Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

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Azerbaijan National Art Museum has opened an exhibition, which showcases paintings and graphic works from the collection of the Belarus National Art Museum, Azernews reports.

A total of 61 paintings and graphic works created in the late 19th – mid-20th centuries are on display as part of the project.

The exhibition demonstrates the artistic heritage of outstanding Belarusian artists Yuri Pen (1854–1937) and Yakov Kruger (1869–1940), as well as a whole galaxy of their students.

Among them are world-famous Marc Chagall and Mikhail Kikoin, People's Artist of the BSSR Ivan Akhremchik, as well as Soviet and Belarusian painters and graphic artists: Lev Zevin, Mikhail Kunin, Lev Leitman, Lazar Ran, Efim Poyak, Vyacheslav Rutsay, Mikhail Stanyut, Solomon Yudovin, Pyotr Yavich and others. Their work reflects the diversity of artistic trends that form the "portrait" of the Belarusian National School of Art.

The exhibition dedicated to the 170th anniversary of the birth of Yuri Pen and the 155th anniversary of Yakov Kruger became a bright event in the cultural life of the Republic of Belarus in 2024.

Graduates of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, artist-teachers who stood at the origins of professional art education in modern Belarus, Yuri Pen and Yakov Kruger became the founders of private schools of drawing and painting in Vitebsk and Minsk. For many of their students, they were the first and most important mentors, playing a key role in their formation and development.

In an interview with journalists, the director of the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus Anna Kononova emphasized the significance of this event:

"We are very glad that this project took place - this is a real event," said Anna Kononova. - Just recently, in 2024, we signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Azerbaijan National Art Museum. We immediately planned a number of exchange events and exhibition projects, and today we are already starting to implement our ideas.

According to Kononova, in April-May, a return exhibition of the National Art Museum will be presented at the Belarus National Art Museum.

"Today we are witnessing a major event, because this project is of serious international significance. For the first time, we are presenting in Azerbaijan the rarest collection of our museum, including first-tier works, many of which are on permanent display," the museum director emphasized.

Founded in 1937, Azerbaijan National Art Museum offers art connoisseurs some of the best examples of decorative-applied arts of Western Europe.

Over 3,000 items in 60 rooms are on permanent display at the museum, and around 12,000 items are kept in storage. Here, you can see masterpieces of the Italian, French, German, and Polish masters of brush.

The museum has successfully organized and hosted numerous high-level international exhibitions, showcasing the works of renowned artists.

These exhibitions have not only attracted art enthusiasts but have also contributed to the cultural exchange between Azerbaijan and other countries.