The renovated House-Museum of B.M. Kustodieva

To the Renovated House-Museum of B.M. Kustodieva

Yesterday a meeting with Astrakhan bloggers took place at the museum. It must be said that the museum itself has been transformed not only externally, but also internally. New exhibits have appeared that organically fit into the updated interior. The museum staff, led by Irina Perova, focused on the differences before and after the renovation of the building.
At the very beginning, as expected, there was an excursion, where we once again remembered the artist’s biography, looked at his famous paintings “The Harvest”, “The Birth of Christ”, and, of course, graphic works and portraits.

A special place in the museum is given to the teacher who laid down the basics of artistic craft in the future master - Pavel Vlasov.

A warm and friendly atmosphere is created by such interior corners, where the artist’s life is completely recreated.

There are also interesting exhibits.

Of particular delight is the interactive table (worth 350 thousand rubles), which appeared after the reconstruction. On it you can not only view media files, but also put together, for example, puzzles, or consolidate heard facts from the life and work of the artist by answering several questions. Which, in fact, is what is offered to visitors during excursions.

Unfortunately, we were only able to answer 8 of the 10 proposed questions.

The portraits made by the artist are mesmerizing. In general, Boris Mikhailovich was a master of portraiture. Many of his works in this genre are in museum exhibitions in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

The exhibition ends with this huge photograph of Astrakhan. He was a true patriot of the city, took a lot of photographs, and was a master of photo-painting. Under one of his works the words “...My soul is from Astrakhan by nature...”

Next, an interesting conversation took place with bloggers, where museum staff shared projects that they plan to develop further. In response, we received new ideas, stories and, most importantly, a desire to help each other.

A lot of interesting things can be offered here. And interactive programs where, under the strict guidance of professionals, visitors can try themselves as an artist in an art workshop.

Children will surely enjoy a master class in drawing or modeling.

Well, in conclusion, you can simply sit in a cozy chair and take a souvenir photo with the famous Kustodiev merchant’s wife.

Therefore, for those who have not yet visited the new museum, I invite you. Bring your friends to the cozy halls and get a lot of impressions.

Each city is ready to tell visitors about its uniqueness, taking them to the most unusual places. Astrakhan is no exception. One of such places is rightfully considered the House-Museum of Boris Kustodiev.

House-Museum of Boris Kustodiev in Astrakhan

An ancient manor at the intersection of Sverdlova (former Bolshaya Demidovskaya) and Kalinin (former Vozdvizhenskaya, also known as Zapasnaya and Tsaritsynskaya) streets - this is where the famous artist once lived. Recognized painter, interesting sculptor, outstanding graphic artist, born in 1878 in Astrakhan, this is where his talent originated.

“Life is short, art is eternal,” the ancients said. Astrakhan residents are rightfully proud of their fellow countryman, who will turn 140 years old next year. 15 of them there is a museum named after him in our city, carefully preserving and increasing its main wealth: the legacy of a great artist.

Antechamber. I.A. Razdrogin “Portrait of B.M. Kustodiev"

Astrakhan gave him life, forever put in his heart a love for the sun and bright colors, and filled his painting with images. The viewer who finds himself in the space of the museum is struck by its versatility. A psychological portrait, an everyday genre with a bright accent of love and irony, a “Volga still life” - all this must be seen with your own eyes in order to appreciate the individuality of Kustodiev’s style.

Interest in life in all its manifestations is the secret of great creative people. Perhaps that is why idyllic pictures of life in the Volga province still delight visitors with the play of colors, harmony and love of life - a vivid example of this is the painting “Summer Holiday”.

At the zenith of his fame, the artist was faced with a difficult test of a serious illness that does not ask when to come - taking everything at once, tormenting the soul, exhausting the body. After several operations, a terrible diagnosis - irreversible paralysis of the lower body. Awarded with the gift of understanding beauty and fanatically loving art, it was at this time that Kustodiev created festive sunny canvases and remained faithful to optimism.

From 1922 to 1926, the artist donated 24 graphic works to the Astrakhan collection. In the room of “living” drawings, his works are presented, made with different types of pencil (graphite, lead, Italian), as well as watercolor, sanguine, and charcoal. A number of works depict the artist’s relatives and friends.

Fragment of the “living drawing” hall (pre-revolutionary graphics). B.M. Kustodiev “Portrait of F. Sologub”

In the hall of late graphics you can see what was included in the golden fund of Russian fine publications. Monochrome gives a special charm to the album “16 Autolithographs,” which brought the artist resounding success in Florence back in 1922. Kustodiev also found his own style and language, creating works of decorative and applied art, which are presented in one of the showcases of this hall.

In the right display case are gifts from the native
the artist’s granddaughter, the famous Russian art critic Tatyana Kustodieva, with whom the museum staff maintains the warmest, friendly relations: a facsimile edition of Nikolai Leskov’s book “The Darner” with color illustrations by Kustodiev, an original postcard written by Kustodiev to his wife from Madrid to Paris (1904), a ring, converted from a brooch of Yulia Kustodieva - her grandmother, a poster for a posthumous exhibition of the artist’s works, an invitation card to the 1952 exhibition.

Boris Kustodiev retained a fond memory of his hometown and beloved teacher Pavel Vlasov; he came here several times in order to nourish his “Astrakhan soul” with vivid impressions.

We owe the discovery and development of the talent of the Astrakhan artist to him - Pavel Vlasov. An artist, teacher, talented organizer of the artistic life of Astrakhan, he had a rare gift for guessing and developing the talent of others. Vlasov not only prepared his student for admission to the Imperial Academy of Arts, but also became his spiritual mentor for the rest of his life. In 1925, Boris Mikhailovich created the last portrait of the teacher who opened his path to great art. On the sheet there is the author’s signature: “To dear Pavel Alekseevich, in fond memory of my last visit to Astrakhan. B. Kustodiev. June 8, 1925."

One of the museum’s halls is dedicated to the work of P. A. Vlasov.

Documents and photographs of P.A. Vlasova

Hall of works by P.A. Vlasova

In 2012-2013, large-scale repair and restoration work was carried out in the museum, the exhibition was updated, and a new demonstration module “In the Artist’s Studio” appeared.

In the artist's studio

The small hall is called Memorial, because it displays personal items related to the life and work of our great fellow countryman. They were donated to the museum by the artist’s relatives – daughter Irina Borisovna and granddaughter Tatyana Kirillovna. In the display case there are artist’s brushes, paint tubes, a box of pastels, a palette, an artist’s easel, an “Art” magazine in German and a photograph of children. The chair of the artist’s mother is exhibited in the same room (donated by Tatyana Kustodieva, restored by gallery employee R.M. Sabirov).

Fragment of the exhibition of the memorial hall

And some time later, a multifunctional multimedia device appeared in the memorial hall - an interactive table. This is a gift from the Non-Profit Organization of the Lukoil Charitable Foundation. It was thanks to him that the socially significant project “Virtual World of Kustodiev” was developed and implemented (author - Egorova A.V.), which allows you to simultaneously take a virtual trip through the museums of the country where Kustodiev’s works are stored. New virtual forms significantly expand the scope of a traditional museum and can be a synthetic structure that combines a “museum-exhibition”, “museum-leisure center” and “museum-creative laboratory”. This makes the museum attractive to children and youth, as well as people with disabilities.

Multimedia table

Tatyana Kirillovna Kustodieva also donated one of the family photo albums to the House Museum. Scientific research and restoration work with images made it possible to create the project “Traveling with Kustodiev” (author - senior researcher Vlasta Vataman), to organize and hold exhibitions of Kustodiev the photo artist in Astrakhan, St. Petersburg, Omsk, Yekaterinburg, Kurganinsk and Chuguev (Ukraine). They were visited by more than 30 thousand people, who for the first time became acquainted with the photographic art of the famous master.

The house-museum of Boris Kustodiev always welcomes guests!

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st. Kalinina, 26
8 (8512) 51‑16-29
daily, except Monday, from 10.00 to 18.00

One of the most famous personalities of Astrakhan is the artist and sculptor Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev, who lived and worked in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Thanks to his incredibly precise and subtle works in the field of lithography and painting, he received worldwide recognition, and today every resident of Astrakhan knows his name. Therefore, the museum named after him invariably attracts city guests, who can come here either purposefully or as part of a sightseeing tour of the city.

The building of the museum named after B.M. Kustodiev never belonged to the famous Russian artist, but, nevertheless, is directly related to him. This house was designed and built at the beginning of the 20th century, and since 1912 it belonged to the famous tradesman L.V. Zlobin. The godmother of the future great artist constantly lived in the wing of the house, and in the summer his mother and maternal aunt stayed here. The artist himself never forgot his hometown and from year to year he came here to relax, including visiting the house of his beloved godmother. Therefore, subsequently the artist’s paintings, which were donated by him to the Astrakhan Art Gallery, were transported to the building of this house, and the building itself received the status of a museum and a branch of the art gallery.

Peculiarities

In the house-museum, 6 halls were created with exhibitions about the life and creative path of the artist, and a separate exhibition hall was organized with his paintings and other works of art by the creator. For example, here you can see drawings (charcoal, sanguine, pencil), magnificent portraits, colorful sketches and works of lithography and linocuts made by the artist. But even more interesting are Kustodiev’s works in areas in which he has not become widely known. For example, few people know the artist’s sculptural works or his products in the field of decorative and applied arts. And certainly a big surprise will be the photographs taken by Kustodiev during his travels around the world.

In total, the museum's exhibition includes approximately 70 exhibits, including various documents about the life and work of the creative figure. In 2013, the number of exhibits was increased, and now visitors can see previously inaccessible objects. For example, the real highlight of the museum was the artist’s album entitled “Sixteen Autolithographs,” released back in 1921. Also here appeared many personal belongings of the artist and his family, donated to the museum by Kustodiev’s granddaughter.

How to get there

The Kustodiev House-Museum is located at the intersection of Kalinin and Sverdlov streets, not far from the Kalinina Street stop. One block from the museum are the Sea Garden and the Astrakhan embankment. To get here from the other side of the city, you need to drive over the Pobeda Street bridge and turn onto Sverdlova, or drive along the Kalinin Street bridge.

Vataman V.P.

Analysis of the activities of the memorial museum in the region is currently especially relevant in connection with changing sociocultural requirements for cultural institutions. Branch of the Astrakhan State Art Gallery “House-Museum of B.M. Kustodiev" is one of the many memorial museums existing in our country. Using his example, we will consider the importance of the museum’s activities for the formation of a positive image of the region, which helps attract new flows of tourists.

From the history of the creation of the House-Museum of B.M. Kustodieva

Memorial, according to the system of classification of museums accepted today, is considered and called a museum dedicated to an outstanding person or an important historical event and created in a place associated with the person or event being commemorated. Today in the city of Astrakhan there are only two memorial museums. Both of them are branches of the Astrakhan State Art Gallery named after. P.M. Dogadina. These are the House-Museum of V. Khlebnikov, defined as a literary museum, and the House-Museum of B.M. Kustodiev, in its profile a clearly defined art museum.
Kustodievskaya collection of the AGKG named after. P.M. Dogadina, presented in a separate building (the Moiseev-Zlobin estate), was collected for almost a hundred years. It includes one hundred and ninety-one works of painting, graphics, sculpture and decorative arts.

The central place in the collection is occupied by twenty-three works of painting. Various graphic techniques are widely represented in it. The list of drawings includes 97 works. It is complemented by 23 linocuts, 3 woodcuts, 40 lithographs. The collection also includes one sculpture and four objects of decorative and applied art (porcelain figurines cast according to models made by B.M. Kustodiev).
The first work of the Kustodiev collection was the painting “Harvest” (1914), acquired by Pavel Mikhailovich Dogadin (1876 – 1919) from the exhibition of the creative association “World of Art” in 1916. Coming from a merchant family who received an engineering education, Dogadin collected works of Russian art of the 19th-20th centuries, and a painting by a fellow countryman successfully added to his collection. Together with other works from the collection, numbering more than a hundred paintings and graphic works by various artists, in 1918 the canvas was donated by Pavel Dogadin to Astrakhan to the art gallery he founded.

Two works by B.M. Kustodiev, “Poetry” (1908) and “Still Life with a Pheasant” (1914), entered the gallery from a collection of art objects that belonged before the revolution to Otto Wiblinger, a representative of the trading house “I. Cattus and Son" and the vice-consul of the Austro-Hungarian trade mission in Astrakhan. Both were created by order of the entrepreneur. In the house of Wiblinger, who made a decent fortune from buying caviar, there was also a rich collection of paintings, books, and documents.

The decorative panel ordered to decorate his Astrakhan house completely satisfied the customer. Made in the spirit of the “Venetian scene”, it depicts the poet’s walk through the garden accompanied by a muse and invariably surprises all connoisseurs of B.M.’s work. Kustodiev’s “dissimilarity” from most of his works. The Astrakhan Art Gallery was created in 1918. Boris Mikhailovich, who kept fond memories of his native city, visited it several times to visit P.A. Vlasov, his first and favorite teacher, to take a ride along the Volga, to nourish his “Astrakhan soul” with vivid impressions. From 1922 to 1926, he donated 24 graphic works to the Astrakhan Art Gallery. Later, the artist’s wife, Yulia Evstafievna Proshinskaya (Kustodieva) and daughter Irina, will take part in the process of forming the collection. They donated and transferred paintings, drawings, photographs and documents to the gallery.

The gallery also acquired works from a number of private collections and accepted gifts from such collectors as A.V. Gordon, B.A. Kapralov, E.Ya. Rubinstein, S.Ya. Feldshtein, from the artist Yu.M. Kraivanova and others. Significant receipts were from other museums of our country - the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum, the Borodino Panorama, the State Museum Fund, the Ministry of Culture of the USSR and the RSFSR.

Branch of the Astrakhan State Art Gallery named after. P.M. Dogadin “House-Museum of B.M. Kustodiev" was opened in Astrakhan in 2002. The artist’s works have entered the golden fund of domestic and world art not only due to the originality and uniqueness of the images, but also because the master vividly reflected in them the typical features of Russian reality of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Based on the definition, it is the connection with person and place that acts as the determining factor and the main characteristic of any memorial museum. As a result, the overwhelming number of exhibited objects, the main trends traced in the exhibition and cultural-educational activities of such a museum, as stated in the Russian Museum Encyclopedia, serve one purpose: the identification and competent interpretation of this relationship.

The main activities of the museum

It is known that the main directions of museum activities include the following: stock collection, exhibition, cultural and educational, scientific research. All these areas are closely interconnected and impossible without each other. Let's consider how competent and far-sighted development of these types of activities can influence the formation of a positive image of the museum and tourism in the region.

Fund work involves acquisition, accounting, storage and study of museum collections. Its good organization means the researchers’ impeccable knowledge of the part of the artistic heritage entrusted to them, orientation in the material, the desire for a deep understanding of the works being studied, as well as the ability to adequately present the results of this type of work. A small provincial museum, unfortunately, is often deprived of the opportunity to replenish its funds by purchasing items of interest to it, however, the funds continue to grow, mainly due to donations.

In the mid-60s, intensive replenishment of the Kustodiev collection of the AGKG began through donations from relatives, primarily the artist’s daughter, Irina Borisovna Kustodieva (1905 -1981). In 1964-65, she received various drawings, sketches, sheets of printed graphics (“M.N. Plotnikova”, “In the workshop of I.E. Repin. Sketch”, “Sketch”, etc.), sketches (“Portrait military. Sketch", "Fell asleep. Portrait of E.M. Kustodieva. Sketch"). In 1973, the gallery acquired the last painting portrait of I.B. Kustodieva (1926) is the pearl of the collection. Irina Borisovna visited Astrakhan more than once, visited the Astrakhan Art Gallery, got acquainted with research and exhibition work, and advised employees.

For many years now, the House-Museum of B.M. Kustodieva receives priceless gifts from the family of Tatyana Kirillovna Kustodieva, a famous Russian art critic and granddaughter of the artist. At the end of the 90s, she received a series of early anatomical drawings of the master, in 2003 - “Portrait of Irina Kustodieva” (1906), depicting the artist’s little daughter, his favorite model, at the age of 1 year. In the summer of 2010, the collection was replenished with a witty caricature of Irina, made in simple pencil on the back of a printing form (“Irina K. on the Peterhof Beach,” 20s) and works by Kirill Kustodiev, a theater artist.

Thanks to the receipts from 2009-2011, a photo archive began to form, containing today about 200 images, including original photographs taken by the artist himself. For more than a year and a half, the museum has been preparing to hold a unique exhibition. On May 18, 2011, International Museum Day, its opening took place. 9 original and 32 restored images represented various areas of interest of Kustodiev the photographer: here are landscapes of his beloved Astrakhan, portraits of friends, genre scenes that interested the artist, travel impressions. The exhibition was based on photographs donated by Tatiana Kirillovna Kustodieva. Time was not kind to them, so it took long and painstaking work. Primary processing and preparation of photographs for the exhibition was carried out by DMK researcher Ekaterina Kulikova/Ermolova.

It turned out that Kustodiev was passionate about photography, took a lot of photographs and used the photos he took to work on canvases, just as I.I. Shishkin and V.D. Polenov. Their study and restoration of partially lost images allowed the museum staff to prepare a number of photo exhibitions, which were successfully held not only in Astrakhan, but also in other cities of our country - St. Petersburg, Omsk, Yekaterinburg, Kurganinsk.

The exhibition work of our museum is based on two main directions. One of them represents various aspects of the creative activity of Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev. Visitors saw a lot of interesting things at the exhibitions: “Graphics by B.M. Kustodiev from the collection of the AGKG named after. P.M. Dogadina", Such a different Kustodiev!", "P.A. Vlasov is the organizer of artistic life in Astrakhan.” This exhibition, which introduced visitors to the work of the teacher and his best students, was dedicated to the 110th anniversary of the arrival of P.A. in our city. Vlasov – the first teacher of our master.

In 2013, when the country celebrated the 135th anniversary of our master, the exhibitions “Boris Kustodiev - Photographer” and “A Woman Comes to the World (Female images in the works of B.M. Kustodiev from the funds of the P.M. Dogadin AGKG) were successfully held )". A striking example of international cooperation was the organization and holding of an exhibition of drawings by students of the Chuguev children’s art school “Kustodievsky Holiday of Being” (Chuguev, Kharkov region, Ukraine). This school was not chosen for the project by chance: after all, it was in this city that I.E. was once born. Repin, an artist from whom Kustodiev studied art in the classes of the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. With childlike spontaneity, young artists created copies of the master’s famous works.

The second direction of exhibition work is related to the implementation of creative projects included in the development concept of our museum. Her main idea was not only to study the life and work of B.M. Kustodiev and P.A. Vlasov, but also the most complete reflection of research results in the daily activities of the museum. The talk was about bringing science closer to everyday life, about planning and implementing events that significantly influence the formation of a positive image of the museum.

Three projects started: “Merchant Glory”, “Russian Venuses” and “Children’s World”. The project “Russian Venuses” was especially successful, designed to represent the work of women - artists, craftswomen, creators of beauty. The museum managed to find its unique niche in the kaleidoscope of exhibitions and not only introduce everyone to rare works from the AGKG collection, but also discover new “stars” - our contemporaries, artists Taskira Khairetdinova and Ksenia Tikhonova.

Now, to the three initial projects, several more have been added: the name “History in Faces” speaks for itself - this is a project that represents not only the creativity of outstanding personalities, but also the common man in the whirlpool of history; “Constellation of Talents” introduces the artistic heritage of representatives of the World of Art association. The project “Traveling with Kustodiev” tells about the artist’s trips around Russia and abroad, works created during his travels. It also helps to popularize the work of B.M. Kustodiev in other regions of our country by organizing exhibitions and events. The last two projects organically complement the first direction of the museum’s exhibition activities, expanding visitors’ understanding of the cultural events of the early twentieth century.
Cultural and educational activities of the B.M. House Museum Kustodiev is very diverse: there are lectures on each of the projects, classes for different age groups. The museum's research staff considers it a necessary part of their activities, fundamentally aimed at developing a respectful attitude towards works of national culture and the creative activity of the most prominent representative of Astrakhan fine art - B.M. Kustodieva.

The most important area of ​​work of the museum in general and the memorial museum in particular are master classes for children of different ages, conducted by friends of the museum and its volunteer assistants.
The semantic center of the museum’s existence and development is research activity. From our point of view, it serves as the basis for creating serious projects and bringing them to life through exhibitions, events, publications of catalogues, guidebooks, articles and monographic works. Scientific research work is associated with the accumulation, processing and introduction into scientific and general cultural circulation of information about objects stored in the museum, objects of tangible and intangible heritage.

It should be noted that this type of activity, which obtains and appropriately formats the most important information, is capable of laying the basis for an active PR program around a bright, extraordinary personality, which can attract a large number of tourists to the region.

An example is one of the brightest European composers. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose 255th birthday was celebrated in lavish fashion in 2011, has long been “one of the icons of modern culture and a strong source of income for all who associate their enterprise with his name.” He is considered the “golden calf of music” in Salzburg, Austria.

135th anniversary of the birth of B.M. Kustodiev (2013) was marked by a number of events: an anniversary conference was held, the museum was renovated, and museum equipment was replaced. The main exhibition has changed significantly. It has become not only more modern, but also more thoughtful and integral. The compositional integrity of the museum is built on the skillful demonstration of various aspects of B.M.’s activities. Kustodiev (painter, graphic artist, sculptor, photographer) in the context of his artistic world and personal merits.

Starting from the antechamber, the idea of ​​mutual influence in the artist’s work of two cities – Astrakhan and St. Petersburg – can be traced. The halls of pre-revolutionary and late graphics were transformed, for the first time the album “Sixteen Autolithographs” (1921) was fully included in the exhibition, and a block of works on the theme “Family and Friends” was compiled. Visitors are delighted with the interior and exhibits of the memorial hall (personal belongings of the master, photographs, documents), an imitation of the artist’s workshop. The photographs he created, copies of which are also included in the exhibition, are of great interest to fans of the artist’s work. Not only children are attracted by the interactive table with a variety of educational and entertainment programs (here you can watch a presentation, “look through” an album with photographs, answer quiz questions, put together a puzzle). This innovation appeared in the museum thanks to the LUKOIL company.

Let us note that today the House-Museum of B.M. Kustodiev in Astrakhan is a modern, active museum, which has the opportunity not only to identify and explore memorial objects of the artist’s heritage. He also has access to the provision of material items that record information about the object of interest - modern equipment, licensed programs, and the opportunity to receive the necessary advice from specialists.

The museum has its own website, the materials of which complement the exhibition and introduce website visitors to the history of the museum and its daily activities. News and reports on events can also be viewed on the feed of the B.M. Museum group. Kustodieva. Enthusiasts."

The activities of the museum team over 12 years of work have proven: with appropriate support, the memorial museum can become a generating center for cultural projects in the region, increase interest in it, create its positive image, and attract new flows of tourists.

Literature

1. See more details: Vataman V.P. Photo album of the Kustodievs - as a gift to Astrakhan // Golden palette. 2011, No. 2 (6). P.80 – 83.
2. Works by B.M. Kustodiev in the collection of the Astrakhan State Art Gallery named after. P.M. Dogadina. Catalog. – M.: Golden Bee, 2013. P. 4.
3. Russian Museum Encyclopedia. – M.: Russian encyclopedias, 2008. P. 195.
4. Semenova S. Golden calf from music. Mozart's anniversary //Culture. August 18 – 24, 2005. P.11.
5. Website of the House-Museum of B.M. Kustodieva: