The Kostroma Art Gallery is being considered for transfer to the regional government and the obligation to develop "classical Russian art." Kostroma residents are opposed.
In Kostroma, the City Art Gallery on Mira Street is being closed and transferred to regional administration. According to artists and art historians, they either want to force the gallery to abandon its focus on the full diversity of contemporary art and focus solely on Russian classical art, or simply take away the premisesKostroma residents gathered at the round table and spoke out against the reorganization.
The gallery is unique for a small town: over 27 years, its staff has assembled a collection of contemporary paintings that reflects the entire contemporary artistic process. Exhibitions of works by artists from neighboring regions, educational events, and master classes are held. The collection comprises about 3 thousand works, and all of them are registered in the museum fund of Russia.
CEO Vera Pryamikova She learned about the gallery's reorganization by chance: she was included in a mailing list intended for regional officials. She tried to find out the reason and other details, but received no response.
The following came up for discussion: more xnumx people, and not a single official from the city's Department of Culture. They signed a resolution to the governor. Sergei Sitnikov with a request to preserve the gallery in its original form—as a center of attraction for the city's creative community. In one of his speeches, Sitnikov stated his preference for "classical Russian art."
Previously the director of the regional department of culture Marina Nazina reported that the collection will not be affected, “Everything is being done to improve and strengthen this institution,” but a different legal entity will simply be created.
Gallery employees and art lovers, on the contrary, are convinced that they want to destroy the gallery.
Photo: Novye Izvestia