Education and Art in Soviet Russia/Document 21

DOCUMENT No. 21

The Activity of the Section of People's Commissariat of Edu-
cation Devoted to the Care of Museums, Preservation
of Art Objects and Relics of the Past, During
the Period Beginning May 28th and
Ending June 28th, 1918

The Section in charge of museums and preservation of art objects and relics of the past attached to the People's Commissariat of Education was instituted by the High State Committee of Education May 28th, 1918. The object of the Section in charge of museums, preservation of art treasures and relics of the past attached to the People’s Commissariat of Education, is the finding of ways and means towards the creation of conditions favorable to the growth of Russian museums.

In addition to this task it is also the Section's duty to take care and apply measures for the preservation of art objects and relics of the past.

The immediate problem confronting the Section is the mapping out of the standing types of museums and carrying this plan into effect through reorganization of the existing museums and establishment of new ones. Also, the Section's task is the unification of activities of individual museums, introduction of a well-defined system into their activity, drawing up of general principles governing the State's museum policy and carrying it out into execution. Each year the Section presents a general museum plan and a common museum estimate, completed in conformity with reports and suggestions submitted by all museums and elaborating it by corrections and supplements necessary from the point of view of general State interest.

The Section intends to devote its foremost attention to the question of museum accessions. Preserving for the museums their right of purchase at their own initiative, within the limits of annual estimate appropriations, the Section advances the idea of creating a National Museum Fund which would enable us to obtain, on a large scale, individual works as well as complete collections, in full conformity with the needs of individual museums, as well as of the whole museum undertaking, thus putting an end to the mutual competition among the museums, so detrimental to the interests of the State.

In connection with this there also ought to function special exhibition places of the Museum Fund, wherein the Section's accessions might be subjected to a free valuation and criticism by the whole people.

There should be established an institute of "Correspondents," reporting to the Section on the condition of market, auctions, sales, possible accessions, and generally speaking, about everything pertaining to museum art; also there should be established an institute of "Purchasing Agents" sufficiently trained in the history of art.

The Section intends to widely utilize the special commissions for purposes of art-archeologic discoveries, investigations of architectural styles, restoration work, uncovering of frescoes, etc. It has been planned to publish a special magazine devoted to the science of museums, and also to organize regular congresses of museum workers and to establish exemplary exhibitions demonstrating the process and development of the science of museums and activities thereof. It has been also planned to rearrange the art treasures in the museums with the view of endowing each museum with greater value and individuality and abolishing the existing chaos and dullness.

The Section considers the immediate problem of our times the establishment of a number of museums in those fields of art which in Russia have heretofore been wholly neglected, for instance, a museum of Oriental Art, a museum of the most recent art and a museum of sculpture.

Special attention will be given by the Section to the provincial museums. The establishment of new museums in the localities and a wholehearted support of those functioning, is, in the opinion of the Sections, one of the most fundamental problems of the Russian museum policy. Another such pressing problem is democratization and popularization of the museums' activities, which can be accomplished at first by making the attendance of the museums easier and by the aid which a museum can render to the spectators during the study of collections through lectures or lecture cycles.

The object of the Section shall have been considered completed by a thoroughly drawn up program of excursions and tours within the reach of the masses of the people; and by the widest distribution of carefully executed reproductions and popular editions on art subjects.

Also, regarding scientific art works, the Section will meet the museums' needs in the sphere of technique and budget for the purpose of advancing, in the best possible way, the Science of Museums—a science so young in Russia. For this purpose each museum will be given an opportunity to have photographic archives, a library of an informative character, and specially fitted technical shops wherever needed; photographic, restorative, framing, bindings, carpentry, and so forth, with a corresponding technical personnel at their service.

As regards protection of art objects and relics of the past the first and immediate problem of the Section is the drawing of regulations designed to thwart the export of art treasures from the territory of the Russian Republic.

The drawing up of such legislative measures though incomplete and, so to say, temporary, should be immediately commenced by the Section in order to safeguard the country's art treasures which are threatened to forever disappear abroad.

Next to this must be instituted a careful scientific account and description of these treasures, without which—as the State Museum policy of Italy has shown—the realization of the aforesaid problems cannot be accomplished.

Those institutions and persons who are in possession of collections of great cultural value will receive from the Section projective charters.

Flying detachments will be dispatched to the localities in order to bring about an actual control of the "disappearing" art valuables from the provinces. An instruction concerning protection shall be drawn up. The Section shall protect not only State and public museums, but also all private collections in so far as they present a State-wide interest.

Finally, its most important function, without which it would, generally speaking, be impossible to realize a State-wide program for a Museum Policy, will be its contact with the province. The Section will effect a close contact with the local organs, propose the organization of local organs of analogous functions, thus creating throughout Russia a net of cultural institutions which shall actually carry through in life the instructions of the central directing organ at the People’s Commissariat of Education.

Already prior to the official establishment of the Collegium in charge of museums and preservation of art objects and relics of the past, the question of nationalization of the Tretiakov Gallery had been discussed at the initiative of the present Collegium's membership.

For a long time a contradiction was apparent between the formal status of the Gallery as a regional-municipal art treasury and the all-Russian artistic and scientific reputation it has long enjoyed—a reputation which has been growing from year to year. When attempts by reactionary currents in art to profit by such state of affairs were recently revealed, the problem connected with the Gallery became important. The initiative of the Collegium's membership met with the most enthusiastic reception from the People's Commissary, A. V. Lunacharsky, who submitted this problem for discussion to the Soviet of People's Commissaries, and on June 3rd, 1918, the latter body issued a decree on the nationalization of the Tretiakov Gallery, placing the Gallery under jurisdiction of the People's Commissariat of Education. Finally, on June 17th, 1918, in accordance with a proposal unanimously submitted by the Petrograd and Moscow sections of the Collegium in charge of museums, the well-known artist and museum expert, J. E. Grabar, was appointed director of the Tretiakov Gallery by the People's Commissary, A. Lunacharsky.

Similarly at the initiative of the Museums' Collegium a question was raised on the necessity to requisition a Botticelli (Tonto) painting belonging to the citizen, Mrs. E. P. Meschersky. It was reported that the painting was to be shipped abroad.

The matter was brought to the attention of the Soviet of People's Commissaries, which on May 30th, 1918, decreed to requisition this painting and declare it property of the Russian Socialist Federated Soviet Republic and place it in one of the national museums of the Russian Socialist Federated Soviet Republic. At present the Botticelli picture is exhibited at the Rumiantzev Museum.

The same instruction directs the People's Commissariat of Education to draw, within a period of three days, a plan of a decree prohibiting shipment from the territory of the Russian Socialist Federated Soviet Republic of pictures and generally of all great artistic treasures—this plan to be submitted for examination to the Soviet of People's Commissaries.

The Collegium has also obtained an appropriation of 250,000 rubles for the needs of the Rumiantzev Museum. This sum is to be spent for purchasing historically important art treasures which appear now in abundance on the market and which are irretrievably lost by being smuggled abroad.

Besides, the Section has commenced to execute (and partially has already executed) a number of commissions of artistic and scientific character. In this field the immediate concern has been the examination of ancient fresco works and iconography, The results are as follows:

1. At the Salvation-Adroniey Monastery, the walls of the cathedral at several places have been scraped from the old time white-washing. Ancient frescoes have, been discovered but so damaged by late coatings that it is impossible to define the nature and subject of these frescoes.

2. At the Church of Conception of Saint Anna (in the so-called Chinese Town) built in 1493, a priest was the source of a statement purporting to prove the existence of ancient frescoes screened from sight by the wall's plaster; no frescoes were discovered after a careful examination. An iconostasis and some ikons examined incidentally have been found to be of very ancient origin and of great importance and, therefore, subject to restoration.

3. At the Blagovyeschensk Cathedral of the Kreml, following the washing and cleaning of mural paintings, several ancient frescoes have been discovered.

4. At the Assumption Cathedral it has been decided to continue the already begun restoration work of some of the ancient ikons of the iconostasis. It has also been decided to directly supervise the restoration of mural decorations.

5. At the Archangel's Kreml Cathedral several ancient ikons have been singled out for the purpose of their complete restoration.

The restoration work is being directed by experienced prominent iconographers and supervised by the members of the Collegium and its associates (Grabar, Baklanov, Grischendo, Annisimov, Muratov). Iconographers: Tuilin, Chirikov, Youkin and photographer—Liadov.

A special committee, elected by the Collegium and composed of J. E. Grabar, T. C. Trapeznikov, V. R. Vipper and M. M. Chusid, after an examination of the Great Kreml Palace, have found there a few paintings of great artistic value. Owing to extremely unsatisfactory conditions, affecting their safety at the Palace, and also because of their inaccessibility for the larger masses of the people, the committee, pending the question of their transfer to the Rumiantzev Museum, has in the meantime transferred 26 paintings for the purpose of restoration. Of special prominence among the latter are the Rubens canvasses.

The Collegium's activities outside Moscow have been demonstrated by the following measures:

A detailed plan of transferring the universally known Uvaroy Collections to the Moscow Historical Museum has been drawn up. Competent persons for this commission have been appointed.

At the initiative of Comrade Vikensiev, fellow-member of the Collegium, it has been decided to undertake a scientific expedition for the purpose of examining the Burilinsk Museum at Iyanov-Voznesensk.

The Section has paid especial attention to requests coming from different localities and striving to immediately effect connections and contact with provincial organizations pursuing similar aims.

In order to arrive at a uniform science and art policy in this field at the present time—a specimen instruction is in course of preparation for the establishment of local Collegiums in charge of museums and preservation of art objects and relics of the past.

Of the broad cultural measures introduced through the initiative of the Section the transference of the famous Stroganov archive to the Perm State University deserves mention. The well-known specialist, Professor Grekov, has taken charge of scientific examination of the archive.

Of the important concrete measures to be carried out by the Section in the nearest future deserves mention: a decision to investigate the Moscow governmental and public institution with the object of determining the character of art objects treasured up therein; investigation of the antiquarian market; organization of new sub-sections, as for an example, librarian, etc.