Republic

GRODNO,1 7 June (BelTA) – About 1,500 works of art have been presented to Belarus by the international association Art of Nations led by its president, Russian collector, painter and journalist Nikolai Kornilov, BelTA learnt from Vice-President of the association Algirdas Plukis. The works of art will make the exposition of a gallery that will open in the Community Center of the village of Gervyaty, Ostrovets District, on 17 June. The gallery will hold about 400 paintings and graphics from around the world. Taking part in the opening ceremony will be representatives of the association, including the Moscow philanthropist who had already met with local painters, talented youth and cultural figures. Nikolai Kornilov devoted his life to culture. His friendship with painters, poets, composers, performers and other cultural figures inspired him to establish the international association Art of Nations in 1988 and a gallery-museum Nikor in Moscow (which accommodates the bulk of the collection) and a great number of other galleries and museums. Nikolai Kornilov does not sell works from his collection, rather donates them to many towns across the world. Almost 40 Nikor galleries were opened all over Russia. In 2009 the association decided to donate about 1,500 works of art to Belarusians. Grodno Oblast was chosen the venue for opening Nikor galleries. The first gallery opened a year ago in Oshmyany followed by another gallery in Ostrovets District. A third similar gallery is expected to be unveiled in Smorgon. According to Algirdas Plukis, paintings keep coming to Belarus. Those are pictures made by Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian and Uzbek artists. There are also some works by French and African painters. The international association is donating about 1,000 books on art to the towns. The project is aimed to promote local culture, support fledgling artists, talented children and youth. The books will be useful for school teachers, galleries will host excursions, soirees and plein airs.

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