Exhibition “Material evidence”


The exhibition “Boris Kreitser. A folder of Sketches. “Material evidence” was opened on the 26th of October in The Museum of Political History of Russia. The museum exhibits were provided by the Museum of GULAG (GULAG is abbreviation of General Directorate of Camps and Places of Detention). Exhibition is dedicated to the Leningrad artist, architect and book illustrator Boris Kreizer. He was repressed during the Great Terror period and spent 20 years in the work camps and in exile. In 1938, Kreizer was convicted in a forged case and sentenced to death for espionage for Germany and Japan, but he  survived.


A folder with sketches of children's toys by B.Kreizer is a unique evidence of “The Great terror” historical period. The illustrations were drawn by order of NKVD (NKVD is abbreviation of People's Commissariat of internal Affairs of the RSFSR) while he was in the work camp. The creators of exhibition brought to life the ideas of the artist: next to the illustrations of Kreizer, the audience can see a toy hippo, giraffe, duck, pig and penguin, pyramid and pins.


At the opening of the exhibition Deputy Director of the Museum of Political History of Russia Elena Kostyusheva said that the exhibition was dedicated to the Day of commemoration of victims of political repressions. She said that this exhibition will help us to understand life of Boris Kreizer who survived despite of the Great terror. Creativity helped Kreizer to survive in such a bad conditions of the work camps.


Anna Red’kina, curator of the exhibition, said that the purpose of the exhibition “A folder of Sketches. “Material evidence” is to tell about destinies of people and their work camp experience with the help of the things that belonged to them. The Museum of the history of GULAG has already made two exhibitions of the series “Material Evidence”. Except the “Folder with sketches” the Museum of GULAG presented a book-a diary of a political prisoner Olga Ranickaya. This woman wrote this diary in the camp for her son, with whom she was separated.


Research of the life and work of Boris Kreizer was made by the historian and author of "Leningrad martyrologist" Anatoliy Razumov. He was the first person who had got acquainted with the archival and investigative file of the artist. When Razumov got the documents of the investigative file of B.Kreizer, he immediately realized that this was a unique find. The scientist said that documents of the investigative file of Kreizer helped historians to answer to the questions about the period of Stalin's repressions.


Anna Red’kina said, that the book about Boris Kreizer would be published soon. The detailed information about artist’s destiny, about how the museum workers got the copybook with his sketches you can find in the materials of the Museum of history of GULAG.

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