“We have new perspectives”: director of the Aivazovsky Gallery in Feodosia on plans to create a museum quarter

- Tatyana Viktorovna, Aivazovsky is a global brand, and the museum’s collection is a pearl of not only Russian, but also world-class. Since its foundation, the gallery has a fourth jurisdiction: the Russian Empire, the USSR, Ukraine, the Russian Federation. But a will is a will. Aivazovsky’s paintings remain in Feodosia. What has changed during this time?

- If you will, I’ll keep quiet about the Russian Empire, I’m still young and good-looking to remember all this (laughs) . Aivazovsky bequeathed his gallery to the city. At that time it was a castle with an area of ​​260 square meters, in which 49 of his works were stored. He opened this gallery in the year 1880. Even such large museums as the Russian Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery, opened as public public much later than the gallery in Feodosia. There were no private public museums yet. At that time in Russia there were two state public museums: the Hermitage in St. Petersburg and the Rumyantsev Museum in Moscow. But these were the capitals. But there were no private public museums. And in this form, it existed until 1922. In 1922, the gallery entered the network of state museums and existed as the Feodosia Picture Gallery named after Aivazovsky.

She survived the evacuation, the collection was completely saved during the years of World War II. Then there was a terrible timelessness in the 90s ... And our Ukrainian period came. This is no less timeless. Although in the Ukrainian period we were the Aivazovsky National Picture Gallery. Thus, we have increased our status, in fact. And, besides, we always were not even an island, but a large island, a large territory of Russian culture. They paid attention to Aivazovsky, because this is such a value that it is impossible not to pay attention.

- The question of the national language, which was so painfully perceived in Ukraine, somehow reflected on the work of the museum?

- We were pushed to keep records in Ukrainian. But the whole Crimea, not only us, resisted. And at the beginning of 2014, I realized that it was impossible to resist further. I decided to start with etiquette so that this “sovereign mov”, the state language, was. We have already typed labels, trilingual: Russian, English and Ukrainian, but we have not yet submitted them to print. And then the events of March of the 14th year - and did not have to do this.

- How was the moment of transition under Russian jurisdiction? For the Crimea in general, for the museum in particular?

- You know, for Crimea this is a special time. Although so many years have passed, this is still a special time. How did this affect us? Virtually no effect. Our team is very united, remained in the same composition. From among our acquisitions: we came under the Federal Target Program. This program has 40 monuments. Our both buildings are monuments.

The main building is a monument of federal significance, and the second - a republican one. We got financing for the overhaul. All this time, design work is ongoing, an examination is underway. We have a feasibility study. It determines the amount that will be paid to the budget - 800 million rubles for restoration.

Tenders are underway to determine the contractor for the design and estimate documentation for repair and restoration work. I think that construction and installation work will begin from the end of next year.

- Will the museum be closed during the restoration?

- No, the museum will not close. We already have experience: in the Ukrainian period we were slightly renovated and continued to receive visitors. Now we have closed the main exhibition hall, where Aivazovsky opened his art gallery, and a number of ground floor premises.

- Why?

“Because they are unsuitable for anything now.” Now the gallery has two faces. One face is open to the public. These are the rooms where we can store and exhibit paintings. And the second - premises that look very bad and that are looking forward to a major overhaul. At the first stage, the building of the storage facility will be built. There we evacuate the entire collection of our second building.

- How many paintings of Aivazovsky are now stored in the museum?

- Brushes Aivazovsky - 416 works. This is his largest collection in the world. In total, the gallery funds have about 11 thousand storage units. It is also the world's largest collection of works by Bogaevsky, Latry, Voloshin. Despite the fact that there is a house museum, the Voloshin artist is represented in our collection much better.

- How did it happen?

- The fact is that after the death of Aivazovsky Voloshin took part in exhibitions and himself presented his works to the gallery. Then, in the 60s, already the widow of the artist - Maria Stepanovna Voloshina - was very friendly with the leadership of our museum. It was a strategic friendship. Museums are friends so often. She was a very interesting person, prepared an exhibition, invited our ladies and said: "Choose everything you want for the gallery." And the gallery bought Voloshin’s work very cheaply: five rubles, three rubles each — that was the price. The rest went to the Voloshin House, and we had the opportunity to choose.

In addition, we have a collection of Russian painting of the 19th century, of the 20th. A fairly complete collection of Russian marine painting, which characterizes all stages of its development and the main authors. And after major repairs, we expect to significantly increase our exhibition space.

But our development plans are related to another very important fact. The fact is that Aivazovsky was not only a world famous artist. He was also the largest landowner of the Crimea. And one of the largest landowners of southern Russia, arable land, gardens. He owned almost 13 thousand acres of irrigated Crimean chernozems. These were very fertile lands. Already in the 19th century, he grew on them, including hard wheat, which Italians bought.

And he bought the first plot in 1846 on the seashore. And now it is our picture gallery. This plot of land is much larger than our territory. In the postwar period, it housed a military town, which is now practically uninhabited.

Once upon a time, we started correspondence, back in the Ukrainian period. And this issue was not resolved. But he was on the shoulder of the head of the republic, who recently received these lands from the military department. And now we have new perspectives.

“Did the lands pass you?”

- So far they have been transferred to the republic. Under these lands, new financing is needed. Our Crimean Minister of Culture is actively lobbying for this issue. Recently, a meeting of the Board of Trustees was chaired by Medinsky. Once again, he was asked this question that we should receive funding, develop this space and make the museum quarter, the largest in the south of Russia. Many of the great artists in our collection will be able to get out of the shadows. Now Aivazovsky outshines everyone. He is undoubtedly the “golden age” of Russian art. But we also have a beautiful "silver".

- An announcement about a concert of musicians from Australia hangs on the gallery window. Are there often foreigners?

- Not yet. This came the descendants of Aivazovsky. They live in Australia. Great-great-great-granddaughter of Georgia Law plays the harp. And for the first time in 120 years, we renewed the tradition of family music in the evening at Aivazovsky’s house. By the way, he himself played the violin perfectly.

The house has a huge number of all kinds of traditions, we support them, we try to develop them. For example, the third ball of Aivazovsky is already taking place. And, if the first two years this ball was exclusively Crimean, and in order to take part in it you need to be a high school student and write an essay on a given topic. This year we have two girls from Bryansk, one from Sydney, one from Melbourne. 28 winners. The winner girl receives a young man who professionally dances. And the young man the winner is the partner. The first time they meet at a ball.

- The Ukrainian side did not demand to give pictures?

- No. But before the referendum and right after I had a huge number of calls of the following nature: “Please tell me in the jurisdiction of which state you are located?” I say: “In the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation”. - "How? You are the Ukrainian national art gallery. ” I say: “Tell me at least one museum, which, being in a foreign territory, would suddenly be in the jurisdiction of another state. We do not have our own separate globe. ” Then the conversation went into geopolitics. And the third stage - these were threats: “We know that you are widowed and bring up your daughter alone, she is a schoolgirl. You don’t talk so boldly with us, it’s bad. ” Well, nothing, it's gone. They threatened, but no one came. But the times were extremely unpleasant. When the Ukrainian parliament is sitting, and suddenly someone rises and says: “So, while we are sitting here, Moscow is taking our work of Aivazovsky from Feodosia.” Nobody took out anything anywhere, but it fueled passion.

“Was there a dedicated guard in the gallery?”

- No. The city was in order, there was no unrest. There was no fear. It was harder when Ukraine deprived us of electricity. This is not only the light in the halls. This is heating, maintaining temperature and humidity, this is protection. We could not put on guard. On duty sometimes until midnight. After all, electricity was supposed to be at the same time with us, and at the security control panel, and with the provider. And there were blackouts. Some have light, while others do not. And they waited until electricity appeared at all three points. Then strengthened protection.

And so, we sit and think, what to do? And then I had a new impression of living in a big state. I'm sitting in my office, there is a meeting. Suddenly men in Cossack uniforms come in and say: “Who is the director?” - “I”. “We brought you a generator from Krasnodar. Sign it. " I signed, put it to us, just like that, and left. I still remember how touching it was.