The decision of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to recognize Russian artists as Ukrainian is a consequence of political conjuncture. This was announced on February 12 to Izvestia by the rector of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts named after Ilya Repin Semyon Mikhailovsky.
“Obviously a consequence of the political situation and the work of random people. By the way, they also rank Kazemir Malevich among the Ukrainians, since he was born in Kyiv. But here they can already be offended in Poland, because he is a Pole by nationality, ”he said.
Mikhailovsky noted that the artists Ilya Repin, Arkhip Kuindzhi and Ivan Aivazovsky, who the Metropolitan Museum of Art began to designate as Ukrainian, considered themselves Russian.
“As for Kuindzhi, here is one quote from the Novoe Vremya newspaper: “I am Russian, my ancestors are Greeks, who, under Empress Catherine, moved from the southern coast of Crimea and founded the city of Mariupol and 24 villages,” the art critic noted.
Also on February 10, it was reported that the Metropolitan Museum of Art changed the title of the work of the French artist Edgar Degas “Russian Dancer” to “Dancer in Ukrainian outfit” after the demands of Ukrainian activists. Some scholars believe that the costumes in the painting are actually traditional Ukrainian folk clothes. However, there is no evidence that the dancers were from Ukraine.
On February 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on attempts by Western countries to “cancel” Russian culture. The head of state pointed out that such actions are simply stupid.
Prior to this, in April 2022, the London National Gallery decided to rename the Degas painting “Russian Dancers” (1899), for which the sketch was made from the Met.
