The colors are thickening

The Ministry of Justice filed a lawsuit to liquidate the St. Petersburg Union of Artists, in whose activities gross violations were revealed.

The Artists' Union is accused of many sins. In particular, that he “worked outside of St. Petersburg, was engaged in entrepreneurial activities that did not serve the goals of the organization.” In addition, “the transfer without the permission of the Property Relations Committee to sublease of state property objects used by the organization and the receipt of funds” were revealed. The Oktyabrsky District Court of St. Petersburg did not accept the application, as they say, on formal grounds, but the Ministry of Justice is ready to finalize it and submit it again.

Meanwhile, the painter Alexei Kiryanov created a petition on the Internet addressed to Georgy Poltavchenko, which has already been signed by about one and a half thousand people. “The artists of St. Petersburg are worried, sincerely not understanding what exactly they did wrong (!) and how this wild situation, impossible under any circumstances before, will end with the possible liquidation of the Union of Artists,” the text of the petition says.

On June 27, the board of the Union of Artists met to discuss the draft of a new charter. The old one, as Andrei Bazanov, who recently became chairman of the board of the union, recalled, was adopted back in 1997, since then the legislation has changed a lot. “The charter was not changed, we admit that we did not do everything as stated in it,” said the chairman. “We are preparing to host a new one at the next conference.”

Photo: Elena Lukyanova

In addition, the Union of Artists operates far beyond the borders of St. Petersburg, and the Ministry of Justice considered this a violation. According to Bazanov, artists are not the authors of visiting projects; they are invited there as participants. It is considered a violation that payment for travel expenses, delivery of work, unpacking, and hanging were made at the expense of the Union. If the word “regional” appears in the name of the organization, then artists will be able to participate in projects outside St. Petersburg without any problems.

It is more difficult with other claims of the Ministry of Justice. The Union of Artists has a lot of real estate left from Soviet times - a beautiful building on Bolshaya Morskaya, 38, in a house that since 1877 belonged to the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, factories, about one and a half thousand artists' workshops. According to the law, you can engage in creativity, but not commerce. Not everyone followed this rule. In addition, a number of workshops that were transferred free of charge to veteran artists, and after their death were given to young artists, according to documents are still listed in free use.

The situation with large real estate objects is even more complicated - with the arts and crafts plant on Maurice Thorez Avenue, the sculpture plant next door, the Staraya Ladoga dacha on the banks of the Volkhov, and the baguette factory on the Saltykovskaya road. Over 26 years, the Union lost more than half of its property.

Andrei Bazanov refused to name the names of the people in whose interests the “leaked” property is now working, emphasizing only that this became possible thanks to the efforts of “a narrow circle of interested parties who once worked in the Union of Artists.”

It is known that even under the former, now deceased chairman of the Union, Albert Charkin, the organization’s real estate came under the operational management of the Kub company. The management company “managed” the Decorative and Applied Arts Plant in such a way that it eventually became its property. According to Bazanov, the agreement was unequal: “Kub” transferred to the Union, instead of a huge plant, “two workshops of the dilapidated plant named after. Kalinina and premises at Morskaya Embankment, 39, with an area of more than 700 sq. m". According to some reports, Kub is going to sell the house on Torez for 400 million rubles. After Charkin’s death in 2017, under the new chairman Alexander Saikov, “Kub” began to manage the building of the framing factory. At the same time, on its website the management company offers both buildings for rent “from the owner.”

“We are breaking off relations with this management company so that the scenario with the Torez plant does not repeat with the framing factory,” says Bazanov. – As for the situation with the Sculpture Factory, the artists had 50 percent left, the other equal shares – 25 and 25 – again belonged to a “narrow circle of interested parties.”

“We don’t want to blow up the situation, but we are tough,” says Bazanov. “We are communicating with lawyers, preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best - that the Ministry of Justice, the prosecutor’s office, and the governor will hear us. Our task is to prove that mistakes are not irreparable.”

Refutation to the article dated 07/04/2018 “The colors are thickening”

“The article published on 07/04/2018 by the online publication “Novaya Gazeta in St. Petersburg” in the “Society” section under the heading “The colors are thickening” contains information about KUB Management Company LLC that has not been confirmed.

LLC "KUB Management Company" never managed and was never the owner of the Decorative and Applied Arts Combine, and in addition, it never transferred any workshops of the plant to the public association "Union of Artists". Kalinin instead of the Decorative and Applied Arts Plant or any other property. KUB Management Company LLC is not the owner of the buildings on Torez Street and, accordingly, cannot make decisions about their sale.

The information contained in the said article is that “... KUB Management Company LLC “managed” the Decorative and Applied Arts Plant in such a way that it eventually became its property. According to Bazanov, the agreement was unequal: “Kub” transferred to the Union, instead of a huge plant, “two workshops of the dilapidated plant named after. Kalinina and premises at Morskaya Embankment, 39, with an area of more than 700 sq. m". According to some reports, “Kub” is going to sell the house on Torez for 400 million rubles,” which is not true.”