With the return of “Trinity” Rublev in the exposition of the Tretyakov Gallery, there was a pause

And “Ivan the Terrible” cannot be shown due to the lack of imported glass

A press conference dedicated to the present and future of the Tretyakov Gallery was held in Moscow. Its participants were the managers and specialists of the museum, who collectively summed up the results of nine months of work online and offline.

So, according to the director of the Tretyakov Gallery, Zelfira Tregulova, in 2022, 1 million 300 thousand people have already visited the museum. Even if the visitors were counted taking into account all the newly opened branches (which are created not only in Moscow, but also in Vladivostok, Kaliningrad and Samara), the figure is still impressive. Last year, by the way, 960 thousand people became guests of the Tretyakov Gallery during the same time. Of course, in pre-pandemic times, two million guests were the norm, but now attendance is only recovering. At the same time, Zelfira Ismailovna explains the growing popularity of museum spaces by no means by the abolition of restrictions:

“People are drawn to museums, knowing instinctively that museums have therapeutic properties. This is how they deal with reality.

True, in order for the gallery to become rose-colored glasses that save you from the news on TV, museum workers have to work, and opening exhibitions is only part of their efforts. (Although 300 thousand people went to Vasnetsov alone, there is also an exhibition dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Sergei Diaghilev, again to the 150th anniversary – an exhibition in honor of the architect Alexei Shchusev and many other projects). Scientific, search work is being carried out – for example, after the rupture of relations with Western colleagues, the paintings of eminent European painters had to be looked for in domestic funds – this is also a kind of “import substitution”. In general, the struggle is for each visitor and each unit of storage.

So, the painting “Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan on November 16, 1581” (popular title: “Ivan the Terrible kills his son”), which survived the attack of the vandal four years ago and restored by the spring of this year, is now not exhibited, but cherished. Only a few dozen journalists saw the masterpiece.

“We received funds for the manufacture of a niche and a capsule. But bulletproof, anti-reflective and anti-vandal glass is produced only in Japan and Italy,” Tregulova admits. And it is not so easy to replace highly specialized foreign products in the conditions of import substitution.

In conclusion, we note that there was a pause with the return of Andrey Rublev to the permanent exhibition of the Trinity. Two months have passed since the trip to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra of one of the most famous Russian icons, but it is still being preserved. And the question of the MK correspondent about when the image of the Trinity, created by the brilliant icon painter, will be exhibited again in the museum, unfortunately, was not announced in the studio for two hours on air. But the presenter and museum workers found time to exchange pleasantries and jokes.

Published in the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” No. 28873 dated September 21, 2022

Newspaper headline:
Japanese shield for Ivan the Terrible