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Museums of the Ukraine by Galina IGrilyuk 38. GOSSUDARSTVENNY ISTORICI-IESKI MUBEY (State History Museum), Kiev. Exhibits on the war of 1877-1878. (MusCe d‘fitat d’histoire), Kiev. Exposition de souvenirs de la guerre de 1577-1878. 38. GOSSOUDAKSTVENNY ISTORITCIIESKI MOUZEf 37. GOSSUDARSTVENNY LITERATURNO-HUDO- chenko State Literature and Art Museum), Kiev. Façade. 39. GOSSOUDARSTVENNY LITERATOUKNO-KHOU- DOJESTVENNY MOUZE~ CHEVTCHENKO (Le Muste d‘Etat de litterature et d’art Chevtchenko), Kiev. FaGade. JESTVBNNY bfCJZEY SIIEVCHENKO (The Shev- Many monuments relating to the long history of the Ukrainian people have been preserved to this day. In the cities of Kiev, Chernigov, Galitch and Vladimir- Volynsky, for instance, there are curious examples of old Russian architecture dating back to the Ioth, 11th and 12th centuries. Among them are such world- famous edifices as St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, with its magnificent mosaics and frescoes, and the Church of St. Cyril which contains the tomb of Prince Yury Dol- goruki, the founder of Moscow. Ukrainian museums have extremely good archaeological collections of the Paleo- lithic and Neolithic periods, of the Copper and Bronze Ages and many finds from excavations carried out in such ancient cities as Olbia, Chersonesus and Panticapaeum and on the sites of old Russian cities of the IGev period. In pre-revolutionary times, there were thirty-six museums, mainly archaeological, in the Ukraine. They came into being sporadicallyand were generally private collections belonging to lovers of antiquity. After the revolution a large number of museums of the most varied character were founded in the Ukraine : historico-revolutionary, memorial, regional, ethnographic and others. During the Second World War these museums suffered heavy damage. Hitler’s troops levelled to the ground many historical monuments, demolished seventy museum buildings and plundered some of the Republic’s most valuable collections. After the war most of the museums had to be completely rebuilt. Today there are one hundred and fdty major museums in the Ukraine, including forty-nine regional museums, twenty-five art galleries, twenty-nine literary and memorial museums and five archaeological museums. One of the most popular and important is the State History Museum, Kiev (fig. 38): it is particularly well known for its unique archaeological and coin col- lections. Its site, too, is of great historical interest. It is on Mount Starokievskaya where remains of 7th century pagan altars have been found as also parts of the foundations of the church of the Tithes erected in the 10th century by prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich. This museum attracts large crowds of visitors of many ages and walks of life. In the last six months of 1961 alone the museum’s attendance was 237,717. The PereJraslav-~.k~i&3d~ical Museum is the Ukraine’s latest historical museum, with an extremely valuable collection. It was founded in 1954 in com- memoration of the three hundredth anniversary of the reunion of the Ukraine with Russia. Pereyaslav was one of the largest cities of the Russian State during the pre- Mongol period. The exhibition sheds light on its early history, illustrates the heroic struggles of the Ukrainians against the Polish knights from the 14th to the 16th centuries and also the story of the war of liberation of 1647-1654, which ended with the reuniting of the Ukraine with Russia. The museum’s archaeological section is of considerable interest. It has some rare finds from excavations on the sites of ancient glass and jewellery workshops, as well as numerous fragments of old Russian architecture, remains of lead roofs, etc. The art museums have varied collections with many valuable Ukrainian, Russian and foreign works of art. The Ukraine’s three largest art museums are in IGev. They are the Myseum of Ukrainian Art, the Museum of Russian Art and the Museum c__L__c_ v of Western and Eastern Art?- ?he N a Q - f Ukrainian Art was founded in 1899. It has the finest cbllection of Ukrainian art in the Republic, including icons from the 15th to the 18th centuries, pictures by folk artists of the 17th and 18th centuries, and a very large collection of works by Ukrainian artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. This museum also has a large collection of Ukrainian decorative arts: 42,000 objects -ceramics, embroidery, wood-carving, murals, textiles, etc.

Les musées de l'Ukraine

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Page 1: Les musées de l'Ukraine

Museums of the Ukraine

by Galina IGrilyuk

38. GOSSUDARSTVENNY ISTORICI-IESKI MUBEY (State History Museum), Kiev. Exhibits on the war of 1877-1878.

(MusCe d‘fitat d’histoire), Kiev. Exposition de souvenirs de la guerre de 1577-1878.

38. GOSSOUDAKSTVENNY ISTORITCIIESKI MOUZEf

37. GOSSUDARSTVENNY LITERATURNO-HUDO-

chenko State Literature and Art Museum), Kiev. Façade. 39. GOSSOUDARSTVENNY LITERATOUKNO-KHOU- DOJESTVENNY MOUZE~ CHEVTCHENKO (Le Muste d‘Etat de litterature et d’art Chevtchenko), Kiev. FaGade.

JESTVBNNY bfCJZEY SIIEVCHENKO (The Shev-

Many monuments relating to the long history of the Ukrainian people have been preserved to this day. In the cities of Kiev, Chernigov, Galitch and Vladimir- Volynsky, for instance, there are curious examples of old Russian architecture dating back to the Ioth, 11th and 12th centuries. Among them are such world- famous edifices as St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, with its magnificent mosaics and frescoes, and the Church of St. Cyril which contains the tomb of Prince Yury Dol- goruki, the founder of Moscow.

Ukrainian museums have extremely good archaeological collections of the Paleo- lithic and Neolithic periods, of the Copper and Bronze Ages and many finds from excavations carried out in such ancient cities as Olbia, Chersonesus and Panticapaeum and on the sites of old Russian cities of the IGev period.

In pre-revolutionary times, there were thirty-six museums, mainly archaeological, in the Ukraine. They came into being sporadically and were generally private collections belonging to lovers of antiquity. After the revolution a large number of museums of the most varied character were founded in the Ukraine : historico-revolutionary, memorial, regional, ethnographic and others. During the Second World War these museums suffered heavy damage. Hitler’s troops levelled to the ground many historical monuments, demolished seventy museum buildings and plundered some of the Republic’s most valuable collections. After the war most of the museums had to be completely rebuilt.

Today there are one hundred and fdty major museums in the Ukraine, including forty-nine regional museums, twenty-five art galleries, twenty-nine literary and memorial museums and five archaeological museums.

One of the most popular and important is the State History Museum, Kiev (fig. 38): it is particularly well known for its unique archaeological and coin col- lections. Its site, too, is of great historical interest. It is on Mount Starokievskaya where remains of 7th century pagan altars have been found as also parts of the foundations of the church of the Tithes erected in the 10th century by prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich. This museum attracts large crowds of visitors of many ages and walks of life. In the last six months of 1961 alone the museum’s attendance was 237,717.

The P e r e J r a s l a v - ~ . k ~ i & 3 d ~ i c a l Museum is the Ukraine’s latest historical museum, with an extremely valuable collection. It was founded in 1954 in com- memoration of the three hundredth anniversary of the reunion of the Ukraine with Russia. Pereyaslav was one of the largest cities of the Russian State during the pre- Mongol period. The exhibition sheds light on its early history, illustrates the heroic struggles of the Ukrainians against the Polish knights from the 14th to the 16th centuries and also the story of the war of liberation of 1647-1654, which ended with the reuniting of the Ukraine with Russia. The museum’s archaeological section is of considerable interest. It has some rare finds from excavations on the sites of ancient glass and jewellery workshops, as well as numerous fragments of old Russian architecture, remains of lead roofs, etc.

The art museums have varied collections with many valuable Ukrainian, Russian and foreign works of art. The Ukraine’s three largest art museums are in IGev. They are the Myseum of Ukrainian Art, the Museum of Russian Art and the Museum

c__L__c_ v of Western and Eastern Art?-

?he NaQ-f Ukrainian Art was founded in 1899. It has the finest cbllection of Ukrainian art in the Republic, including icons from the 15th to the 18th centuries, pictures by folk artists of the 17th and 18th centuries, and a very large collection of works by Ukrainian artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. This museum also has a large collection of Ukrainian decorative arts: 42,000 objects -ceramics, embroidery, wood-carving, murals, textiles, etc.

Page 2: Les musées de l'Ukraine

The National Museum of Russian Art ranks next to the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and the Russian hkuseum in Leningrad. Organized in 1922 from nationalized private collections, this museum shows the main stages in the development of Russian and Soviet fine and applied arts, from the 12th century to modern times.

The collection of the National Museum of Western and Eastern Art is divided into three sections: Antique Art, Western European Art and Eastern Art. The two former include the art of Ancient Greece and Rome, Byzantine art and West European art of the Renaissance period.1 The Eastern Art section covers the art of ancient Egypt, from 3000 B.C. to A.D. 600, the art of the peoples of the Soviet East (Central Asia and the Caucasus), Arab art from the 10th to the I j th centuries (Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia), Hispano-Moorish art of the 13th to the 17th centuries, the art of India (16th to the 20th centuries), and Japanese art of the 16th to the 19th centuries; but the most interesting and richest collections are of the art of China and Iran.

The Ukraine’s leading museum of archaeology is the National Archaeological Museum in Odessa containing more than I yo,ooo objects : moncuinents of antiquity, coEïï ïographlcspecimens and architectural fragments, sculpture, objects made of glass, copper, bronze and iron. The number of visitors to this museum is nearly I j 0,000 a year. The museum is an excellent study centre for students of archaeology. It regularly publishes research papers, catalogues, and reports on the study and pre- servation of ancient monuments.

Another of the Ukraine’s large museums is the Chernovtsi Regional Museum. It has forty exhibition rooms and a special lecture líá11 equipped for the project?óñ of films. The museum’s scientific staff keeps in close touch with the population of the region. Travelling in special museum buses equipped with radio and film pro- jectors, they give lectures and talks to the collective farmers and timber workers of the outlying areas.

A museum of literature and art in Iaevis devoted to the works of Taras Shevchenko (fig. 39-41), the great Ukrainian poet and painter. The museum owns over 4,000 pic- tures, sculptures and works of graphic art, including 800 by Shevchenlro himself. There are also first editions of the works of this revolutionary poet, documents showing his struggle against the oppression of the Tsarist rkgime and his close contact with the Russian revolutionaries, and some of his personal belongings.

In recent years about 400 “Public-sponsored” museums have been set up in the Ukraine. These are organized and run by enthusiastic members of the public who voluntarily devote their leisure to them. These museums are often found in towns or villages where outstanding men of science, literature or art were born (fig. 42-46). They receive assistance from the State and State museums and also from cultural and educational organiza- tions.

Ukrainian museums are constantly adding to their collections. To this end they organize archaeological and ethno- graphical expeditions.

In recent years attendance has grown rapidly. Whereas in 1956 museums in the Ukraine had three and a half million visitors, in 1960 the total had increased to nearly six million.

The popularity of a museum depends greatly on its educational activities, and Ukrainian museums do a great deal of work of this kind, organizing study groups and lectures and arranging public meetings, excursions and exhibitions.

I. Among the museum’s great masterpieces are Perugino’s AIadoniia and Child, Portrait of the I&anta Alargarita by Velasquez and Goya’s Portrait of a !Yoman.

p. DOhi-hfUZEY SHEVCHENKO, Kiev. The house where the great Ukrainian poet lived in 1846. 40. DohiE-MousEï CHEVTCHENKO, I<iev. Mai- son où vécut le grand pokte ukrainien en 1846.

dr . DOAT-MUZEY SHEVCHENKO, Kiev. The room in which the poet lived : his writing desk, easel, books from his private collection, and other personal belongings. di. DoME-ib~ouZEï CHEVTCHENKO, Kiev. La chambre du poite: son bureau, son chevalet, des livres de sa bibliothkque et d‘autres objets personnels.

Page 3: Les musées de l'Ukraine

Les musées de l'Ukraine

par Galina Iarilyuk De nombreux monuments témoignent encore aujourd'hui de la longue histoire du peuple ukrainien ; à Kiev, à Tchernigov, à Galitch, à Vladinir-Volynski subsistent de très curieux vestiges de l'architecture russe ancienne (X~-SII~ siècle), entre autres, des chefs-d'œuvre de renommée mondiale, tels que la cathédrale Sainte-Sophie à Kiev avec ses mosaïques et ses fresques admirables, et l'église Saint-Cyrille où se trouve le tombeau du prince Youri Dolgoroulsi, fondateur de Moscou. Lg Les musées ukrainiens possèdent d'excellentes collections archéologiques des époques paléolithique et néolithique, de l'âge du cuivre et de celui du bronze, ainsi que des objets découverts lors des fouilles faites dans les villes antiques d'Olbia, de Chersonésos, de Panticapée, etc., et les anciennes cités russes de la période kiévienne.

Avant la révolution, on comptait en Ukraine 36 musées, archéologiques pour la plupart. Ils s'étaient constitués d'une fason tout à fait spontanée et le plus souvent à partir de collections privées d'amateurs d'antiquités. Mais, sous le régime sovié- tique a été créé un rtseau de musées de toutes les disciplines : musées d'histoire de la révolution, ,de la littérature, musées commémoratifs, ethnographiques, régionaux, etc. La seconde guerre mondiale a causé des pertes inestimables aux musées de l'Ukraine. Les troupes hitlériennes ont détruit de nombreux monuments historiques (dont 70 bâtiments de musées qu'il a fallu entièrement reconstruire après les hos- tilités) et piué quelques-unes des collections les plus précieuses.

Aujourd'hui l'Ukraine compte I j o musées nationaux dont 49 musées régionaux, z j musées d'art, 29 musées de littérature et musées commémoratifs, et j musées

Le Musée nationald'histoire à IGev (fig. 38) est renommé pour ses collections d'archéologie et de numismatique, uniques en leur genre, et parce qu'il est situé en un lieu historique sur le mont Starolrievskaia, où l'on a exhumé des vestiges d'autels païens du V I I ~ siècle, ainsi qu'une partie des fondations de l'tglise de la Dime, construite au xe siècle sous le prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich. Le musée attire un public très varié (237 717 entrées au cours du second semestre 1961).

Le Musée d'histoire de Pereiaslav-Khmielnitski est le plus récent et, en même temps, l'un des plus importants par la valeur de sa collection. I1 a été fondé en I 9 5 4 pour commémorer le tricentenaire de sa réunification avec la Russie. Pereiaslav fut, à l'époque prémongole, l'une des villes les plus importantes de l'État russe. L'exposition du musée retrace l'histoire initiale de la ville, illustre la lutte héroïque du peuple ukrainien contre les chevaliers polonais du X I V ~ au X V I ~ siècle, ainsi que la guerre libératrice de 1648-16j4, qui se termina par la réunification avec la Russie. La section d'archéologie est particulièrement intéressante, car elle comprend des objets rares découverts lors des fouilles effectuées dans les anciens ateliers d F verrerie, d'orfèvrerie, ainsi qu'une multitude de fragments d'archi- tecture russe ancienne, les éléments d'une toiture en plomb, etc.

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42. DOM-RIUZEY PIROGOVA, Vinnitsa. The country house where Pirogov lived, from I 866 to 1881. 42- DOhfE-hIOUzEy PIROGOVA, Vinnitsa. La mai- son de campagne où vCcut Pirogov de 1866 i 1881. d'archéologie.

43. DOM-MUZEY, PIROGOVA, Vinnitsa. One of the rooms. 43. D O M E - ~ ~ O U Z E ~ PIROGOVA. Une des cham- bres de la maison. ._

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Page 4: Les musées de l'Ukraine

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Les musées d'art possèdent des collections très variées d'œuvres d'art ukrainien, russe et monda1 de grande valeur. Les trois plus importants se trouvent à Kiev: Musée d'art ukrainien, Musée d'art russe et niIusée d'art occidental et oriental.

L l Musée national d'art ukrainien a été tondé en 1.899. I1 possède aujourd'hui uie très riche collection comprenant notamment des icônes ukrainiennes du X V ~ au S V T I I ~ siècle, des spécimens de peinture populaire du X V I I ~ au X I X ~ siècle, de nom- breuses œuvres d'artistes nationaux des X I X ~ et X X ~ siècles. I1 a également une collec- tion de 42 o00 objets d'art décoratif ukr inien (céramique, broderies, sculptures sur bois, peintures murales, tissus, etc.).

Le Musée national d'art russe vient en troisième position après la GaJerie Trétiakov de Moscou et le Musée russe de Leningrad. Fondé en 1922 avec des collections pri- vées nationalisées, il montre les principales étapes du développement des arts et des arts appliqués russes et soviétiques du X I I ~ siècle à nos jours.

Quant au Musée national d'art occidental et oriental, sa collection est divisée en trois sections : art antique, art d'Europe occidentale, art oriental (les deux ,premières comprenant la Grèce, Rome, Byzance et la Renaissance1).

La section d'art oriental groupe l'art égyptien (3000 av. J.-C. à 600 après J.-C.), l'art des peuples orientaux de l'Union soviétique (Asie centrale et Caucase), l'art arabe du x e au X V ~ siècle (Égypte, Syrie, IvICsopotamie), l'art hispano-mauresque du SIII~ au X V I I ~ siècle, l'art indien du X V I ~ au X X ~ siècle, l'art japonais du X V I ~ au XIX" siècle. Mais les collections les plus riches et les plus intéressantes sont celles de Chine et d'Iran.

Parmi les musées d'archéologie de la République ukrainienne, le plus important est, sans aucun doute, le Musée national d'archéologie à Odessa, avec plus de I j o o00 objets. Ses collections comprennent notamment des monuments antiques, des monnaies, des spécimens ethnographiques, des fragments architecturaux, des sculptures, de la verrerie, des objets en cuivre, en bronze et en fer. Excellent centre d'ftudes pour les étudiants en archéologie, il fait paraître régulièrement des . commu- &pés sctentifiques, catalogues, etc., et enregistre environ I jo ooo entrées par 'an.

Le Musée régional z o v t s y est un des autres grands musées de l'Ukraine. Ses c o i m o n s occupent quarante salles. Il possède également une sal&& confé- rences, équipée d'une installation de projection cinématographique. Son personnel scientifique est en contact permanent avec la population locale. Il parcourt la region dans descars munis de postes de radio et d'installations de projection, fait des confé- rences aux kolkhoziens et aux bûcherons de la région.

Un musée d'art et de littérature à Kiev est consacré à l'œuvre du grand poète et peintre-u-g. 39-41). I1 possède, outre des œuvres littéraires, plus de 4000 toiles, dessins et sculptures dont quelque 800 ouvrages originaux de Chevtchenko lui-même. On y trouve également les premières éditions de différentes œuvres littéraires du poète révolutionnaire, des documents illustrant la lutte qu'il mena contre l'oppression du régime tsariste, et d'autres montrant les contacts étroits qu'il entretenait avec les révolutionnaires russes, enfin des objets

. Récemment, on a ouvert en Ukraine près de 400 sées dits populaire dont tous personnels.

les collaborateyrs sont dps -enthousiastes qui <onsacregLlears heures de loisir à titre bénévole. Ces musées se trouvent souvent dans les villes ou villages natals d'éminents hommes de sciences, littérateurs ou artistes (fig. 42-46). Ils resoivent l'aide de I'État, d'organismes culturels et éducatifs, ainsi que des musées nationaux.

Les musées d'Ukraine enrichissent constamment leurs collections. A cette fin, ils organisent des expéditions a r c h é o l o w et ethnographiques.

Le nombre de visiteurs est en accroissement continuel; c'est ainsi qu'en 1960 on comptait près de 6 millions d'entrées contre 3 millions et demi en 1916.

La popularité des musées dépendant beaucoup de la diversité de leurs activités éducatives, ceux d'Ukraine mettent à leur programme des cercles d'étud- conférences, des réunions publiques, des excursions, des expositions.

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44. MUZEY SHEVCHENKO, Kanev. Façade. 44. MOUZEÏ CHEVTCHENKO, Kanev. Façade.

41. Dohr-&fuZEY SLOWATSKOGO, Kremenets. Exterior view of Slowatsky's house. 41. DOME-h.IOUZEÏ SLOWATSKOGO, Icremenets. Vue exttrieure de la maison de Slowatsky.

46. Dohr-hIuzEu SLOWATSKOGO, Tcremenets. Slow-atzky's room. 46. Dom-MouzEÏ SLOVATSKOGO, Icremenets. La chambre de Slowatsky.

I. Signalons entre autres une Nadotae à Z'eti-

fanf, chef-d'œuvre du Pérugin,. le Portrait de I 'infatiie Marguerite de Velasquez et un Portrait de.fimme de Goya.

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