. Anyone can see the icon in online - this has never happened before in museum practice. Each month in the Moscow region leaves a group of museum professionals to check the condition of the monument.
But the main argument against the church did not object: the icon was created for prayer, not for admiration.
Course. But the question arises - how long it will survive this icon as a sacred object in the church furniture? All the old icons are sick because of its venerable age - not because of poor storage, as a result of objective physical and chemical processes. Because they are made of organic materials nevechnyh. For any work of art the worst - to change the conditions of storage.
At the same time you are ready to give old icons rent?
I'm for that, in respect of each of the monument to a separate conversation between all interested parties, subject to one basic principle - the unconditional guarantee of its preservation. As in medicine: "Do no harm". If we are talking about the monuments XIII-XV centuries, they are all the books and the disabled. How do people: one in 40 years the ruins, others in 80 years pulled, but when banging 100 - in any case will be tight. Nauseam crammed comparison of restorers from the doctors. But it is very correct. As at the bedside of the seriously ill is going consultation, and there should be. And all these monuments should be in a comfortable "almshouse" for them to be careful professional care. And if you want, they should not work, and relax.
Museums value impossible to put it in liturgical usage. Recently I heard a lawyer ROC to the question why should pass icons from museums to churches, she said: the church has earned it with their blood. But it is disastrous way to continue the discussion, because the answer must include a significant number of people shot in the 1930 museum staff. The question is actually very simple - we give what we have, the next generation? Or not? am convinced that if our country in some inexplicable way will not be oil and gas, but keeps museums and libraries, it will be a historical memory - Russia remains Russia. But if there is an abundance of oil and gas, but will not be museums and libraries, then very soon there will not be Russia.
In essence what we are discussing is restitution?
Restitution - is the return of what was seized illegally. But he who in 1930 came to the monastery, drove the monks and built the building the barn, came with the mandate of some of the Council of People's Deputies. We need to recognize the power of absolutely illegal? Then all will need to return everything, not just the church.
By the way, the bill is mixed movable and immovable property. You agree that the law has been developing Minsotsekonomrazvitiya when it comes to immovable property. But when it comes to personal property - the monuments of culture - should be the main Ministry of Culture. This specific property. It is derived from the law of economic turnover.
And how to divide them to the museum and the church?
Church and the museum nothing to share. I was inspired recently voiced the words of the patriarch. He is placing correct accents and emphasized the role of museums in the years when the church was deprived of the opportunity to talk about icons own voice. Is there a lot of touching stories. For example, a church of the Savior on the waters in St. Petersburg in the shipyard, it destroyed in 1930. Part of frescoes someone saved, secretly brought to the Russian Museum and hid in the basement. We found them in the early 1990's, was restored and incorporated into the museum fund.
While on the site of the church - chapel, we have sent there for temporary storage of these frescoes. How to treat these murals? They both would not have existed from 1934 to 1990. And such things in the museum practice a lot. In 1930-1950 years, museum staff went to the villages, rescuing icons from the destroyed churches. It is important to continue constructive cooperation with the church.
If the law will and you have something to refer to the ownership of the church, you will cooperate with it?
Without a doubt. We can not just pass something and with malice wait for the icons will be lost. But, as I said, all museum collections - the state. Maybe someday we will have to approved by the Ministry of Culture list of icons for the transfer of ecclesiastical institutions. But I am an optimist and therefore confident that the joint efforts of the museum community and the Russian Orthodox Church will find solutions that benefit all stakeholders, and most importantly - benefit not only today, but of future generations.
(Russian Newsweek)