On the museum's storerooms

[SergeiSK]

An interesting article in the "Versions" of August 23

That is stored in the vaults of museums, walks a lot of rumors and legends. They say that even the museum workers do not always know what exactly know. In the Soviet period due to government policy the museums were the principal collectors and custodians of unique artistic and historical values, and private collectors were content mostly "nemuzeynymi" works. Even though the museums that the capital transfer part "surplus" to other cities, regions and the constituent republics, is still in the depositories have accumulated a huge number of works of art, archaeological objects and antiquities. Museum store much more than can be displayed.
Among the works held in storage, sometimes hidden masterpieces. Periodically, museums have reported sensational discoveries made ... in their own funds.
Employees of the State Research Institute of Restoration (GosNIIR) found a canvas randomly. Almost half a century, he did not even have item number: was wound on the shaft and lying under the thumbnails for mosaics Vasnetsova.V 2002, the State Museum of Fine Arts. Pushkin began scientific restoration fabric that for a long time attributed to the brush Sebastiano del Piombo. According to the results of research, Doctor of Arts, curator of the collection of Italian paintings Victoria Markova hypothesized that the portrait was painted by Titian. Titian in Russia is extremely low: a few paintings in the Hermitage - and all. "When the restoration began to remove the darkened late entries, trying to return the painting original form, the X-ray and infra-red light was visible to the author's revision of some parts, especially the contour of the head, which corresponds to the method of work of Titian and often in his work - said the deputy director of the museum Xenia Bohemian. - All this has allowed a new attribution, returns a true picture of the name of the author. At the time the portrait was expelled from the circle of Titian's works, but I think that fact played a positive role in the result: perhaps he has protected Titian canvas at the so-called Stalin's sales, which resulted from the Hermitage irretrievably gone abroad masterpieces by Raphael, Velazquez, van Eyck and others.
At the Historical Museum 3 years ago in the reserves discovered painting by Ilya Repin Haidamaki prepare weapons on the island of Uman. For a long time about the existence of this work was known only to specialists. It does not appear in directories, but only mentioned in the personal correspondence of the artist. Even the Repin thought Haidamaki sold abroad. Employees of the State Research Institute of Restoration (GosNIIR) found a canvas randomly. Almost half a century, he did not even item number: was wound on the shaft and lying under the thumbnails for mosaics Vasnetsov. The canvas was glued over the special paper. "Glue dried, it was difficult to remove. On paper, the author moved layer. We filmed it and, as a puzzle, then found the right place Fragment ", - explained head of the department of restoration of oil painting GosNIIRa Maria Churakova. Already in November this year for restoration triennial Haidamaki after 85 years will be presented to the public.

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Immense Repository museums not only give us the right to be proud of the fact that in Russia so many works of art, but also bring headaches. Most importantly, the theft here can often only be detected years later. For example, in the Hermitage about 3 million items. Just to check on the spot whether they are consistent with a description, not replaced if their copy, it will take several years. The loudest scandal occurred a few years ago with this museum. When testing was identified shortfall 221 exhibits from the depository. It turns out that a staff member for several years endure things and sell them.
According to officials from the culture, each of the museums are 50-100 major thefts. In 1970 members of the Russian Museum copied and replaced with drawings by Pavel Filonov. Later sold abroad were working in the Parisian Galerie Georges Lavrov, and were bought by the Centre Pompidou for 62 500 francs. The loss was discovered only after 13 years.
In 2000, when the Chamber proceeded to verify our museums have been initiated seven cases of theft involving curators, the most famous of which were stolen in the Historical Museum and the Museum of St. Petersburg, where the curator of arms secretly sold 180 units.
To avoid such stories, paintings and drawings from the store began to transfer to digital media. Last year, the Internet site of GMII im. Pushkin has already been presented part of the exhibits, which until now almost no one saw. Museums try fotofiksirovat their collections, to be able to identify stolen property. Up until now, many things have only a verbal description of the paper card.
"Fotograph needed primarily for internal records, - said Head of the Department of Museology, Department of History of Art at Indiana University, an expert of the International Council of Museums Annette Sundieva - as the internet, individual items with advertising purposes. But you can not give redundant information. Placement on the Internet - two-edged sword. On the one hand - the publicity, but on the other ... Grand theft carried out by international criminal groups under a specific order. And the photos on this site can provide guidance in the hands of criminals, that it must "take". Especially if it is not about the most famous museums of the "remote", whose collections have not yet entered into a broad scientific revolution, and the premises are not equipped with modern means of protection. "
Increasingly in recent conduct and exhibition of objects, which are always in storerooms. People visit them with great pleasure, because that all the time is hidden from the eye, causing permanent interest. "We must show new things. Get from the store that was lying there for centuries - is confident the director of the Pushkin Museum. Pushkin, Irina Antonova. - We have in store 4 thousand paintings, 2 thousand of them are first-class interest, but we will only show 600. We could double our exposure, if this were the square. But by and large, any exposure - it is always a choice. And there's nothing wrong, that this work for visitors to make specialists.
In order to somehow resolve the situation with the storerooms, officials have repeatedly offered to make a single Repository for several museums. With such an initiative advocated and the Moscow government. It supposedly can protect themselves from looters and destruction. However, museum workers themselves were skeptical of this idea, arguing that their place in the Repository will be paid and it just becomes for someone regular source of income. "Such statements were heard more than once, - explained the Hermitage director Mikhail Piotrovsky. - Not sure this is a good idea. For example, the combined storage 10 museums in the region at one, and it turns out that it is much duple things - swords, pistols, shako, etc. One can easily imagine the reaction of officials: "Why are you so much!" These voices, and so constantly heard on various committees for audit of museum collections. Antique market with a willingness to take a huge mass of museum objects, if they will take away from museums.
There are quite radical proposals: for example, sell all the exhibits that do not have high value. They say it will help museums and release of the depository. «It is necessary to start selling things the 4 th and 5 th category, as soon it comes to things, and 1 st category - all this we have already passed in 1920 - s! - Outraged Mr. Piotrowski. - Then, and were sold to the masterpieces of Raphael and Faberge. It is thus a serious threat to our wealth such as provincial museums (more than 1,800 museums, 77 million visitors), are virtually the only cultural centers throughout Russia! All things in museums are unique and are of great value. " As a result, major Russian museums are now trying to break with might and main projects to expand their territories. The new exhibition area will show the stored treasures of the public - it was for this, in the end, they collect and in museums.
Maria Cheskis
("Version" August 23, 2010
http://versia.ru/articles/2010/aug/2...siyskih_muzeev)
As I wrote in one of those - for the greater preservation of cultural property in the Russian museums need Egyptian prosecutors