By Yekaterina Sidelova
A collection of 23 canvases by Ivan Khrutsky has returned to Minsk from the State Tretyakov Gallery. They were on show there for one and a half months, alongside another 12 artworks from the Russian museum’s collection by the Belarusian master, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth.
According to Vladimir Prokoptsov, Director of the National Art Museum of Belarus, the show aroused true delight. Last year was marked with enhanced interest in the artist’s legacy, with Polotsk hosting an international scientific-practical conference entitled Ivan Khrutsky: Dialogue of Cultures.
The collection has inspired interest abroad, with paintings going on show at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. In addition, Vilnius hosted an exhibition, organised jointly with Lithuanian museums, with six canvases from their own collections added. Applications for similar events were also received from the Hungarian and Austrian embassies. The jubilee of the outstanding master has been registered on UNESCO’s List of 2010-2011 Anniversaries. “Due to these events, the name of our prominent fellow countryman has become widely known within the cultural space of Europe. More people have learnt about his artworks and, correspondingly, about Belarus,” notes Mr. Prokoptsov. In 2010, an album-catalogue and a booklet — Ivan Khrutsky’s Works in Collection of Belarus’ National Art Museum — were released, alongside postcards depicting a reproduction of the Portrait of an Unknown Woman with Fruit Basket, a first day cover envelope bearing a commemorative postal stamp and silver coins. The Ivan Khrutsky album is the 31st volume of the Great Painters book collection.
