Ten Centuries of Art in Belarus is a grand exhibition project organized by OJSC Belgazprombank in cooperation with OJSC Gazprom Transgaz Belarus, the Ministry of Culture and the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus.
The purpose of the exhibition is to present the art of Belarus as a lively and continuous process, integrated into the global art space. During four months residents and guests of Minsk (the capital of the Republic of Belarus) will be having a look at the remarkable pieces of the art of Belarus. Many of the exhibits will be on display for the first time. This great exhibition of Belarusian art pieces for ten centuries from Byzantium to the present day has been never collected to be displayed before at a single location! There are about 500 exhibits. They have been examined by art experts. Many of them have been restored. Anyway, the project involves almost all the museums of the country, including regional ones, and also private collectors and corporate collections.
The pearls of the exposition will be new acquisitions by Belgazprombank – the pieces of works by the outstanding artists who have not been displayed in their homeland Belarus yet.
First, viewers will have a look at the book “Rod of Government of 1667 by Simeon of Polotsk, two paintings by Marc Chagall and Chaim Soutine’s painting created in the heyday of the great artists. The “Portrait of Thomas Zahn by a famous artist of Romanticism Walenty Wankowicz is something special here. This is the only picture that has been currently returned to its historical homeland. The talented artist made the most of his works exactly in Belarus, but it did not have any originals by the master up to now. The museum’s branch “The House of the Wankowicz Family has been for 13 years, and last year the restored estate of the Wankowicz family began to work. The art heritage of the Wankowicz family was exported to other countries or lost during the two world wars.
The original book “Rod of Government of 1667 by Simeon of Polotsk will be displayed within the project “Ten Centuries of Art in Belarus. The photo has been published for the first time.
15 art experts from all the regions of Belarus and highly professional museum’s staff had taken part in this project. The best designers of Belarus, Lithuania and Russia had been engaged in the activities on the exhibition.
By the exhibition the catalogue will have been published in three languages. The catalogue multimedia version and audio guides for individual and family visiting will have been prepared also.
Each visitor will be provided with a free booklet with the exposition plan and its description. The texts in Belarusian, Russian and English for each section of the exhibition, and self-service terminals will give an up-close look at the exhibits. Within the project visitors will attend various concerts and film shows.
