The Vitebsk Museum of Marc Chagall celebrates its 30th anniversary.
In the autumn of 1991, a decision was made to perpetuate the name of the artist who always expressed his love for his hometown and glorified it in his paintings.
"I did not live with you, but there was no painting of mine that did not breathe your spirit and reflection," Marc Chagall wrote to his Vitebsk. "I kissed you with all my colors and strokes..."
He left his hometown in 1920, but remained there forever. And a century later, his admirers travel to Vitebsk from all over the world to meet the artist. The museum is visited annually by over 30 thousand domestic and foreign tourists. The cultural institution
carries out extensive research, publishing, and educational work. The museum has gained recognition among researchers of the artist's work and art lovers, and has received prestigious awards for its activities. The director of the Marc Chagall Museum in Vitebsk, Irina Voronova, talks about the journey the museum has taken over three decades. The path to the creation of the Marc Chagall Museum was not easy. Famous people fought for the return of the artist's name to his native Vitebsk: academician Dmitry Likhachev, poets Andrei Voznesensky, Robert Rozhdestvensky, Bella Akhmadulina, and others.
– There were also disputes about where Marc Chagall was born, in Liozno or Vitebsk, and in which house the artist's parents lived. When were the dots put over the i's?
– When archival research was conducted, correlating old maps with modern street topography. This was done by the former director of the Marc Chagall Museum, Lyudmila Khmelnitskaya. At that time, she worked at "Vitebskproektrestavratsiya" and conducted archival and historical research, creating a scientific basis for the future museum. Thanks to her findings, it was possible to prove that house No. 29 on Dzerzhinsky Street is the very one built by Marc Chagall's father in 1900 on the then Pokrovskaya Street, and it was here that the future artist was born and spent his childhood years.
– But even without proof, fans of Chagall's work came to this house, and its owners were the first guides and even kept a guest book.
– They kept a book and displayed a portrait of Marc Chagall in the window. Their house was open to people who came to Vitebsk before the museum was established to see the artist's native places.
– There are only two Marc Chagall museums in the world – in Vitebsk and in Nice, France. What is the uniqueness of each?
– The museum in Nice opened in 1973, during the artist's lifetime. It was originally called "Marc Chagall's Biblical Message". For the museum, the artist created a picturesque biblical cycle. Marc Chagall took an active part in the creation and life of the museum, painted the harpsichord, and designed stained glass windows. Subsequently, the collections were replenished with other works. The museum in Nice introduces the artist's work, while ours tells about the sources of inspiration, the parental home. Vitebsk was always present in Marc Chagall's life, he constantly spoke about it. The emphasis was primarily on the memorialization of the place. This is what attracts tourists here. The artist's granddaughters, Bella and Meret Meyer, have visited our museum more than once, coming to Vitebsk for their famous grandfather's birthday. The heirs allowed the Vitebsk museum to use Marc Chagall's name. This is an official fact of recognition. It is difficult for us to compete with the collection in Nice. But Vitebsk also has many original works by the artist, which are located not in the house-museum, but in the Art Center on Putna Street.
– Was the first exhibition of Marc Chagall's paintings held here as well?
– Yes, but at that time it was the exhibition hall of the Vitebsk City Center for Culture and remained so until 1992, when it received the status of the Marc Chagall Art Center. Then, in the artist's homeland, his works from the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, Pskov, and private collections were presented for the first time. Now, one has to pay a fabulous insurance fee to bring paintings by such a master, and in those years, there was no talk of it. Everyone was accommodating to Vitebsk. Before the opening of the house-museum in 1997, the Art Center was the main point of attraction, but then the house on Pokrovskaya began to attract more tourist interest. We must not forget the help provided during the restoration by a circle of friends of Marc Chagall's house from the German twin city of Nienburg. By the way, the paint used for the roof and the drainage systems were brought from Germany. And the mayor of Nienburg donated Marc Chagall's last work, "To Another World," which became the first in our collection.
– Were the exhibits also collected from all over the world?
– Some items were brought by Vitebsk residents, some were purchased in antique shops in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Some were brought from Holland and Germany. The museum's devoted friend, Dr. Heinrich Mandel, who gifted Vitebsk his entire collection of Marc Chagall's works and invaluable books, brought an antique lamp. A similar one can be seen in the artist's painting. During restoration work, glass vials were found in which Marc Chagall's mother kept tinctures. The artist's niece donated kitchenware. A few years ago, we received a package from St. Petersburg from unknown people, with a note: "For the Marc Chagall Museum." Inside the box was a dinner service from an English firm from the mid-19th century. It's clear that these are not memorial items, but they could have been in a middle-class Jewish family, like Chagall's family. The service is exhibited in the house-museum. But, unfortunately, the donor's name could not be found.
– What does the collection of the Marc Chagall Museum represent today?
– We have 8.5 thousand items in our funds, divided into several collections. The largest part is printed publications. Its basis is Heinrich Mandel's library. These are unique editions, in particular, dating back to the early 20th century – catalogs, books that include original graphic sheets, everything related to Chagall and the art of the last century. The second largest block is one and a half thousand works of art. Including about 300 original graphic works by Marc Chagall. Mostly these are gifts from Heinrich Mandel, the artist's daughter Ida, a series of etchings for "Dead Souls" and other works were presented by his granddaughters. The collection has been supplemented by private collectors and organizations with whom we cooperate. In addition, the funds include about 200 works by European avant-garde artists, which we periodically show, but more often take abroad. And works by contemporary authors, participants of international Chagall plein airs and exhibitions at the Art Center.
– For the Chagall Days and scientific readings, which the museum has been holding for many years, probably all famous researchers of the artist's work have visited?
– Their circle is not that large, and all renowned researchers of Chagall's work and the artist's circle of acquaintances from different countries, including Russia, the USA, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Israel, participated in our readings. They not only shared their findings but also worked in our library, finding rare publications that they couldn't obtain before.
– Next year marks the 135th anniversary of Marc Chagall's birth.
– We strongly believe that we will manage to hold a conference. We are negotiating with one of the largest collectors of Marc Chagall's graphic works regarding an exhibition in Vitebsk. We are preparing many surprises for the artist's 135th birthday, and I hope all our plans will come to fruition.