"They can fantasize about anything": experts - about the "recognition" of the New York Museum of Repin and Aivazovsky by Ukrainians

On the website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in the caption to the painting by the world-famous Russian marine painter Ivan Aivazovsky “Ship in the Moonlight”, it is now indicated that the author of the painting is Ukrainian.

Similar information about ethnicity appeared in the reference to the painting "Portrait of Vsevolod Mikhailovich Garshin" by Repin.

The museum argues that Aivazovsky was born in Feodosia, and Repin in Chuguev, but they miss the fact that these territories belonged to the Russian Empire.

All changes were made in 2023, the web archives of the museum's website for December 2022 show a completely different picture.

“When these artists worked, there was the Russian Empire.

Therefore, they actually lived in Russia.

And the fact that they were born in cities that were later transferred to Ukraine does not mean anything.

These were Russian artists, and therefore the question here, due to the current situation, is a provocation.

From different places, even very iconic ones.

In this case, a museum, ”Andrey Kovalchuk, head of the Union of Artists of Russia, said in an interview with RT.

Earlier, American museum workers turned Arkhip Kuindzhi into a "Ukrainian" - the corresponding description appeared in the reference to the painting "Red Sunset".

“Yes, he was born somewhere in the Mariupol district of the Yekaterinoslav province, when no Ukraine existed.

And we need to see how Arkhip Ivanovich called himself - did he call himself a resident of Little Russia?

Nothing like this!

He had a very creative family, and, as far as I remember, they all wrote about themselves simply as Russians - residents of the Russian Empire, ”Olga Kalugina, Doctor of Art History, researcher at the Department of Cinema and Contemporary Art of the Russian State University for the Humanities (RGGU), told RT .

She stressed that none of the artists “assigned to Ukraine” by the Metropolitan Museum of Art was such.

“Well, Aivazovsky, firstly, Ayvazyan, he is Armenian.

They kind of missed it with a bang.

Repin was born in a military settlement in the Kharkov province.

Military settlements are an invention of Arakcheev (Count Arakcheev is a statesman and military leader of the Russian Empire.

), and professional military men lived where they were settled.

Neither the surname nor the origin betray a Little Russian in him, ”Kalugina added.

The expert clarified that the actions of the Metropolitan Museum of Art are an attempt to introduce "perverted political ideas" into the cultural sphere.

As a result, they themselves cancel their own cultural field and demonstrate complete ignorance of the achievements of world culture.

“They, of course, can fantasize about anything.

Well, what do you expect from them, if they have boys there - they are girls, girls are boys, Armenians, Greeks and Russians are Ukrainians ... Saying this does not mean turning these artists into Ukrainians, ”Kalugina emphasized.

Dmitry Pevtsov, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Culture of the State Duma of Russia, also commented on the situation.

According to him, the Metropolitan Museum is just trying to justify itself in this way.

“Sick people are trying to somehow justify the fact that they have the works of great Russian artists hanging.

And they cannot be Russian, because they are great.

So they are Ukrainian.

Nothing, this will also pass, ”Pevtsov said in an interview with RT.

Andrey Kovalchuk believes that such provocations will continue for a long time, "until there is a clear success of Russia in a special military operation."

The head of the Union of Artists noted that such attacks make him smile.

In turn, Dmitry Pevtsov said that it was pointless to react to the actions of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

“Reacting to every stupid thing that people do there, doing something… This is all superficial – it will pass.

Soon there will be no Ukraine itself, and therefore the epithet “Ukrainian” will also look strange,” Pevtsov believes.

Olga Kalugina is sure that an answer is needed - at least from the Russian Academy of Arts, but not for the sake of dialogue with the American Museum.

 “The Russian Academy of Arts should have come out with the fact that they were academicians of the Imperial Academy of Arts and in none of their questionnaires did they ever indicate the nationality “Ukrainian”, because such a nationality did not exist.

Who gave them (the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

) to decide for long-dead people, what they were, supposedly, nationality?

These are illiterate people.

It is pointless to talk to them, but it is necessary to make an official statement, ”Kalugina noted.   

Earlier it became known that the Metropolitan Museum of Art renamed the painting by French impressionist Edgar Degas "Russian Dancer" in "Dancer in Ukrainian outfit."

According to Olga Kalugina, this precedent could be quite dangerous for the entire art market.

“A work under its own name was somewhere at exhibitions, bought by someone, sold by someone.

And when we declare that the Metropolitan Museum has a Degas painting under a different name, this means that we will have crowds of these “Dancers ...” at our auctions, about which they will say, “we have a real one.

Do you see what it's called?

And ours is correct, as in all catalogs, ”Kalugina explained.

The expert also noted the inadmissibility of renaming works unilaterally, since such actions devalue the concept of copyright - after all, it was the artist who created it, and not the owners of the galleries in which the work was exhibited, who gave the name to the canvas.