Museum russian collection washington dc8/17/2023 ![]() A few days after the collection was removed in preparation for the Russian withdrawal, photos emerged on Facebook of dozens of works from the collection stacked up in storage in the Central Taurida Museum in occupied Simferopol, Crimea. “All the collections of Mariupol were lost because of one thing only - because of the reluctance of the ministry to deal exclusively with this issue.”įor the Kherson collection, the damage has been done. Pavlo Andriushchenko, advisor to the Mayor of Mariupol, responded to Tkachenko’s interview on Telegram, reflecting the blame on the ministry.“It would have been great to see at least one piece of paper signed by him, ordering the evacuation of the valuables of Mariupol, overruling the restrictions for the movement of valuables approved by the ministry,” Andriushenko wrote. “Local authorities, managers, and mayors, and governors told me exactly this: ‘There is no need to sow panic for the local population, everything is fine with us,’” said Culture and Information Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko in an interview to Ukrainian Pravda. The evacuations that never happened are the subject of an ugly blame game between the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and local authorities, with both accusing the other of inaction in evacuating priceless museum collections before it was too late. These losses could have been prevented by well-prepared evacuation plans put into place when Russia’s invasion became an increasing likelihood. The collection of the Kherson Fine Arts Museum joins the Arkhip Kuindzhi Museum in Mariupol among others in the list of priceless cultural assets Ukraine has lost due to Russia’s invasion. Calls by Dotsenko to evacuate the collection fell upon deaf ears as Kherson fell to Russian forces in a matter of days. ![]() 24, as the building was undergoing major restoration works. ![]() The museum’s collection was already in storage when Russia’s full-scale invasion was launched on Feb. ![]() “We didn't expand our collection for the sake of money or status,” she said, “but because of what it meant to the city.” “I haven’t really lived these last few months, I have only worried and worried."įrom intricate 17th century Orthodox icons to works by a multitude of Ukrainian, Russian, and other European masters including Ivan Aivazovsky, Vasily Polenov, Auguste von Bayer and Peter Lely, the museum’s collection was Dotsenko’s pride and joy. “Are you trying to bring me to tears again?” she said when asked to recall the day. 12, a day after Ukrainian troops entered the city, only to arrive at work for all her fears about the museum to be confirmed. Joy upon the liberation of Kherson comes with a bitter aftertaste for Dotsenko, who had initially fled to Ukrainian-controlled territory in early May, after she had refused to host a Victory Day event held by occupation authorities in the museum.ĭotsenko returned to Kherson in a Security Service convoy on Nov. Director Alina Dotsenko (R) and archive worker Hanna Skrypka in Dotsenko's office in the Kherson Fine Arts Museum on Nov. “I still can’t bring myself to sit where they sat,” she said, referring to her Russian-installed replacement, a local singer called Natalia Desiatova, who oversaw the looting of the museum’s collection. 16 in her personal office at the museum, director Alina Dotsenko, 72, steered clear of her old work desk, shuffling closer to the window where the last dim light of the day was making its way in. All that remains now of the once flourishing museum is the building itself, and inside it, the two last staff members who refused to collaborate with Russia. Stolen equipment and monuments can be replaced, but priceless artworks cannot. The Russian campaign of theft was comprehensive and wide ranging, covering everything from hospital equipment and public monuments to an unfortunate raccoon living in Kherson Zoo. Russia’s withdrawal from Kherson was a well-planned operation, a key component of which was the looting of anything deemed to be of financial or cultural value. Of the over 14,000 works in its collection, barely anything remains. KHERSON - Housed in a grand imperial building with a view out onto the Dnipro River, the Kherson Fine Arts Museum once hosted one of the richest collections in all of Ukraine.Īs with the rest of Kherson, which had its electricity infrastructure destroyed by withdrawing Russian forces in early November, the halls of the museum are now cold and dark.įar more tragically, the Kherson Fine Arts Museum has been emptied of all its works by Russian officials.
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