In the United States, museum staff replace the word “Russian” in the description of exhibits with “Ukrainian”. The New York Times reported.
It is noted that the initiators of such renaming are often activists and art historians. They call for a more accurate depiction of the nationality of authors from the former Russian Empire and the former Soviet Union. According to supporters of the changes, this should increase the visibility of Ukrainians in art history.
Thus, the Metropolitan Museum of Art revised the classification of several 19th-century artists who were previously called Russians. The biographical pages of Ilya Repin, Arkhip Kuindzhi and Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky were edited on the site.
This step towards Aivazovsky caused a stream of criticism, since the marine painter was born in an Armenian family. The museum subsequently corrected the mistake.
Experts note that it can be extremely difficult to reflect the true origin of creators, especially when it comes to figures of the past.
“We conduct thorough research and write descriptions taking into account the registered nationality of the artist at the time of death and birth, the dynamics of emigration and immigration, and changing geopolitical boundaries,” said Glenn Lowry, director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Earlier, on February 12, the rector of the Repin St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, Semyon Mikhailovsky, noted that Repin, Kuindzhi and Aivazovsky, whom the Metropolitan Museum began to designate as Ukrainians, considered themselves Russians.
On February 10, it became known 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.
