An exhibition of works by Yuri Pen opened in Vitebsk

June 15, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. An exhibition of paintings by Yury Pen, a student of Ilya Repin and a teacher of Marc Chagall, opened today at the Art Museum, a branch of the Vitebsk Regional Museum of Local Lore, a BELTA correspondent reports. The exhibition is dedicated to the 155th anniversary of the artist's birth and includes both previously exhibited canvases by Yury Pen and works unknown to the general public from the museum's storage. Of particular interest to visitors should be the landscape sketches, temperamental and vibrant, which once again emphasize the mastery of the artist, better known for his classical portraits. The exhibition features 83 museum exhibits, including rare documents related to the history of the Vitebsk art school. According to Olga Akunevich, the branch director, only restored works can be seen at the exhibition; the rest are still in the restorer's workshop. In total, the museum's collection includes 183 works by Yury Pen, which is the most complete collection of the artist in Belarus. In the near future, the jubilee exhibition of Yury Pen will be demonstrated at the National Historical Museum in Minsk, and then it will travel to Germany. Yury Pen graduated from the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, where he studied under Ilya Repin. By invitation of the Vitebsk vice-governor, he settled in Vitebsk, where he worked until his tragic death in 1937. Yury Pen trained a galaxy of famous artists, including Marc Chagall, Ossip Zadkine, David Yakerson, and Piotr Yevich. In 1918, Yury Pen took part in the famous campaign of modernist artists to decorate Vitebsk for the first anniversary of the October Revolution. From 1919, he headed the Vitebsk People's Art School. -0-