international festival “Intermuseum” opens online. The problems of museums is different. As Director of the Historical Museum, what do you expect from this General Museum forum?
Alexei Levykin: Museums are different, and the problems they have are almost identical. All the museums decide the issues of expansion of storage facilities, restoration, creation of displays and exhibitions, project promotion, attracting qualified personnel and other problems, including financial. Yes, someone to solve problems need one million roubles, to someone- the hundreds of millions. But to accumulate these funds in any case difficult. “Intermuseum” for the professional Museum community is the exchange of experiences and the opportunity to discuss existing problems. Therefore, museums are very careful to the festival, virtually the only international festival of its kind.
Theme “Museums as keepers of the peace” is declared as the main topic of the forum. But it is no secret that many museums have appeared all the same in wars. If you remember Napoleon, who ordered to bring their treasures all over Europe to France…
Alexei Levykin: I don’t fully agree with you – most of the museums created in peacetime and for the sake of peace. Including our Museum arose as a result of war. Like other museums, we cherish the memory of many wars, warning the humanity from repeating terrible mistakes of the past. And here we stand, too, as the guardians of peace. The war did not begin in museums, on their policy.
Exhibition in the history Museum planned for the 75th anniversary of the Victory, had to talk about medics in the war. Match the current epidemic situation, of course, accidental. But still, how the Museum came to this topic?
Alexei Levykin: really a legitimate choice anymore. A very good collection associated with the work of doctors, nurses in hospitals and at the front were collected by the staff of the Historical Museum in the war years. In addition to the subject of the feat of doctors during the war rarely addressed. According to the statistics of combat losses of military physicians during the great Patriotic war occupies the second place after losses among the soldiers of rifle companies and battalions. In other words, it is one of the highest losses. Only in 1941-1942, the deadweight loss of medical and paramedical composition amounted to 11.5 thousand people. The loss of aninstructor and nurses at the same time – 22 217 people. Another figure. 70 percent of wounded thanks to the efforts of the medics back in operation. And in addition to saved lives it was important in strategic terms – “shelled” soldiers compared to the better recruits felt the danger, knew how to navigate in a battle. In making decisions about the organization of this exhibition is and a personal moment for me. My father went through the war and he told me how during a break of the Blue line in the North Caucasus one of the battalions of his regiment was in difficult conditions, were contraatacan by the Germans. Two nurses night with the musicians carried all the wounded. History of the 1st battalion, 308 th regiment tragic – he died. But all the wounded, whom pulled these two little girls survived. It was the spring of 1943.
How do you see the ratio of personal stories and history of the country, which presents the Museum?
Alexei Levykin: When I was in graduate school, MSU, of course, we mostly paid attention to the powerful historical processes, studied the patterns, often pushing the story of small events, or personal stories of people.
Now interest in “microhistory” is growing as the archives are opened, there are many new materials for research. This has both pros and cons. The downside is that the breadth of the sources used does not entail a guarantee of competence of those who use them. Plus the fact that we see the obvious interest of society in history. Please note, as popular interest in the history of his family in the history of a great country. I this temptation could not resist. It probably even helped a father who had time to write my memoirs, to tell about his village, family. Microhistory is indeed very important.
However, despite the interest in history, historical and local history museums by popularity inferior art.
Alexei Levykin: In General, Yes. But 1 million 300 thousand visitors a year who come to the Historical Museum, which is quite a high indicator, which reach a few art museums.
What is the actual historical Museum project today?
Alexei Levykin: Any topic can be relevant if it is presented in an interesting way, on a rich historical material. For example, the exhibition “Faberge and the court jewelers” in our Museum receive attention from both the press and the public. For nearby objects is a vivid story of masters and owners. We can appreciate the aesthetic tastes of the time, to imagine the everyday life of the late XIX – early XX century. Finally, we showed for the first time the treasures of regimental museums, I have seen only the Museum curators. We decided to extend the exhibition to the Muscovites still had a chance to enjoy it.
abroad is very popular archaeological exhibitions dedicated to certain eras. For example, the enormous success enjoyed by the exhibition “the Vikings”, shown in museums in Berlin, National Museum of Denmark, the British Museum. By the way, there were hundreds of exhibits from our Museum. We also decided to prepare an exhibition about the Vikings, but fokusiraVAT attention to their role in the history of Russia. They formed the nucleus of the ancient statehood.
Enough to Novgorod to get to see this…
Alexei Levykin: it is Possible to Smolensk to Gnezdovo, where the Museum holds excavations. Smolensk has played a huge role in creating the old Russian state. Here was a conglomeration of villages where acted Slavic tribes, the tribes of the Vikings, where there was trade with the world. For example, in our congregation kept Chinese dress of the tenth century, which was found in the burial of a girl from the clan of the Vikings in one of the barrows of the Smolensk region. Of course, this monument will be present at the exhibition. I hope we will be able to open this exhibition in the end of the year.
it is Obvious that a tradesman Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky for you not only bronze statues of St. Basil’s Cathedral, but the people outside the circle of your scientific thinking. But if we talk about the monument, which is on balance of the Historical Museum and which was declared crowdfunding, its restoration was to begin after the may 9 Victory day Parade. Now with the restoration?
Alexei Levykin: as a result of crowdfunding, the Museum has collected more than 16 million rubles. Your contribution to the fundraising for the restoration was made, and concerned citizens. Major financial support for the restoration project was provided by the Russian military historical society (RVIA) and PSB. Now comes the process of approval of the request for tender for the restoration works. We will try to finish the process of harmonization of documents in July.At the moment the estimated price of the restoration with the creation of all engineering structures – 58 million rubles. Collected more than 16 million, and the shortfall is covered by RVIA. Soon will be signed the corresponding agreement between the Museum and RVIA.
whether There are analogues of crowdfunding for the restoration of monuments in the world? You are here focused on some experience?
Alexei Levykin: We focused primarily on the experience of creating the monument to Minin and Pozharsky. It was funded by public donations. Even the Emperor was involved as a public face.
Monument to Gogol by Nikolai Andreev also created using public donations. Moscow began its restoration in 2019.
Alexei Levykin: There are global precedents. The Louvre, for example, announced a crowdfunding campaign for the restoration of the triumphal arch in the Tuileries gardens.
the 150th anniversary of V. I. Lenin Historical Museum has prepared a draft that was not shown due to the pandemic. Apparently, he could become resonant, causing a heated argument. However, if you remember that Lenin hated museums can, in this accident it is easy to see the finger of fate?
Alexei Levykin: how do we know that he hated museums? This is another a cliche. Lenin was the smartest, widely educated man. And a full education without education of the General culture is impossible. Lenin wrote many of his works, sitting in the library of the British Museum. So, passing to the library, could not fail to notice the collections of this great Museum. History museums in the Soviet period is ambiguous and complex. Very sad to see on TV pseudo-historical films, which tells how the Soviet state was striving to from the Museum to pick something up and sell.
But sales of paintings from the Hermitage was. However, not in the days of Lenin, and twenty years after his death. And the 1970s were sold two paintings by Malevich, state Tretyakov gallery.
Alexei Levykin: It was in our history, and the fact that sales values abroad, no one denies. But in Soviet times the Museum had a developed system of the country.
What are the accents in the preparation of the exhibition for you was the most important?
Alexei Levykin: Objectivity. For the history of now important an objective approach to the events, the use of a wide range of sources that are open. This exhibition was a cooperation with the Archive of modern political history. He holds the unique monuments in the background which was a completely new way to present the exhibits of the collection of former Museum of V. I. Lenin in the composition of ShM. We could give an objective picture of the life of this politician who played a major role in world history.
Viewers will be able to see the exhibition?
Alexei Levykin: We will create her multimedia option. It may be much wider composition exhibits than we could afford in the real spaces of the exhibition. Is the idea to present in the virtual space, the Lenin Museum, the funds of which came in 1993 in the Museum.
Now the word “Kommunarka” sounds in connection with the hospital and people who had contracted the coronavirus and are treated there. But in Kommunarka plans to build a storage facility for several museums, including the Museum. How to make so that it turned into a big communal flat? What space the Museum will receive this storage facility? They plan to show up there?
Alexei Levykin: In Kommunarka will be the repository of the four Federal museums – the Historical Museum, the Tretyakov gallery, the Museum of Victory and ROSIZO. The project is now under development. Is the coordination of design assignments and stock rooms, and public spaces.
This will solve the problem of the Depository of GIM?
Alexei Levykin: of Course not. In order to solve the problem, we need the repository only for Historicalwow the Museum is no less than 100-120 thousand square meters, where located the funds and the workshops of restorers, exposure, open-end funds and space for exhibitions. But if we consider that our funds are 10-12 thousand sq m, the increase is still 10 thousand sq m, of course, will improve storage and enable a certain maneuver. Although not completely solve all of our problems.
And the prospects are ?
Alexei Levykin: Is an example. The Hermitage has created a unique repository.
The “Old village”?
Alexei Levykin: Yes. This is a unique project on a global scale. Not every world the Museum has such a facility. The collection of the Historical Museum are approaching 5 million units, and the example of the Hermitage inspires us. And while we are trying to improve the store, that is. Develop our platform in “Izmailovo” as a restoration center. The repository in Kommunarka will help to relieve stress from a historical building on the red square. Now comes the design of the Museum quarter near the Historical Museum. We put in the project and the repository, and the ability to create open-end funds.
And where will this Museum quarter?
Alexei Levykin: In the heart of Moscow is a complex of buildings of the Old mint. By 2024 there will be open exhibition space, a platform open repository of the Historical Museum. The design should be finished by the end of 2021. And then work will start on the creation of the Museum in this unique monument of architecture of old Moscow.
Michael Piotrovsky, the President of the Union of museums of Russia, Director of the State Hermitage Museum:
– Festival “Intermuseum” copes with the task that stands before the Union of museums of Russia, – the preservation and development of the unity of the Museum space in the country. Now in a moment of crisis to the fore a concern about the museums of regional, municipal, departmental. Museums should feel support of the authorities. We cannot allow education and museums optimized as optimized medicine. We have examples. We need a compensation system that would help museums to survive in the current situation. It is very important to support small museums in small towns. This goal, in particular, is the competition of “the Museum of the city of N”, which holds the Union of museums of Russia. Regional and municipal museums should feel our attention and support. Including the “Intermuseum”.
– the Interactive exhibition on the portal imuseum.ru involving almost 400 museums of Russia. The history of saved masterpieces, diary keepers, photographs and newsreels of the war years: focus on black-and-white war days in museums… All that proves is that musicUOM – the “Guardians of peace”.
Three of the Museum at the stand of the Kaluga region. Each year the festival has region-partner. This year Kaluga oblast. To its stand – three museums: the Kaluga Museum of fine arts, Museum of local history complex “Manor Zolotarev” and, of course, the Museum-reserve “Polotnyanyy Zavod”, the one associated with Goncharovym and Pushkin.
– the project “Museum guide” prepared by the Vladimir Potanin Foundation. The theme – “Museums and the future we want”. This discussion program: it involved 24 Museum and 45 speakers from 7 countries. If you want to understand why museums are one of the main tools of sustainable development, then you here.
