March 30, 2011

On PBS next week: Desert of Forbidden Art

"These works are a physical expression of a collective vision that could not be destroyed."

The words of Igor Savitsky, a man who single-handedly saved over 40,000 works of avant-garde Soviet art by hiding them in plain sight. Well, in plain sight in a completely out of the way museum in Nukus, Karakalpakstan (Uzbekistan).

"I found these paintings rolled up under the beds of old widows, buried in family trash, in dark corners of artists' studios, sometimes even patching a hole in the roof. I ended up with a collection that no one in the Soviet Union would dare to exhibit."

– Igor Savitsky

Savitsky's story is one of amazing determination and singular vision, of a man completely obsessed with his work, denying all other things, including his health (which lead to his early death). He traveled all over the Soviet Union, gathering up hidden, forgotten, forbidden works of art, and promised to pay widows and children, artists and collectors, if only they gave him their works for safekeeping at his museum. Savitsky's work brought to light artists whose legacy might have otherwise disappeared into a black hole of obscurity, because they did not fit within the bounds of officially sanctioned Socialist Realism. Artists like Volkov, Kurzin, Borovaya, Rybnikov and Korovay, all profiled in this wonderful documentary, might never otherwise have been known.

The interviews and film clips of Savitsky, of the museum, interviews with the current director, etc. make this a beautiful, engaging documentary. But the images of the paintings themselves are just breathtaking. The brilliant, vibrant colors, the fascinating melding of styles from the East and from the West (oriental miniaturism with icon painting with Impressionism), are not to be missed. And, barring a trip to Nukus, this may be the only way you see them. Because the museum, despite being financially strapped, has refused to sell off any of its works to finance ongoing operations, because they know it would not stop there, that the sell-off would be used to buy tractors and medical supplies...

Be sure to catch this excellent work on Independent Lens, next Tuesday (April 5). But check local listings as times may vary. For more information, check out the PBS page for the film.

p.s. This just in: a NYT article reports that the museum is again facing political censorship issues.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided.

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

Resilience ~ The Russian Version (Переживем)

Call it resilience, grit, or just perseverance – it takes a special sort of person to have survived the last 100 years of Russian and Soviet history.

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious.

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.