Writer Oleg Volkov left the nature and monument protection societies as fruitless

And, incidentally, having gained experience and taken a closer look, I withdrew from the Society for the Protection of Nature, which had put me on its central council. I also stood aside from the work of the Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments, in whose organisation and first steps I had taken an active part. The true purpose of these organisations is to serve as screens shielding the authorities from criticism and complaints, which are redirected to the Societies. They have no real powers or rights, and therefore carry no authority in the eyes of administrators and town planners. If, now and then in the Soviet Union, a monument is saved or a natural landmark preserved, then in the overwhelming majority of cases this is the result of the efforts of individuals who made use of personal connections and spoke up successfully in the press

It turns out that the writer Oleg Volkov, who spent 28 years in the camps and is the author of «Descent into Darkness», left VOOPIK in his day in protest at the senselessness of the Society for the Protection of Monuments and the barrenness of its activity

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Madonna with Cherubim in Milan's Brera: from Bellini to Mantegna

"Madonna with Cherubim" was long considered the work of Giovanni Bellini, until in 1885, during restoration, features characteristic of his chief rival, and incidentally his relative, Andrea Mantegna, came to light. What misled viewers was a softness uncharacteristic of Mantegna. Despite the established title, the Madonna and Child

Pushkin Museum refused the Ludwig collection over the branch name

The silliest thing about this renaming is its poor timing. For when the Pushkin Museum was offered, as a gift, the greatest collection of contemporary art of the second half of the twentieth century, the collection of Peter Ludwig, the very reason for the refusal was the condition that the

Yeeeehaw!

Voiture woke Count de Guiche at night to announce that he was married

The Comte de Guiche asked Vincent Voiture, a man renowned for his wit, whether it was true that he was married. Voiture gave no answer. But he came to the count after midnight, woke him and said: "I have come to tell you that I am married". De

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Madonna with Cherubim in Milan's Brera: from Bellini to Mantegna

Pushkin Museum refused the Ludwig collection over the branch name

Yeeeehaw!

Voiture woke Count de Guiche at night to announce that he was married