MARCH 14 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Nukus, an impoverished town on the western edge of the Karakum desert in Uzbekistan, is an unlikely place for one of the world’s finest collections of Russian avant-garde art. But this was where Igor Savitsky stashed banned paintings by artists the Soviet Union had sent to the gulags.

Savitsky lived in Nukus and used the town’s obscurity to hide the art in the 1950s and 1960s. By the time embarrassed local Communist officials discovered the 38,000 piece collection later it was too late. Savitsky had built up what an art critic described as “a treasure trove of art historical surprises”.

Now a documentary entitled “The Desert of Forbidden Art” about the collection has premiered in New York (March 11). The trailer can be viewed at www.desertofforbiddenart.com.

In May 2003, the editor of this newsletter visited the Savitsky Museum in Nukus. In an interview, Marinika Babanazarova, its director, described the subversive nature of the collection.

“He used his personal contacts, charm and eloquence to collect the paintings,” she said according to notes. “It became a sort of underground network as the artists or their relatives would offer him paintings because they knew he would preserve them. He was trusted.”

Perhaps this is why the Uzbek authorities appear less than impressed by the international attention the collection has generated recently. Media reported that they barred Ms Babanazarova from flying to Washington for a screening. Uzbek officials have not commented.

For Uzbekistan, it appears, Savitsky’s painting collection has retained its subversive edge.

ENDS