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Exposition of works "The Mirror of the Soul"

«Vaks Boris Iosifovich –

is the painter exposed by lyrical and philosophical sound.

His works are the mirror of the artist's soul,

sensitive to the surrounding reality.

He knew how to poeticize

even the everyday motives of life

and make it as a subject of great art.»

                                                                                              

The exposition "The Mirror of the Soul" by the famous painter, graphic artist, honored artist of Ukraine Boris (Benzion) Yosypovych Vaks (1912-1989) was exhibited at the Kirovohrad Regional Art Museum on the 8^th of November in 2018.

... The world is not without good people. It seems that we hear this statement almost every day. Do not cease to be surprised by the coincidence of circumstances, and the real interest, and just the indifference of «ordinary people.»

The letter from Polina Babkova, the daughter of Honored Artist of Ukraine Boris (Benzion) Yosypovych Vaks (1912-1989), was sent to the e-mail address of the art museum in February in 2012.

In this letter, she reported that their family has released the album and is preparing a site dedicated to his work to the 100th anniversary of the famous artist. Polina Borisivna's request was to take pictures of her father's work and send the photos to e-mail address, in order to place them on the site among other works of the artist. Unfortunately, as Mrs. Polina noted in this letter, the color lithography "Arrest" (1961) from the cycle "Shevchenko" from the collection of the Kirovohrad Regional Art Museum wasn`t included in the album about the life and word of Boris Vaks. Of course, the museum staff responded to the offer, and Polina Borisivna handed over the album to the museum as a sign of gratitude, specifically published by the artist's family to the 100th anniversary of the artist's birthday – «Boris Vaks. Painting, Graphics» (2011).

During these years we were always kept in contact with Polina Borisivna using the e-mail, informed about all exhibition projects related to Shevchenko's, in which the lithography "Arrest" was presented. After some time, Mrs. Polina decided to hand over several of her father's pictures from her private collection to the museum (we were indulgently rejoiced). Step by step all the paper issues were solved, including the fact that Polina Babkova lives in Moscow. The old friend of our museum Viktor Petrakov took over all organizational moments, registration of documents for export. But the war began, the works haven`t managed to get in Ukraine, then suddenly Viktor Vasilyevich passed away, and the pictures that were given to us by Polina Borisivna got into the other hands. It was the incredible despair…

And in the end of 2017, the picture "The Mother`s portrait" of the famous countryman painter Ivan Savenko was brought and given to the museum from the Russian Federation. Many social media wrote about this event. We remind, that Vladislav Serdyuk -  our countryman, a famous ethnographer, philanthropist, contributed to transportation and took over all the paper and financial components. By the way, in a few months, as we met Vladislav Anatolyevich, he transferred to the museum a number of subjects (printed editions, paintings from his private collection, manuscripts). And, the miracle happened, during the transfer of the Savenko`s picture to the museum, by the accident he got to know that the museum had the problems with receiving the picture of the Vaks`s paintings, Vladislav Anatolyevich offered his assistance in transportation! We were just stunned ...

Immediately we turned to Polina Babkova, she was happy and sad, that it is those works she had chosen earlier for our museum were no longer her property, and she offered us her father`s picturesque paintings «River Teteriv» (1986) and «Autumn» (1970). Vladislav Serdyuk helped us to solve all the questions concerning the transportation of paintings very quickly.

Warm 2018's September in Kropivnitsky. Vladislav Anatolievich together with his son Oleksa brought the work of Boris Vaks during visit to our city. Our art museum finally got such long-awaited exhibits to the stock collection!

We want to express the most sincere appreciation to Vladislav Serdyuk for his indifference, true sincerity and readiness to extend the helping hand in such difficult times for our state.

And the special thanks to Polina Borisivna Babkova. Transferred works became an eminent part of the stock collection of the museum and the genuine decoration of the exposition of contemporary Ukrainian art and also honorable represents in the exposition of the museum the creative heritage of the Honored Artist of Ukraine Boris Yosypovych Vaks. 

Reference:

Boris (Benzion) Yosypovych Vaks was born on 12^th of May in 1912 in Zhytomyr. He graduated from Kyiv Art College in 1933 and studied at Kharkiv State Art University in 1945-1948 under surveillance of such teachers as Deregus, Kokel, Prokhorov. Boris Yosypovych was a participant in the Second World War (1941-1944). He was commander of a fire platoon of a fighter artillery regiment. He taught painting at the Palace of Pioneers in Donetsk (Stalino), at the Kharkiv Art School (1948-1952), worked in the Kharkiv Art Foundation (1951-1955). The participant of republican, all-union and foreign art exhibitions since 1949, he also had personal exhibitions in Kharkov (1972, 1989), Kiev (1975) and Moscow (1996). The member of the Union of Artists of Ukraine since 1950. He received the title of Honored Artist of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1973. Boris Vaks worked in the fields of easel and monumental painting, graphics. Leading themes are the 2^nd World War, Shevchenko, poeticism of female worker, lyrical landscapes.

The works of Boris Yosypovych Vaks are stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Korsun art gallery of the Shevchenko State Historical and Cultural Reserve, the Yagotyn State Historical Museum, the Kharkiv Art Museum, the Donetsk Regional Art Museum, the Simferopol Art Museum (occupied), the «Sovkom» Gallery, the «Zamoskvorechye», «Art-Town», «Forma», «Na Lenivke» (Moscow), private collections of Russia, USA, Japan, Germany, France, Venezuela and others.

Lesya Nestroyna -

the research assistant of the department of scientific and educational work of the Kirovohrad Regional Art Museum