The Hermitage is found walled sculpture AV Beklemisheva

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Found, shall be forfeited, sculptural group "runaway slave" of the AV Beklemisheva

On a sensational discovery in the wall of the Church staircase of the Winter Palace Hermitage reported immediately after its detection. We promised to tell the readers details about the circumstances of this astonishing discovery.

On Monday, April 26, 2010 at the site of the second floor stairs Church were working on installing electrical panel. The brickwork of the wall was opened. He took the first two bricks, electricians, Mikhail Smirnov Alexei Kukurudza suddenly saw a hand. Flashlight beam highlighted the contours of the statue. Penetrated into the doorway, they discovered a sculptural group of tinted a bronze cast depicting a man and a boy. When and who bricked sculpture in the wall? To these questions the answers were found immediately. Nearby was found the old calendar and note:

Sculptural group, left in Z. D. Museum of the Revolution and walled in dvern.proem, sealed masonry on both sides in the east gallery Z.dvortsa, February 1947.

On the back of the calendar working left their signature and the date - February 22, 1947.

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In 1888, a graduate of the Imperial Academy of Arts Vladimir Beklemishev (1861-1920) received the right to an overseas pensioner's trip. During his stay in Italy, he created several sculptures. Among them - "the first Christian centuries" (1891, marble), "How fair, how fresh were the roses" (1892, marble, bronze), and "runaway slave" (1891, plaster, stained). Back in 1892 at home, Beklemishev showed Italian works in the exhibition at the Art Academy and was awarded for their academic titles. This was the beginning of a fruitful career of sculpture, left an imprint on Russian art history and became the mentor of an entire galaxy of talented artists, among them ST Konenkov and ASGolubkina. An outstanding representative of the Russian academic school of the late XIX century - Beklemishev which ST Konenkov called "the embodiment of the old Academy" was demanded my time and not forgotten in the XX century. Portfolio VA Beklemeshiva stored in the Russian Museum, Tretyakov Gallery, State Hermitage Museum and other museums in Russia.

In 2011, it will be 150 years since the birth of Vladimir Aleksandrovich Beklemisheva. In connection with the anniversary of the sculptor in the Russian Museum held a personal exhibition of the master. A member of the Russian Museum Natalia Logdacheva, to find his pensioner's work "runaway slave".

The history of this product Beklemisheva clearly traced to the 1920's. In 1893 a group of "runaway slave" represented Russian art at the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago (USA), marking the 400 anniversary of the discovery of America by Columbus. It is known that for a long time, the sculpture remained the property of the author, and in 1918 he gave his work a gift to the Academy of Arts. In 1920 the sculpture came to the Museum of the Revolution, which at that time had a room in the Winter Palace.

The directory "Sculpture and drawings of sculptors late XIX - early XX Century", published by the Tretyakov Gallery in 1977, the group was listed as a lost. Despite this Natalia continue to actively search, she turned to her and to the keeper of the Department of Russian Culture of the State Hermitage - Lina Tarasova. Therefore, seeing a sculpture found in the wall, Lina A. knew immediately that this is a godsend.

Surprisingly, the product of many years considered lost, was found miraculously on the eve of the anniversary of the sculptor. While it remains unclear why "runaway slave" was immured in a wall opening of the Winter Palace. This question has yet to find Answer. /www.hermitagemuseum.org