Such a great event – the exhibition ‘Ten centuries of Art in Belarus’ happens in our country once in a thousand years – told Uladzimir Prakaptsoŭ, the General Director of the National Art Museum at the official opening of this event.

Cross of Saint Euphrosyne (exhibited only in the day of the opening). Created by Lazar Bohsha (1167), reconsructed by Mikalai Kuzmich (1997)

The great exhibition which is organized by Belgazprombank in cooperation with Gazprom Transgaz Belarus, the Ministry of Culture and the National Art Museum from March 27th till July10th 2014 will give everyone an opportunity to find out about the development of art in Belarus in its integrity and continuity. The idea of the exhibition belongs to Belgazprombank who initiated and is directly involved in the process of returning to their homeland works by artists who were born in Belarus. And the first step in this direction was made in creation a collection of artists from the School of Paris.

1588 Statute of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Compiled by Leu Sapieha and Astafiy Valovich. Museum of History of Mahiliou

The culture and art experts make a point that corporate collection of Belgazprombank gives a possibility to compatriots to realize the scale of culture of their country, its importance in a global context and to open the unknown chapter in the history of the national culture.

The new pearls from the corporate collection of Belgazprombank are Walenty Wankowicz ‘Portrait of Tomasz Zan’, the unique pieces of art by Marc Chagall ‘The Green Landscape’ and ‘Clock in the flaming sky’, a masterpiece ‘Eva’ by Chaim Soutine will be presented to public for the first time at the exhibition ‘Ten centuries of art in Belarus’. Not only the pearls from the corporate collection will be demonstrated at the exhibition. In each hall the visitors will find a masterpiece: the Byzantine traditions hall will be presented by the rare example of folk religious art – straw royal gates of the XVIII century and the Viščyn treasure trove – one of the most famous Belarusian treasures found in 1979 near Ragachoŭ; in the Renaissance to Baroque hall the Crown of Torah will be exhibited for the first time; the 20th Century. Metamorphoses hall will present the masterpieces from Mikhail Savitsky ‘Partisan Madonna (of Minsk)’ to the ‘Project of the century. Twelve of the 20th’ by Uladzimir Tsesler and Siarhey Voichanka.

The crown for Torah. 18th–19th century. Museum of Belarusian Palesse, Pinsk

Walenty Wańkowicz 'Portrait of Tomasz Zan'. 1837–1839. Oil on canvas. Corporate collection of Belgazprombank

And only for one day – March 27th 2014 – will bring to Minsk from Polotsk the reconstruction of the Cross of Saint Euphrosyne created by Lazar Bohsha.

The slogan of the exhibition is ‘We make history together’. Together with the organizers and partners of the art-project ‘Ten centuries of Art in Belarus’ worked the international team: designers from Belarus, Lithuania and Russia. Lubov Leontieva (designer from Russia) transformed the space of the museum from the very entrance. The additional elements accent the attention on the pieces of art and emphasize the particularity of each of them.

Marc Chagall "The Green Landscape". 1948–1950. Oil on canvas. Corporate collection of Belgazprombank

Chaim Soutine 'Eva'. 1928. Oil on canvas. Corporate collection of Belgazprombank

Uladzimir Prakaptsoŭ the General Director of the National Art Museum marked that such a cultural event has never been presented in Belarus and added that everyone should visit this exhibition because the next one will be in a thousand years!

Let’s make history together!

Alena Kish 'A maiden in water'. 1930s–1940s. Oil on canvas. Zaslaŭye History and Culture Museum-Reserve

Mikhail Savitsky 'Partisan Madonna (of Minsk)'. 1978. Oil on canvas. National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus

Siarhey Voichanka, Uladzimir Tsesler 'Project of the century ‘Twelve of the 20th. Pablo Picasso'. 1999. Authors’s property