| The Viktor Vekselberg collection has a limited stay in Russia The main sensation of the past cultural season was the purchase of the famous Forbes collection - the best collection of Faberge works abroad - by Viktor Vekselberg. For the first time, such valuable works of art were returned to the country. For the first time in many decades, a private person in our country became the owner and manager of such treasures. Mr. Vekselberg’s plans were interesting not only in themselves. His example is a lesson to others.
The first answer to the question of what a private person would do with completely unique jewelry was an exhibition in the Patriarchal Palace of the Moscow Kremlin. It was a clear and easily predicted success - Faberge products attract audiences all over the world, and even more so with such a history. The only thing that prevented the exhibition from setting a record for attendance was the principle of organizing it by sessions. Necessary, according to the management of the Kremlin Museums, in order for those who bought an unusually expensive ticket for art exhibitions for 300 rubles. was able to see all the masterpieces of jewelry presented at the exhibition - the famous Easter eggs made for the royal family and other customers, as well as precious ornate portrait frames, cigarette cases, watches, and small egg charms. And yet. Thirty-five thousand visitors is a decent figure for a museum, but for the vast city of Moscow it is insignificant. That is, not many people came to the exhibition - some were stopped by the prices of tickets, others were stopped by queues.
Already at the press conference of the exhibition in the Kremlin, it was announced that the collection was in for a great journey. Representative of the Link of Times Foundation Andrei Shtorkh told Vremya Novostei that the foundation’s task is to make the collection accessible to as many viewers as possible. First of all, this applies to those who work in the same team with Mr. Vekselberg. Therefore, immediately after the Kremlin Museums, a private showing was organized in the office of the SUAL holding, many of whose employees were not able to see the exhibition in the Kremlin - they worked on weekdays and spent weekends outside the city. An example of caring for employees was the previous owner of the collection - Forbes also showed treasures in his office. During one day of viewing, organized by departments, the exhibition in the office was visited by 1,174 people. For two more days the collection was shown in a friendly company - Gazprom. The limited time of displays, a day or two, is dictated by insurance conditions: the collection cannot leave the Sberbank building for a long time.
The next place where the collection will be exhibited should be Yekaterinburg. And because this place is connected with the memory of the unfortunate royal family, whose personal property was the now famous treasures, and because eleven enterprises of the holding are located in the region. In Yekaterinburg, they want to make the price of a ticket - presumably the location of the show will be a branch of the local history museum - more than affordable, about 25 rubles. They are going to bring employees of their enterprises to the exhibition specifically so that they know where their work goes. The global idea, as Mr. Storch said, is not only industrial, but also human cooperation.
After Yekaterinburg, the collection will be seen in St. Petersburg - most likely the exhibition will be organized in the Hermitage. Future plans include Irkutsk and Tyumen.
The collection will travel with its own showcases - they were made according to a special order and tested in the Kremlin Museums. According to Mr. Storch, the three-hundred-kilogram display cases are equipped with all the mechanisms that ensure the necessary climatic conditions and the safety of the exhibits. Even storing, not to mention organizing complex trips, works of art is a delicate, complex and expensive matter. The brilliantly adjusted technical side and the money invested cannot save from minor mistakes, which can lead to big troubles when handling such fragile objects - as far as we know, an experienced museum curator has not yet been assigned to the collection.
The owners of the collection also plan to show it abroad. Since the treasures appeared in Russia under temporary import conditions, the collection will simply have to leave the borders of the fatherland. Otherwise, she faces customs sanctions. According to Mr. Storch, the customs officers themselves advised that the collection be imported on a temporary basis - otherwise it would have been practically banned from further export abroad and participation in foreign exhibitions. It is believed that the very import of the collection was a victory for common sense - private individuals were finally allowed to import works of art without paying duties. But domestic customs legislation needs further improvement - then works of art can be imported with permanent status.
Opinion of Elena GAGARINA, General Director of the Moscow Kremlin Museums.
-- How can you evaluate the last exhibition?
In my opinion, the exhibition “Faberge: Lost and Found” was very successful; all the museum staff made every effort to prepare and open this exhibition in a very short time. We are grateful to Mr. Vekselberg, the Link of Times Foundation and everyone who took part in this project, and we hope that our cooperation will continue. About 35 thousand people visited the exhibition, and this is wonderful. The exhibition was deployed in the Patriarchal Palace of the Moscow Kremlin - a unique monument of the 17th century, requiring special careful treatment, taking into account the peculiarities of the construction of that time, and the capabilities of the building. The interest in the exhibition was so great that it was necessary to specially organize the exhibition into sessions so that visitors could view the exhibits rather than try to squeeze through the crowd. Faina BALAKHOVSKAYA |
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