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The Investigation
At
the end of a corridor where the darkness doesn't allow you to
differ a guard from a X century piece of art, V. Stanisic opens a
door on the left side. Finally, we could see a light. We reached
the warehouse for paintings and engravings. The person that has
taken care of the 200 pieces of art gathered in a corner, shows us
how the humidity of that place could lead to the loss of the
pictures. She works here for 12 years for 150 euro's a month.
After moving 2 or 3 operas of the great yugoslav artists, she
shows us a corner of the room which holds 2500 pieces of foreign
artists, among us we discover some important names like: Degas,
Matisse, Rodin, Bonnard, Renoir, Cezanne, Max Ernst.
"This operas have not been exposed for decades. How lucky for
us to find them here ! This shows that Belgrade was part of the
cultural center of Europe.", tells us David Laufer.
Last year, Lausannois, age 31, the author of a novel printed in
november, reached the pages of "Fortune" newspaper.
Visiting the museum, Lausannois is not very pleased by the fact
that he has been told that the pieces of art he saw in a found
60's art catalog were kept in the warehouse. The explanation :
"We need lots of money and most of the museum rooms are
already closed."
A
visit to the warehouse makes him speechless. There were 2 Van
Gogh's, 35 Renoir's, 1 Tinoret and many others. In the museum
there are also 2 Chlomovitch collections and Lepenski Vir statues,
proving the danubian culture (8000 BC), all of this being found
after the 2'nd world war at the border of Yugoslavia and Romania.
Then, David Laufer convinced the serb minister of culture to hire
him for the half of his present salary just to find fonds for
rebuilding the museum.
The construction, builded in 1903,
suffered small modifications in 1966. Doesn't contain any of the
necessary equipments to a museum: conditioned air, light and
security. Besides, the space is not very well arranged. The
offices of the ones taking care of this art operas are as wide as
the exposition rooms. A second building would be necessary for
historical collections. And not only that many operas are not
classified, but they also need restaurations.
But
the most important thing is bringing the Belgrade museum in the
peoples attention. Along the years, he has became just an non
important place for depositing art objects. The visit hours are
short. The entry is not very fancy and the personnel (170
employees from which 53 are taking care of art operas; so more
than the Louvre has) are no longer aware of the true value of the
pieces they manage. The marketing plan no longer exists,
exhibitions been more and more rare.
The
obligation David Laufer assumed is very big and considering the
actual conditions he is also discouraged. He meets in Bucharest
with R.Peter Oostveen, who owns an important construction company,
very well known for the speed and efficiency, company that handled
also the reconstruction of The National Museum of Art of Romania
(MNAR), the home of many great treasures.
R.Peter Oostveen agrees to this project and wants it finished as
soon as possible. From this moment, the experts begin the
evaluation of the art pieces. But they needed a skilled architect,
and especially a serbian one.
It
took this foreigners to come to Belgrade for the citizens to
realise the mistake they have done. The donations begin to flow
and for the beginning of the year 2004 it is scheduled for opening
an exhibition with the most famous pieces of art of Yugoslavia and
Europe at the ‚Gemeente Museum' in the Netherlands, just in
front of the International Penal Court. This is R.Peter Oostveen's
exclamation: "We will show the whole world that war criminals
are not the only thing leaving this country".
Chlomovitch collections mistery
Erich
Chlomovitch was born in 1910. We found him in the year 1936 in
Paris, where he was the secretary of the famous collector Ambroise
Vollard, friend of Matisse and Picasso. When Vollard died in a car
accident in 1939, Chlomovitch inherits part of his collection,
which is added to his own art pieces. A couple of months later,
feeling the nazist threat, he decides to hide 200 art pieces into
a seif and runs in the Balcans. And still he had little time to
organise in Zagreb an exhibition before the german attack on
Yugoslavia. He runs again into a village in the south of Serbia,
where he hides what has left of his collection. The collection
escapes the germans when in 1943 Chlomovitch together with his
father and brother are killed. His mother, Roza, the only
surviver, is the one to handle the negociations with the yugoslav
government regarding the trade of Chlomovitch collection for a
space to live in. The trade beeing agreed, Roza can only announce
where the art pieces are hidden because she dies in a train
accident. Chlomovitch collection reaches the museum, the way he
wanted, and it is beeing exposed and sent also in other countries.
But in the 60's, the family heiresses demanded the whole
collection back from the government.
The
same thing happened in 1977, when the Vollard and Chlomovitch
families requested for the return of the collection. The
yugoslavian state also has rights on parts of the collection. This
action continued until 1996, when the Vollard becomes the main
heir.
The
Chlomovitch family receives only the pieces dedicated to him.
They are not discouraged and make a request in justice for the
other part of the legacy . In 1997, the verdict is favorable and
the national museum can not do anything. They appeal in the court
of justice, but no answer. The museum accepts to send the
collection for exhibitions in the entire world. And for the art
lovers: in 2003 it will be opened in Belgrade an exhibition to
celebrate 60 years since Chlomovitch died, exhibition that
contains all that so much desired art pieces.
Belgrade: Serge Michel
Photos: Nicolas Lieber
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