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Theodosia Picture Gallery named after Ivan Aivazovsky

The Theodosia Picture Gallery named after Ivan Aivazovsky is the world's largest museum of the marine painter, bequeathed by him to his hometown in 1900; after the russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, its ownership status and the preservation of Ukrainian cultural heritage came under threat.

Overview

The gallery was founded on the basis of the private collection of the outstanding marine and battle painter Ivan Aivazovsky. According to his will (a plaque with the text is still on the facade), the gallery building with all its paintings, sculptures, and works of art was to become the full property of the city of Theodosia "in memory of me, Aivazovsky". After the artist's death in 1900, the gallery became the property of the city. The museum holds a collection of approximately 12 thousand seascape paintings by the master, the world's largest collection of his works on biblical, mythological, and other themes (417 items), as well as works by like-minded artists, followers, and marine painters of the 18th–19th centuries.

After russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, all museum property of the city was declared "property of the Republic of Crimea". This caused a series of attempts to change the form of ownership of the gallery, the removal of works to russia, and problems with the dilapidated condition of the building.

Key Details / Subtopics

  • The will and founding: in 1900 the gallery was transferred to native Theodosia in accordance with Aivazovsky's will; townspeople consider it the pride of the city.
  • The collection: about 12 thousand seascape paintings, 417 works on biblical/mythological themes, works by followers and marine painters of the 18th–19th centuries.
  • Annexation and change of status (2014): the property of Theodosia's museums was declared "property of the Republic of Crimea"; in 2016 a tripartite agreement (the government of Crimea, the administration of Theodosia, the gallery) was concluded on the transfer of the gallery's canvases to the museum for 10 years.
  • Removal to the Tretyakov Gallery (2016): 38 paintings by Aivazovsky were transferred to Moscow's Tretyakov Gallery. Ukraine's Ministry of Culture declared a violation of Article 5 of the 1954 Hague Convention (the prohibition on the export of valuables from occupied territories). Later, director T. Haiduk reported the return of the paintings to Crimea.
  • Attempts to transfer to federal ownership: in autumn 2017 the "Public Chamber of Crimea" proposed transferring the gallery to a "republican fund"; in November 2018 — establishing a branch of the State Tretyakov Gallery. The Crimean Ministry of Culture (Arina Novoselska) was against federal subordination. Finally, on 29 March 2019 the session of the Theodosia city council left the gallery to the city.
  • Dilapidated condition and repairs: the old building required repairs; emergency works lasted from December 2016 to July 2017 (30 million rubles from the federal budget). In February 2019 significant cracks were found in the walls. Estimates of the cost of major repairs grew: 250–300 million (2017), 100 million allocated by Aksyonov (December 2018), 200 million — design and estimate documentation, 1.5 billion — until 2022 (Novoselska), 500 million — only priority works (2019).
  • The "Museum Quarter" plan: by 2022 it was planned to create a single Museum Quarter on the basis of the gallery, with the involvement of specialists of Moscow's Tretyakov Gallery; the gallery was positioned as the "main museum of Crimea" within the framework of the federal target program.

Contradictions and Open Questions

  • Ownership status: according to Arina Novoselska (2018), the decision to transfer the gallery to the ownership of the "Republic of Crimea" had already been made but had not yet been formalized in documents, while the "head" of Crimea Serhiy Aksyonov declared that the gallery would remain in city ownership. Finally, on 29.03.2019 the city council left it to the city — the legal collision between the declarations and the decision is not yet fully settled.
  • Preservation of Ukrainian heritage: Ukraine repeatedly declared gross violations by the russian federation regarding Ukrainian cultural heritage; the removal of works from the occupied peninsula contradicts international and Ukrainian law.
  • "In memory of me, Aivazovsky, I bequeath the gallery to the city of Theodosia…" — article by Ihor Svitlychanyn in the newspaper "Krymska svitlytsia" (2020, No. 2) about the fate of the gallery after 2014.
  • Crimean Marine Art — an artistic movement of Crimean seascape painting founded by Aivazovsky himself.
  • Ivan Khvorostetskyi — Ukrainian marine painter whose work continued Aivazovsky's Crimean marine painting tradition.
  • Andriy Shchekun — editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Krymska svitlytsia", where the source about the gallery was published.
  • Ivan Ryaboshtanov — Theodosian gardener, representative of the city community, for which the gallery is the pride of the city.
  • Dacha Stamboli — an architectural landmark of Theodosia, the city where the Aivazovsky Gallery is located.
  • Karaites of Feodosia — in 2017, a conference and exhibition about the Karaites were held at the Feodosia Museum of Antiquities (at the gallery).
  • Mamai — Aivazovsky, who practiced archaeology, found the Mamai kurgan (according to one version, the burial place of the Crimean emir).
  • Vikentiy Russen — Theodosian artist of French origin (19th century), author of lithographs of Crimean mosques.
  • Kostiantyn Bohaievskyi — Theodosian watercolor artist (20th century) who documented Crimean Tatar architectural monuments.