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Savitsky Art Museum

The "Louvre" in the desert

Why was the museum dubbed the second “Louvre”? Because its collection is the finest art assembly in the Asian region and possesses the second most significant and extensive collection of Russian avant-garde works, and in 2001, the English newspaper “The Guardian” called it “one of the most beautiful museums in the world.”

The art museum is located on the main square of Nukus. It is precisely the remoteness and detachment of Nukus from the capitals – Moscow and Tashkent – that allowed Igor Savitsky to create one of the most impressive museums in the world – a true treasure trove of the avant-garde. He managed to preserve 80,000 banned works of art while avoiding repression.

Igor Savitsky

In 1932, the Soviet authorities adopted a resolution “On the Reconstruction of Literary and Artistic Organizations.” Existing associations of writers, artists, and musicians were disbanded, and new unions of artists loyal to the party’s new policy were created. From that moment on, the Soviet government supported only one genre of visual art – socialist realism. Artists working in avant-garde styles – cubism, constructivism, futurism, and neo-primitivism – fell into disrepute. They were forbidden to sell or exhibit their works. Paintings were destroyed, and artists were retrained, sent to labor camps, and even executed. The state sought to erase any traces of the avant-garde.

But the most was done to preserve impressive and experimental canvases by a man who is not very well known outside art circles – Igor Savitsky.

An artist, ethnographer, and collector, Savitsky was born in Kiev in 1915. The history of turning Nukus into a Mecca for art connoisseurs began when he first visited Karakalpakstan (then the Karakalpak ASSR) in 1950 – as part of an archaeological-ethnographic expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences. The local culture enchanted him. In the same year, he permanently moved to Karakalpakstan – to Nukus, continued the same research, and later became passionate about collecting avant-garde art. In 1966, Savitsky persuaded the republic’s leadership to create a museum of regional art and crafts and was appointed its director. Savitsky collected carpets, national costumes and jewelry, archaeological finds, and plaster copies of classical sculptures, drawings, and paintings by Central Asian artists. In addition, there was Russian avant-garde, under the pretext: “to inspire local artists with other styles.”

“Bull” by artist Vasily Lysenko.

The museum’s symbol became one of the most outstanding paintings of world heritage, “Bull” by artist Vasily Lysenko.

Art experts interpret the painting differently, but almost all agree on the frighteningly deep black eyes of the bull, which look menacing and bottomless. At that time, the eyes symbolized the onset of fascism and impending war. When you look into the bull’s black eyes, resembling gun barrels, seemingly devouring the viewer, it’s hard to shake off associations with Stalinist repression. The second title of the work is “Fascism is advancing.”

The artist himself is a mysterious figure whose biography is shrouded in mystery. Only six of his works remain in the world heritage, preserved in Savitsky’s museum.

In addition, the museum’s collection features a large collection of artist Alexander Volkov, a prominent representative of the Turkestan avant-garde. He lived and worked in Uzbekistan, and the Savitsky Museum has over 500 of his paintings. His works are bright and original, demonstrating the rich culture and nature of Uzbekistan, conveying scenes of everyday life and the incredible energy of the Uzbek people.

Also, in the museum, you can see magnificent paintings by Ural Tansykbaev, Nikolai Karakhan. Each work of the mentioned artists has its own magic, which captivates from the first seconds. Looking at the works of one master, it’s hard to believe that they were painted by one person, as the paintings with their unique plot and style are so striking.

Savitsky was also passionate about the work of post-avant-garde artists. Some artists couldn’t even imagine that their works might interest anyone, let alone be exhibited somewhere. In this sense, Savitsky can be called a true mover, and his activity can be compared to the activities of famous collectors: Tretyakov, Shchukin, Morozov, and others.

The Savitsky Museum’s collection is priceless. One work by artist Alexander Volkov at auction would cost more than 2 million euros (170 million rubles), and in Nukus, the largest collection of his paintings in the world is presented. But the Savitsky Museum’s collection is valuable not only from a financial point of view. “Here are the works of many artists that we’ve never heard of, including women authors,” says Charlotte Douglas, a professor of Russian art at New York University. “As well as great works of artists that we are only beginning to understand now.” In 2017, two new buildings were added to the museum complex. There was an opportunity to exhibit paintings for viewers that had been gathering dust in archives for decades and improve the conditions for storing works.

Over the past ten years, paintings from Savitsky’s museum collection have been exhibited abroad only once. However, a huge number of museums are queuing up to arrange their exhibitions. Curators from the Smithsonian Institution, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Pushkin Museum, and the Louvre have already contacted the museum in Nukus and offered assistance in preserving and popularizing the legacy of banned artists. There is hope that soon the Savitsky Museum will open its collection to the outside world. Until that happens, you need to travel to distant Nukus to see the masterpieces of the avant-garde, but the trip is worth it.

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