INTERVIEW: Around 200 scientific reports were presented at the Chagall Readings in Vitebsk over the 20 years of their existence

20 YEARS OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH ABOUT CHAGALL The International Chagall Readings are being held in Vitebsk, the birthplace of the renowned artist, for the twentieth time. However, 20 years is not just an anniversary of a scientific conference. It is 20 years of freedom of speech about Chagall. Today it seems unthinkable, but in the Soviet Union, it was unsafe to openly speak about a master recognized worldwide, about the fact that he was born in the Belarusian city of Vitebsk. And so, in 1991, the I All-Union Chagall Readings, putting an end to the history of silence, provided an opportunity to openly study and admire not only the works of Marc Chagall, the scale of his personality, but also his entourage – the people who influenced him and whom he influenced. BELTA correspondent talks with Lyudmila Khmelnitskaya, director of the Marc Chagall Museum, about what freedom of speech about Chagall has given us and what it has taught us. - The International Chagall Readings in Vitebsk today are a well-known global meeting place for art historians, researchers of Chagall's work, and avant-garde artists. But how did it all begin? - It all began in January 1991, when the first All-Union Chagall Readings were held. It was an event where one could freely talk about Marc Chagall, talk for a day, talk for a second day, and no one would face any repercussions. The researchers who came to Vitebsk at that time were surprised and still recall it. Even then, on the first occasion, the readings started very seriously. Vasil Bykov came. Art historians such as Alexandra Shatskikh – now a leading specialist in the avant-garde, contemporary art critic Marina Bessonova from the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, Vsevolod Volodarsky from the Tretyakov Gallery – a witness to Chagall's arrival in Moscow in 1973, and Grigory Kazovsky, now known as the collector of the largest collection of early 20th-century Jewish avant-garde artists, participated. Alexander Kamensky, perhaps the only person in the USSR at that time who wrote and, most importantly, published works about Chagall, sent his report. - Lyudmila Vladimirovna, how does a museum in a provincial town manage to reach such renowned researchers? - There are not that many serious Chagall scholars. But we have a key to them: the magic word "Vitebsk," which means a lot to a true Chagall scholar, and thanks to which we can invite scientists who are inaccessible to others and are in demand at various scientific forums. I won't hide the fact that we have limited financial resources. But Chagall is such a personality, and Vitebsk is such a place, that scientists come at their own expense or are sponsored by some foundation. Over the years of the readings, we have hosted researchers from Belarus, Great Britain, Germany, Israel, Latvia, Russia, the USA, Ukraine, France, Switzerland, Estonia, and South Africa. - Lyudmila Vladimirovna, you must agree that it is uninteresting for a researcher to simply read their new works to a small audience of researchers. They need publications. - Absolutely, what is attractive to researchers coming to the Chagall Readings in Vitebsk is that all the presented papers are published. There were years when, due to lack of funds, publications were postponed, but by now, everything presented over twenty years has been published. When we counted, it turned out that during the existence of the readings, 195 reports on topics related to Chagall, his entourage, his compatriots, and colleagues have been presented and published. This is a colossal figure, especially considering that they are all, in one way or another, dedicated to one personality, albeit such a great one. It is worth noting that the readings are held annually. I won't hide that it is becoming more difficult to hold them year after year – the circle of researchers of the artist's work who can bring something new is not that wide. Although the circle of Chagall admirers is incredibly broad, the format of scientific readings implies an element of novelty. Nevertheless, such research exists. Furthermore, all the reports presented at the readings are also posted online on the museum's website. Attendance statistics show that they are in demand, they are read well, and these are mostly serious works with a research bent. Thanks to the fact that these are new materials, serious scientific publications in Europe and the USA cite us, and new researchers emerge who study the artist's entourage, as no one is detached from the world. They contact us and express their desire to participate in the readings. This is gratifying, it is a foundation for the future, and a hope that the twentieth readings will not be the last. - Lyudmila Vladimirovna, were there really unknown pages in the life of this 20th-century avant-garde classic? After all, so much has been written about him abroad, and he himself wrote his autobiography "My Life" and illustrated it wonderfully with etchings. - By the time the readings opened in 1991, six years had passed since Chagall's death. The first 33 years of his life, until he left Vitebsk, had been very little researched. All sources were limited to Marc Chagall's autobiography "My Life," which he wrote in his early thirties. Being a great mystifier, Chagall very clearly determined what he needed to leave to posterity and what he did not. Moreover, this autobiography was written in Russian and published in French. The original manuscript was lost, so the book had to be retranslated from French into Russian. As a result of the double translation, inaccuracies appeared. Thus, knowledge of the Vitebsk period of Chagall's biography remained insignificant. Moreover, the situation surrounding Chagall twenty years ago was peculiar. Western European researchers were confined to their own circles. They had access to the artist's works, but they lacked archival documents, most of which were located in state archives and private collections in the Soviet Union. At that time, it was not easy for a foreign scholar to travel to the USSR, let alone obtain permission to work in archives. Eastern European art historians had this opportunity, but they had no other sources besides archival documents. And then Vitebsk became a meeting place and an exchange of information. One of the museum's main priorities for the readings was to provoke interest in Chagall's early biography from 1887 (year of birth) to 1922 (departure from Moscow), which some scholars traditionally still call the Russian period. But this period is incorrectly named. Yes, Chagall studied in St. Petersburg and Paris, but he spent most of his time in Vitebsk. I am sure that justice will prevail, and this period will sooner or later be called the Vitebsk period. - Lyudmila Vladimirovna, the Chagall Readings also have an "export version." - The readings have indeed crossed the borders of Vitebsk. In 2003, they were held in Lublin, and in 2006, in Gomel. These were real festivals with exhibitions, choreographic performances, and book presentations. But Vitebsk remains their main venue. - Following the Chagall Readings, the 20th anniversary will knock on the door of the Marc Chagall Museum next year. And the artist's museum in Vitebsk is not entirely ordinary... - Having started so late (the museum was established in 1991), it was impossible for us to compete with large museums that had Chagall in their collections. Chagall's works are very expensive. Acquiring them involves huge expenses not only for the museum but also for the state budget. Therefore, we could not count on a collection of Chagall's paintings appearing here in the foreseeable future. To occupy a niche in world Chagall studies, one had to step onto unknown ground. And the terra incognita was precisely the Vitebsk period. We focused the museum staff's efforts on studying this period, and it worked. Now the world knows much more about the Vitebsk period of Chagall than 20 years ago. And with this, we have earned our unique place. Those who are interested in Chagall's homeland, who are interested in this period of his work, know that they can find out everything in Vitebsk, at the Marc Chagall Museum. We have established excellent relations with his granddaughters Bella Meyer and Meret Meyer-Graber. They often ask us questions and consult about their family history and their famous grandfather's life in those distant times. I want to note another interesting fact. Until recently, exhibition catalogs in the West stated: "Chagall was born in Vitebsk, Russia." Now they do not make such a mistake; now they write: "Chagall was born in Vitebsk, Belarus." There has been an understanding that Belarusian culture is a completely different culture. And even Jewish culture in Belarus was different from that in Russia or Ukraine. - Continuing the topic of Marc Chagall's granddaughters. How does the museum cooperate with the Chagall Committee in Paris, which monitors whether the copyright of the heirs is violated? - We must take into account world practice, where copyright is strictly observed. It doesn't matter if it's an artist, a composer, or an inventor. According to European laws, for 75 years after the death of any figure, their heirs hold the copyright. Everything related to reproduction, performance, and duplication must be agreed upon with the heirs. They receive a percentage of the commercial profit from a project, publication, or performance. The same rules apply to Chagall's heirs. The Paris committee for copyright protection monitors this. However, one should not literally interpret that the Chagall Committee in Paris prohibits everything. They prohibit things that, in their opinion, are unethical or unacceptable for the artist's name. For example, a few years ago in Belarus, there was a conflict between the heirs and an alcohol producer who used the artist's name without their knowledge on the label of their product. Of course, such a thing is unacceptable. The heirs do not prohibit the reproduction of Marc Chagall's works, only setting quality requirements. The museum in Vitebsk has successful experience. Last year, in cooperation with the Minsk Printing Factory of the Goznak, we released a beautiful gift edition – Marc Chagall's illustrations for N.V. Gogol's "Dead Souls." These reproductions of 96 etchings, the originals of which are in the museum's collection, were made with the permission of Chagall's heirs. I dare to assure you that it did not cost that much money. I would like to emphasize that the requirements were only for print quality, and once it satisfied the heirs, permission was immediately granted. Even though the Chagall Committee was on vacation at the time, they met us halfway, knowing that this was the first experience in Belarus. We simply need to follow the procedure and remember: everything that has the word "Chagall" in its name, whether it's a play, a film, or an architectural project, must be agreed upon with the heirs. If the authors can convince the heirs that it is worthy and will only benefit Chagall's name, then permission will be granted without delay. - Do Marc Chagall's heirs cooperate with the museum or the Chagall Readings in any other way? - The support of the heirs is very important for the museum and for the readings. We have received many valuable exhibits as gifts from them. They speak highly of the museum and support the idea of the readings. As it turns out, the Chagall Readings are the only annual conference in the world dedicated to Chagall. We are a periodic project, and the heirs appreciate this. The granddaughters first visited Vitebsk in 1997 and have been frequent guests since then. At our readings, they met researchers and then involved them in preparing exhibition catalogs in Europe. It is worth noting that it was the heirs who played a significant role in popularizing the museum and the Chagall Readings. And now they have sent us a congratulatory message for the anniversary in the spirit of Chagall, with the light irony characteristic of the artist: "Nothing would warm our grandfather's heart more than knowing that the Chagall Readings at the Marc Chagall Museum are celebrating their 20th anniversary. To tell the truth, he must be smiling slyly in the Vitebsk sky and listening with great attention to all the speeches, and probably marveling at everything we can say about him." - Lately, the idea that Belarus needs to create its own image for global perception is increasingly heard. Can the name of our compatriot be used in some way for this? - Marc Chagall is one of the most popular artists of the 20th century. It seems to me that his name has long and successfully represented our country. By the way, Chagall's birthplace, Vitebsk, although poorly represented on the map, was known in the world even when the country was surrounded by an iron curtain. Chagall is a brand that worked then and works now. Despite the fact that lovers soar over Vitebsk in Chagall's paintings, the city itself is depicted with photographic accuracy. And when a tourist comes to Vitebsk and sees a house familiar from Chagall's painting, they are overcome with indescribable delight. After all, it is one thing to imagine some abstract city, and another to know that this city actually exists. The state needs to build its tourism policy on this. The Marc Chagall Museum in Vitebsk has established itself on tourist maps. We receive more than 20,000 tourists annually. However, for this number to grow year after year, it is necessary to restore Pokrovskaya Street to its authentic state and build tourist infrastructure with hotels, souvenir shops, and cafes. "But still, if... I have achieved something in art, then I have benefited you," wrote Marc Chagall in his message "To My City Vitebsk." His name can indeed bring considerable benefit; one just needs to use it wisely. Diana KURILO, BELTA.-0-