A museum dedicated to the history of the folk art school founded by Chagall will appear in Vitebsk

Work on the creation of a museum dedicated to the history of the Vitebsk People's Art School has begun in the regional center, as reported to a BELTA correspondent by Andrey Dukhounikov, director of the "Vitebsk Center for Contemporary Art" museum.

The Vitebsk People's Art School was founded 94 years ago, on January 28, 1919. The initiative to establish an art school for the proletariat belonged to Marc Chagall, who at that time served in Vitebsk as the Commissioner for Arts. It was he who invited Kazimir Malevich, El Lissitzky, and Mstislav Dobuzhinsky to work at the new educational institution. Later, the creative association UNOVIS – the Assertors of New Art, which united adherents of Suprematism, was established at this school.

The People's School was located in the former mansion of Vitebsk banker Israel Vishnyak, which was nationalized after the October Revolution. Fortunately, this building on Pravdy Street has survived to this day and has now been transferred to the Center for Contemporary Art for the creation of a museum there. The restoration of the building is included in the city's investment program for 2013.

According to Andrey Dukhounikov, the concept for the new museum has already been developed. The exhibition stands will feature the main stages of the activities of the teachers of the Vitebsk People's Art School: Kazimir Malevich, Marc Chagall, El Lissitzky, Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, and other equally renowned names in contemporary art, as well as their famous students. The history of the creation of UNOVIS will also be presented. "Great artists who changed the world's artistic culture not only worked but also lived at the school. In terms of its cultural significance, this building is comparable only to the Bauhaus – the higher school of building and artistic design founded in 1919 in Berlin. The historical and cultural heritage of the Vitebsk People's Art School constitutes a significant part of global artistic culture. The artistic processes that took place in Vitebsk between 1918 and 1923 significantly influenced the formation of all contemporary art, both domestic and European," emphasized Andrey Dukhounikov.

The Vitebsk Center of Modern Art was established in February 1998 to preserve the traditions of the Vitebsk Art School and further develop contemporary art in the city. In 2007, the center was reorganized into the museum "Vitebsk Center of Modern Art".