Nikolay Bekryashev
Encyclopedia
Nikolay Georgievich Bekryashev was a Russia
n painter. He was the director of the Museum of the Northern Dvina Culture (currently the Velikoustyugsky Museum of History, Art, and Architecture) from 1924 to 1938 and is credited with the preservation of most of historical and architectural heritage of the town of Veliky Ustyug
.
in Saint-Petersburg from 1900 to 1910. He specialized in genre painting.
In 1918, the Northern Dvina Culture was open in Veliky Ustyug. The opening event was the exhibition of painting of Alexander Borisov
. Yevlampy Burtsev was appointed the first director of the museum. After the death of Burtsev on November 20, 1924 Bekryashev became the museum director. From 1918, Bekryashev was at the center of the circle of local intellectuals in Veliky Ustyug, whose goal was to preserve the historical heritage of the town. On the opposite side, the authorities wished to close the churches, to confiscate the church property, and eventually to demolish the buildings. Bekryashev and his colleagues found a way to compromise with the authorities, so that the church property was confiscated, but declared to be the historical and cultural heritage, transferred to the museum and preserved there.
The museum was initially located on the premises of Mikhaylo-Arkhangelsky Monastery in the center of the town. In 1921, Bekryashev managed to attract the commission from Moscow, which evaluated the Veliky Ustyg buildings and concluded on which of them represent the cultural heritage. The decisions of the committee he used against the local authorities which has no interest in keeping the buildings of former churches. In 1923, he initiated the creation of Northern Dvina Governorate Society of Regional Studies. The members of the Society, and Bekryashev in particular, personally toured the town in order to identify objects of cultural importance. As the result, Veliky Ustyug lost very little of its historical buildings and remained one of the best preserved architectural ensembles in Russia.
Nikolay Bekryashev was arrested on February 20, 1938 during the Great Purge
and sentenced to three years in prison for counter-revolutionary activity. He died on April 6, 1939 while still in a labor camp, near Plesetsk
of Arkhangelsk Oblast
.
In 2000, he was posthumously awarded the title of a honorary citizen of Veliky Ustyug.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n painter. He was the director of the Museum of the Northern Dvina Culture (currently the Velikoustyugsky Museum of History, Art, and Architecture) from 1924 to 1938 and is credited with the preservation of most of historical and architectural heritage of the town of Veliky Ustyug
Veliky Ustyug
Veliky Ustyug is a town in the northeast of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Sukhona and Yug Rivers. Administratively, it is incorporated as a town of oblast significance . It also serves as the administrative center of Velikoustyugsky District, by which it is completely...
.
Biography
Nikolay Bekryashev studied in the Imperial Academy of ArtsImperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, was founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov under the name Academy of the Three Noblest Arts. Catherine the Great renamed it the Imperial Academy of Arts and commissioned a new building, completed 25 years later in 1789...
in Saint-Petersburg from 1900 to 1910. He specialized in genre painting.
In 1918, the Northern Dvina Culture was open in Veliky Ustyug. The opening event was the exhibition of painting of Alexander Borisov
Alexander Alexeyevich Borisov
Alexander Alexeyevich Borisov was a Russian painter notable for his Arctic landscapes.-Biography:Alexander Borisov was born in the village of Gluboky Ruchey in the north of Russia, now located in the Krasnoborsky District of the Arkhangelsk Oblast. He was one of the four children in the peasant...
. Yevlampy Burtsev was appointed the first director of the museum. After the death of Burtsev on November 20, 1924 Bekryashev became the museum director. From 1918, Bekryashev was at the center of the circle of local intellectuals in Veliky Ustyug, whose goal was to preserve the historical heritage of the town. On the opposite side, the authorities wished to close the churches, to confiscate the church property, and eventually to demolish the buildings. Bekryashev and his colleagues found a way to compromise with the authorities, so that the church property was confiscated, but declared to be the historical and cultural heritage, transferred to the museum and preserved there.
The museum was initially located on the premises of Mikhaylo-Arkhangelsky Monastery in the center of the town. In 1921, Bekryashev managed to attract the commission from Moscow, which evaluated the Veliky Ustyg buildings and concluded on which of them represent the cultural heritage. The decisions of the committee he used against the local authorities which has no interest in keeping the buildings of former churches. In 1923, he initiated the creation of Northern Dvina Governorate Society of Regional Studies. The members of the Society, and Bekryashev in particular, personally toured the town in order to identify objects of cultural importance. As the result, Veliky Ustyug lost very little of its historical buildings and remained one of the best preserved architectural ensembles in Russia.
Nikolay Bekryashev was arrested on February 20, 1938 during the Great Purge
Great Purge
The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
and sentenced to three years in prison for counter-revolutionary activity. He died on April 6, 1939 while still in a labor camp, near Plesetsk
Plesetsk
Plesetsk is an urban locality Plesetsk is an urban locality Plesetsk is an urban locality (a work settlement and the administrative center of Plesetsky District, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, situated about northeast of Moscow and south of Arkhangelsk. Municipally, it is the administrative...
of Arkhangelsk Oblast
Arkhangelsk Oblast
Arkhangelsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It includes the Arctic archipelagos of Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya, as well as the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea....
.
In 2000, he was posthumously awarded the title of a honorary citizen of Veliky Ustyug.