Paintings from Normandy to be exhibited in Dnipropetrovsk, and Ukrainian baroque sculptures in Paris

The event was dedicated to the closing of the exhibit “Normandy in Paintings,” held in our capital. The exhibit in Kyiv has closed, but starting on November 15 it will be available at the Dnipropetrovsk Art Museum (where it will last through January 13, 2013). As a reminder: almost simultaneously, on November 21, the first Ukrainian art action is launched at the Louvre in Paris: an exhibit of Ukrainian baroque sculpture, represented by the works of the 18th-century artist Ioann Heorh (Johann George) Pinzel, which will last till February 25. These art events are held under the patronage of Mr. Alain Remy, together with his fellow French and Ukrainian diplomats.

“This exhibit can be called a traveling one,” said Remy. “It was first shown in Lviv, then, for more than two months, the paintings enjoyed the attention of Kyivites, and soon it will be presented in Dnipropetrovsk. We are very happy that this joint project, organized by the French Embassy, Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture, and the French Institute in Ukraine, was supported by the Andrei Sheptytsky National Museum in Lviv, the National Art Museum, and the Dnipropetrovsk Art Museum. I would also like to thank all the sponsors, who were absolutely indispensable to get the project going.

“I am happy to announce that very soon Parisians will have the first opportunity to see 27 pieces by the famous Ukrainian sculptor Pinzel. They include exhibits from the Pinzel Museum at the Lviv National Art Gallery, the Ternopil oblast local history and art museums, and the Ivano-Frankivsk Museum of Transcarpathian Art, as well as several Pinzel sculptures from the Catholic church in the village of Hodovytsia, Lviv oblast, where the great master once worked, and the Clarisses Church in Lviv. By the way, the interior of the church in Hodovytsia will be reproduced at the exposition at the Louvre.

“I believe that such joint projects consolidate the relations between our nations. In September, October, and early November at the National Art Museum of Ukraine Kyivites could see works by the 19th-20th century French painters, from a collection generally referred to as “Normandy in Paintings” (The Day has already covered this event). It should be mentioned that every day, when the exhibit was open, Kyivites and guests of the capital would wait in long lines (as long as 1.5-2 hours!) to see paintings by Claude Monet, Theodore Jericho, Camille Corot, Auguste Renoire et al. (it has been the first exhibit of these masters at the major national museum since the late 1970s). The collection included 57 works, executed by representatives of various 19th-century artistic trends: realism, romanticism, impressionism, and post-impressionism.”

The organizers told The Day that the collection “Normandy in Paintings” was initiated in 1992 by the Regional Council of Lower Normandy. Later, the collection included nearly 120 paintings dating from 1750 to 1950. Each piece is in some way or other associated with Normandy: some of them feature episodes from the painters’ lives or the places, where they painted.

The media wrote that 120 paintings had been on display in Lviv, whereas the exhibits in Kyiv only included 57. The Day turned to Alain TAPIE, the director of the collection “Normandy in Paintings” and the chief curator of the Lille Art Museum in Lille, France, for clarifications.

“The thing is that our collection indeed consists of 120 pieces, but we have only brought 57 to Ukraine, and they were displayed in Lviv and Kyiv, and will be exhibited in Dnipropetrovsk as well,” explained Tapie. “We never take all of our pictures on the road, a part of the collection needs to have some rest from time to time. We gradually update the exhibit. The very name, ‘Normandy in Paintings,’ is revealing. The collection is a sort of trip to the distant nooks and corners of a unique country that Normandy was in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Our collection is housed at a prestigious place, the former nunnery Abbaye aux Dames, which also houses the Regional Council of Lower Normandy, and is visited by more than 10,000 persons annually. Meanwhile, in Lviv, the collection was seen by 30,000, and in Kyiv by 50,000 people! However, our ambition is something other than just breaking visitor records. What matters for me is our educational mission. We want to present our paintings to as many people as possible.”

Before the trip to Dnipropetrovsk you gave two presentations in Kyiv. At the Chocolate House you spoke before an expert audience: museum staff and art students. The second meeting, at Ye Bookstore, was held as a dialog with a mass audience, and was focused on the history of the collection “Normandy in Paintings.”

“I have been working with museums for many years, so I decided to focus my presentation on the curator’s responsibilities, the ins and outs of replenishing and preserving a collection. The second part of my presentation included a broader coverage of impressionism as a genre, and of Normandy and French culture in general as the sources of inspiration for impressionist painters.

“It is the third time that I’ve come to Kyiv. Its highly urbanized cityscape and the newly built neighborhoods remind me of the Tower of Babel. I am no fan of rectangular urbanism. Kyiv must preserve its unique face, especially its baroque beauty and identity. I think it is necessary to build with discretion, so that the new development does not destroy the ancient atmosphere of your capital. You must not repeat other country’s mistakes by pulling down all the old buildings.

“I will make a point of seeing the Pinzel exhibit at the Louvre by all means. The work of this outstanding Ukrainian artist is very interesting, he has a unique manner which distinguishes him from the others. I would like to discuss some future joint art projects with my Ukrainian colleagues, but they do not have to be held on a large scale.”

“The exhibit is not simply decent, it is very timely,” believes Tetiana Mironova, deputy director general, the National Art Museum of Ukraine. “I came to work at the museum seven months ago. Back then, few Kyivites were aware of the museum’s whereabouts. But when we exhibited ‘Normandy in Paintings,’ it became a popular destination, and people would stand in long lines to see the paintings. It makes me so happy. We exceeded our attendance quotas (which is very important, for over the past three years our museum had had very few visitors).

“Remarkably, after the exhibit, a lot of people said that they had discovered for themselves the gems from our own stock. And this is awesome that Kyivites and the guests of the capital are interested in the exposition of the National Art Museum of Ukraine.”