Over 30 events were timed to coincide with the 125th anniversary of Marc Chagall in Vitebsk.

- The annual festival "Visiting Marc and Bella," held in Vitebsk in honor of Marc Chagall's birthday, has become a favorite among Vitebsk residents and city guests. How do you plan to celebrate it in this jubilee year? - We plan to celebrate the jubilee over two days – July 7 and 8. I hope that on July 7, we will be able to transform the traditional "Visiting Marc and Bella" festival into a beautiful Chagall-style show, involving the entire Pokrovskaya Street – the street where the artist spent his youth and where his House-Museum is located. There is a plan on how to do this, and most importantly, there are people who can implement it. On the following day, July 8, we are planning a large plein air event, "Vitebsk – City of Artists." This name is true to reality, as Vitebsk has many children's art schools, colleges that train students in creative specialties, two Vitebsk universities that graduate artists, fashion designers, and advertising specialists, and a branch of the Belarusian Union of Artists. We want to showcase the full diversity of Vitebsk's artistic forces and introduce new names. For one day, the city will become a huge workshop and exhibition space. I want to emphasize that we are by no means going to replicate the master's works or turn it into a "Chagall-style" plein air. We value the free expression of free creativity. That would be very much in the spirit of Chagall. - The Chagall Museum is one of the most visited by tourists. Will the museum likely have some surprises for its guests in this jubilee year? - Indeed, this year we are preparing to offer excursionists an unusual project designed to give them a vivid emotion not only from Chagall's works or house but also from their own creativity. You must agree that when tourists are bombarded with numbers, dates, and events, their heads start to spin, and after a couple of hours, nothing remains in their memory except a single bright spot. Our goal is to immerse the tourist not in facts but in impressions. Therefore, we will offer them a chance to try their hand as artists, teaching them the skills of working in the monotype technique. In the garden under the apple trees near the Chagall House-Museum on Pokrovskaya Street, we want to set up a unique workshop where our staff, who are artists by education, will tell tourists about this technique, demonstrate its simple methods, and tourists will be able to create their own unusual and one-of-a-kind souvenir by hand, which will remain as a memento.I would like to add that we have prepared many other souvenirs for tourists, involving both renowned Vitebsk folk craft masters and students from art faculties in their creation. By the way, on Chagall's birthday, exclusive souvenirs will be available for purchase on Pokrovskaya Street, sold only on that day and only on that street. Among the tourists who will visit Vitebsk in this jubilee year will be professional translators – participants of the International Translators' Seminar in Yasnaya Polyana from ten countries. The seminar has been held for five years, and its organizers have this time invited the translators to visit the Marc Chagall Museum, a proposal they gladly accepted. We want to introduce them not only to the museum but also to Belarus. We plan to take them to Zdravnevo, to Ilya Repin's estate, and show them our small towns where the spirit of Jewish shtetls is still alive. - In anticipation of the anniversary, the risk of copyright infringement regarding Chagall's works increases, as unscrupulous dealers may copy them for souvenirs or commercial publications. The museum has extensive experience working with the Chagall Committee in Paris and the artist's relatives, who strictly monitor copyright compliance. How can legal scandals be avoided? - Under no circumstances should the market be flooded with second-rate reproductions of Chagall's works, especially without respecting copyright. Global practices, where copyrights are strictly observed, must be taken into account. It doesn't matter whether it's an artist, a composer, or an inventor. According to European law, for 75 years after the death of any public figure, their heirs hold the copyright. Everything related to reproduction, performance, or duplication must be agreed upon with the heirs. They receive a percentage of the commercial profit from the project, publication, or performance. Similar rules apply to Chagall's heirs. The Marc Chagall Committee and the Copyright Protection Committee in Paris oversee this.However, this does not mean that no one can reproduce Chagall's works; there is simply a special procedure that some Belarusian enterprises, both state-owned and private, have successfully completed. For example, the Minsk Printing Factory of Goznak has released a beautiful gift edition – Mark Chagall's illustrations for N.V. Gogol's "Dead Souls". These reproductions of 96 etchings, the originals of which are held in the collection of the Mark Chagall Museum in Vitebsk, were made with the permission of Chagall's heirs. I dare to assure you that it did not cost a great deal of money. I would like to particularly emphasize that the requirements were only for the print quality, and once it satisfied the heirs, permission was immediately granted. Based on our museum's collection, private enterprises, having obtained permission, produce magnets, souvenirs, and postcards. All of this has been agreed upon with Chagall's heirs, the necessary procedure has been followed, and certificates have been obtained. These souvenirs are successfully sold in our museum. It should be remembered that anything with the word "Chagall" in its name, whether it be a play, a film, or an architectural project, must be agreed upon with the heirs. If the authors can convince the heirs that it is worthy and will only benefit Chagall's name, then permission will be granted without delay. The publication of reproductions of Chagall's works also has its peculiarities. If they are to be used for scientific and educational purposes, that is one thing. But if they are to be released on plates, postcards, T-shirts, calendars, and billboards, then there are different requirements. For example, there are plans in Minsk to place billboards with reproductions of Mark Chagall's paintings. The authors of this idea consulted with us regarding obtaining permission from the heirs, and our museum has also prepared a list of reproductions from the artist's early works that, in our opinion, should be known and popularized. - Lyudmila Vladimirovna, will Vitebsk see an exhibition of Chagall's works in the jubilee year? - First of all, I would like to remind you that since the establishment of the Chagall Museum in Vitebsk, five full-scale exhibitions of his works have been held in Belarus. Paintings, drawings, prints, and tapestries have been exhibited. Moreover, these were thematic exhibitions that showcased the diversity of his creativity. Statements that Belarus has never seen original works by Chagall are incorrect and reflect the lack of awareness of those making these statements. Exhibitions were held in Vitebsk and Minsk, and anyone interested could see them.The heirs of Chagall are ready to provide us with exhibitions every two years, while minimizing costs. Unfortunately, since 2005, we have not used this opportunity, as the museum cannot bear the costs of its financing. Previously, the embassies of France and Germany helped us, but now they are busy with other projects. - It was reported not so long ago that one of the Belarusian banks acquired works by artists of the Paris School who were natives of Belarus. Chagall's name was mentioned among the authors of the purchased works. What is your opinion on this purchase? - It is difficult to comment on this acquisition without seeing it. The very fact that businesses make such purchases, returning works by world-famous artists to their homeland, is undoubtedly a good thing. However, it would be better if the buyers consulted with art historians about what they are buying and why. Specialists do not have to be listened to, but they must be heard. Every serious corporate collector abroad has art experts who help shape the collection. Prudence in this matter is justified. Unfortunately, fake works of the Russian avant-garde, which includes works by natives of Belarus, are actively sold, including even to museums. During the existence of the USSR, the heritage of the avant-garde artists was hidden, and their relatives who remained in the Soviet Union were afraid to admit that they kept their works. In the West, they did not sleep and forged the Russian avant-garde, which was very popular there. The Iron Curtain fell, relatives unpacked their storage, began to sell genuine works that the artists created in their homeland. It was then that it turned out that many Western private collections were full of fakes of the Russian avant-garde. This was in the late 1980s. Gradually, the passions subsided, Western collections were replenished with genuine works, but the fakes had to be disposed of somewhere. That's when they started selling them. I fear that Belarus may now fall into the sphere of interest of such dealers. Moreover, it is very difficult to find experts in the field of avant-garde to assess the authenticity and artistic value of the works. - Lyudmila Vladimirovna, sometimes one can hear statements that, they say, there are no works by Chagall in Belarus. Tell us about the collection of the art center.- It is strange for me to hear that there are no works by Chagall in Belarus. Over 20 years, the museum has formed a rather good collection of graphic works by Chagall. Chagall treated the creation of printmaking graphics with no less reverence than his paintings or drawings. He spoke about this repeatedly. Marc Zakharovich turned to creating graphics at a mature age, being a famous artist. He consciously opted for the creation of printmaking works so that as many people as possible could become acquainted with them. It was a peculiar form of missionary work. Throughout his life, Chagall created about one thousand graphic sheets on various themes. The Marc Chagall Art Center in Vitebsk houses a third of this heritage – from his very first etchings to his last work, which allows us to trace the evolution of his creativity, techniques, and themes. Our collection is a national treasure. I would like to add that it was assembled thanks to donors: Heinrich Mandel from Germany, Günther Kamatzki from Switzerland, and Chagall's granddaughters Bella Meyer and Meret Meyer. Half of our collection, including illustrations for Gogol's poem "Dead Souls," is a gift from Bella and Meret. We want as many visitors as possible to become acquainted with our collection, and we will be glad to welcome guests at our festive events. Diana KURILO, BELTA.-0-

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