Posted: 04.11.2021 15:45:00

The art of being healthy

The National Art Museum presents its collection of protective masks depicting fragments of paintings from the last century

Museum partners sew protective masks. Production is in batches, so pre-order is not available. The only point of sale is a gift shop. There are also plans to develop online sales.

The National Art Museum proposes to make a real parade of art wearing masks: protective masks depicting fragments of five paintings from the last century appeared on sale in the gift shop. The MT learned the details.
Such projects are not new for the National Art Museum. Sleep masks, postcards, mugs, even hoodies and waist bags — the museum, together with designer Lesha Limonov, produces truly unique items. They draw inspiration from their favourite paintings.
“We have long planned to make protective face masks depicting fragments of paintings from our permanent exhibition. The most suitable work for printing was chosen from each hall; there were five of them in total. These are Portrait of a Woman and Still Life with Melons and Pumpkins by Ilya Mashkov, an obi belt from the eastern collection, Astran Observatory with Quadrant at Saturn Ring by Yazep Drozdovich, Madonna in Flowers by Daniel Seghers,” Maria Frunze, a marketing sector specialist at the National Art Museum tells us about the embodiment of the idea into reality. “The sewing production is limited: only 100 pieces. The price of an unusual mean of protection against coronavirus is Br20 (more than $8). This is a kind of experiment, we decided to see what demand the masks will have. With the designer, we thought for a long time how to present our collection on social networks. Now we note from the responses and comments that people like these ideas. The masks went on sale earlier this week, with about 50 remaining in the gift shop on Wednesday. If necessary, we can replenish the collection.”

The museum, together with the designer, embodies all new unusual ideas: protective and sleep masks, mugs, even hoodies and waist bags

“The lining of the mask is 100 percent cotton, the outer part is a synthetic fabric that resembles silk. From my own experience, I can say that when washing and boiling, the drawing does not fade, it’s quite easy to breathe in it,” said Ms. Frunze, sharing her observations. “When applying the picture, we tried to make the colours as close as possible to the original execution of the picture. But still, the shades are noticeably different.”
Ideas for new projects are already ripening in the minds of the museum staff. However, they are implementing their ideas carefully, taking into account the epidemiological situation. After all, the main thing is health. And the collection of protective masks came in handy. We are still battling the pandemic, and it seems that face coverings are a permanent feature of our lives. To decorate closed faces and add an unusual accent to the image, you can also purchase avant-garde masks.

By Natalya Tychko
Photos by Aleksandr Kulevsky