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Interior of the Museum of Russian Icons, Clinton MAMoscow, 16 October 2008 (Interfax):
The Tretyakov Gallery is presenting an exhibition of 16 rare icons from its collection entitled “Two Museums, One Culture” at the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton MA (USA). At the same time, some 150 items from the permanent collection shall be on display, as well. About 5,000 visitors, mostly from various European countries, came to the museum in 2007, Kent Russell, the Museum’s director, said in an interview published by the newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta (The Russian Newspaper) on Thursday. “Frankly speaking, many Americans thought that religion was banned in Russia, but, they are starting to change their minds, especially after visiting our museum”, he noted.
The museum holds various conferences and seminars; in addition, it shows films connected with Russia. What is most important, Mr Russell noted, “Americans gradually come to an understanding that the USA and Russia have much more in common than they differ. I’d like to mention our most frequent visitor. He is an American who adopted several children from Russia. He brings them here several times a year so that they can be reminded of their Motherland”, Mr Russell said. The Museum of Russian Icons in America is famous for the largest collection of Old Russian art outside of Russia. This last February, Archpriest Aleksandr Abramov, the secretary of the Representation of the MP in the USA, blessed the museum and its grounds.
The museum was founded in 2006 by the American businessman Gordon Lankton. He visited Russia for the first time in 1989, and he bought his first icon, depicting St Nicholas the Wonderworker, at the Izmailovsky Market in Moscow for 20 dollars (528 roubles. 15 euros. 11.64 UK pounds). After this, he began to collect Russian icons from all over the world. One of the most ancient of his purchases now at the museum is an icon of the Holy Prophet and Forerunner John the Baptist, which dates from around 1450. At present, the collection consists of 350 items, but not all are continuously on exhibition. Only after the completion of a new addition shall the entire collection be on public view. The icons were acquired at auctions in the USA and Europe, mostly coming from private collections. Several of the icons were gifts. The cost of one of the gift icons was conservatively estimated at 40,000 dollars (1.056 million roubles. 30,008 euros. 23,280 UK pounds).
Editor’s Note:
The admittance cost to this museum is very reasonable, being 5 dollars per adult. It is open from Tuesday to Friday, 11.00 to 15.00 and on Saturday, 09.00 to 15.00. It is closed on Sunday and Monday. The special exhibition “Two Museums, One Culture” shall run from 16 October 2008 to 1 May 2009. On Saturdays at 12.00, during the run of the special exhibition, Mr Lankton, the founder of the museum, shall give a guided tour of the collection. A special rate of 4 dollars per person applies to “civic groups”, no doubt, a parish group would qualify. To find directions, google “Museum of Russian Icons Clinton” and it is the first item shown, and a link to a map is available. Clinton MA is one hour due west of Boston MA and two hours due east of Albany NY.
By the way, the Interfax English translator earns yet another “Big Green Weenie Award” for cutting out about a third of the text from the Russian original. We’re just going to have to call out the bleacher creatures from Fenway to deal with them! This is lazy and beyond words.
Interfax! Fire that incompetent, they’re making you look stupid.
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Contact information:
Museum of Russian Icons
203 Union Street
Clinton MA 01510
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Telephone: (978). 598-5000
Fax: (978). 598-5009
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