Melnikov's house: Another open letter

Architects, art historians and representatives of the museum community wrote an open letter to the Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky and presidential adviser to Vladimir Tolstoy, in which they expressed their opinion about the situation around Melnikov’s house.

The letter was written shortly after the recent publication on Colta.ru, in which another group of art historians, architectural historians, members of the professional architectural and museum community formulated their position.

Colta.ru completely gives the text of the letter:


Recently, around the absolutely legitimate actions of the State Museum of Architecture named after A.V. Schusev, who saves the world famous monument - the house -master Konstantin Melnikova, is unleashed by the information war. People representing the actions of the museum illegal and unethical deliberately mislead the public, deliberately distorting or concealing facts.

Over the past three years, the State Museum of Architecture has taken all possible measures for the speedy execution of the will by V.K. Melnikova and the organization of the museum in the house. The Architecture Museum initiated and achieved an increase in the security status of the monument to the federal. The concept of the Museum of Konstantin and Viktor Melnikov, approved by the Scientific and Methodological Council of the Ministry of Culture of Russia and the directors of the leading museums of Russia, was developed. The museum allocated premises for placing a permanent exposition and a stock. At the initiative of the museum, as its branch, the Ministry of Culture in February 2014 was established by the State Museum of Konstantin and Viktor Melnikov. In addition, the Architecture Museum in October 2013 took on security obligations and is now obliged to take measures to save the monument and create a memorial museum in it.

Despite the fact that in his public speeches illegally living in the house E.V. Karinskaya repeatedly declared her readiness and desire to create a museum of her grandfather and father, in fact, as soon as this museum became a reality, she underwent and prevents his creation under any pretext. Moreover, not bearing any real responsibility for the state of the monument, she carried out illegal repair work, as a result of which the original design of the roof and heating system was lost. Melnikov’s house became a platform for corporate events and a film, private excursions, the so -called subbotniks, and other public events were regularly held in the house. At the same time, there were no measures to preserve the house and objects of the memorial atmosphere, painting, graphics.

On the contrary, E.V. Karinskaya issued museum items for third -party exhibitions, without drawing up not only insurance documents, but not even drawing up an inventory and acts of transmission of things. As a result, serious discrepancies with the inventories compiled by Viktor Melnikov in the late 1990s have already been identified. There is reason to believe that part of the painting and graphics, as well as archival documents from the house, simply disappeared. And those things that are in the house are stored in terrifying conditions: the furniture is drying out, the painting covered with a long layer of dust is crumbling, the fungus eats graphics and books. It is quite obvious that if urgent measures are not taken, then the restoration of the contents of the house will cost much more than the restoration of the house itself.

We believe that the actions of the museum of architecture in this situation are forced and absolutely legal. Moreover, their cessation or prolongation will affect the monument in the most destructive way. Given the fact that the museum is represented by the owner, which is the Russian Federation, as well as the obligations to preserve the house and its contents, which the museum has accepted on itself, all actions that cause the resentment of the defenders of the interests of Karinskaya - the production of the monument under the protection, the termination of uncontrolled access to the house of strangers, conducting the inventory of the memorial atmosphere and others - are presented the only possible to preserve the house and its own memorial atmosphere. The museum’s actions are open and transparent - they are covered not only on the official website of the museum, but also on social networks and in the press. In our opinion, in this situation, there is one way of salvation of the monument and its contents - the continuation of the museumification of the house and its speedy discovery for all comers.

Dear Vladimir Rostislavovich! Dear Vladimir Ilyich! We ask you to support the State Museum of Architecture named after A.V. Schusev in saving the monument and the creation of the Museum of Konstantin and Viktor Melnikov. We believe that joint efforts will finally lead to specific results, and the names of Konstantin and Viktor Melnikov will cease to be associated with endless scandals and courts.

Sincerely,

A.L. Bavykin, architect

E.A. Bogatyrev, Director of the State Museum A.S. Pushkin

A.V. Bokov, President of the Union of Architects of Russia

A.V. Ginzburg, architect

A.V. Kuzmin, President of the Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences

A.K. Levykin, Director of the State Historical Museum

B.V. Levant, architect

S.P. Melnichenko, General Director of the NP Guild of Architects and Designers, Architect, UN Expert

D.V. Rodionov, General Director of the State Central Theater Museum. A.A. Bakhrushin

N.V. Sipovskaya, Director of the State Institute of Art of Art, Doctor of Art History

A.A. Skokan, director of the Ostozhenka architectural bureau

TO. Shvidkovsky, Rector of Markhi, Academician Rah and Raasn

N.I. Shumakov, President of the Union of Moscow Architects

V.Z. Ceretheli, Executive Director of the Moscow Museum of Contemporary Art