National Art Museum of Belarus, Minsk. Keeping national and world art with dignity
My art history professor put it perfectly: The Art Museum of Belarus is an encyclopedic incarnation of the school subject that is called “World Cultural Studies.”
This phrase perfectly captures the essence of the museum: all types of art, everything is here. It is difficult to think of another museum that has approached its collection so fundamentally, deeply, and responsibly. No, I remember one! I would put The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow on a par with the National Museum of Belarus, but even these two museums are difficult to compare. The Museum of Belarus is unique in its own way.
The National Art Museum was founded in Minsk in 1939 as the State Art Gallery of the Byelorussian SSR. It opened to visitors in November 1939.
It is the largest collection of national and foreign art in the country. It houses more than 30,000 exhibits that form 20 collections of art monuments from Belarus, other countries, and peoples of the world. The museum has the following scientific departments: ancient Belarusian, contemporary Belarusian, Russian and foreign art, scientific and educational work, scientific and inventory, and scientific and restoration.
The Main Collection
The museum has the world’s largest collection of Belarusian art.
The total number of works in all collections and funds currently stands at 37,000 items from more than 132 countries and spanning approximately 12 centuries of human history.
The collection consists of:
Belarusian art of the 12th–18th centuries
Belarusian art of the 19th–early 20th centuries
Belarusian art of the 20th–early 21st centuries
Russian art of the 18th–early 20th centuries
Art of European countries of the 16th–20th centuries
Art of Eastern countries of the 16th–20th centuries
The museum is large. The collection is located in the main historical building and a new wing, which opened in 2009.
Returned Masterpieces
During the Great Patriotic War, the collection, which was not evacuated in time, was almost completely lost. Only a small part of the works found by Soviet soldiers at the end of the war in the cities of East Prussia — from approx 3 000 works only 500 were returned.
All the works that were returned to Belarus are marked with a special label – you won’t miss them. These are works stolen by Nazi soldiers from the museum for the collection of trophy art that Hitler wanted to create in Linz. I can say for myself that seeing them in front of me was a very powerful emotional experience.
Minsk was occupied by the Nazis on June 28, and there was no time to evacuate the museum’s collection. The looting of the gallery began, and the building was given over to the commandant's office and German officers. Paintings by Aivazovsky, Bryullov, Belinitsy-Biruli, Vasnetsov, Kramskoy, Kuindzhi, Levitan, Ruschitsa, Repin, Perov, Vrubel, Shishkin, and other famous artists disappeared from the gallery.
Watercolors
The museum’s collection of watercolors is its soul. Academic, balanced, diverse in palette and subject matter, these works from the 20th and early 21st centuries are united by something subtle, characteristic of Belarusian watercolorists. What distinguishes Belarusian watercolors of this period from others? Of course, the national flavor, cultural context, and high technical level of the works that characterize this era.
Watercolor painting itself is essentially a delicate and complex work with light and transparent, yet tangible air. However, these works convey not only the air, weather, breath of nature, and even cold, but also an intricate sense of presence. A great love for their homeland, native lands, and nature is what distinguishes the works of these artists. But this love is expressed without excessive pathos and solemnity; it is a quiet love, full of gratitude and reverence.
Among these artists are prominent Belorussian watercolorists such as those whose names have already become part of the history of national fine arts (V.K. Tsvirko, F.S. Kiselev, G.F. Shutov), and artists who are actively working today (S.V. Domarad, N.V. Ovchinnikov, V.G. Pavlovets, S.A. Pisarenka).
Here I summed up the most striking aspects of the museum, that impressed me the most. Of course the museum is much more than this. You’l find tours, masterclasses, lectures and a vast variety of kids events there.
I really hope you enjoy this museum as much as I did. As a start, you can go ahead and see the virtual exhibitions.
https://artmuseum.by/en/online
