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The Desert of Forbidden Art - Review
The fascinating story of the collection and creation of Uzbekistan's Nukus Museum is told in Tchavdar Georgiev and Amanda Pope's "The Desert of Forbidden Art." A remarkable treasure trove little-known to most Westerners -- or even fellow citizens of former U.S.S.R. territories -- the museum is institution showcases decades of avant-garde art suppressed over decades of cultural censoriousness. Absorbing docu is a natural for artscasters, with an outside shot at specialized theatrical exposure. After flourishing in the 1920s, avant-gardism in all media became increasingly frowned upon by bureaucratic watchdogs who much preferred "Soviet realist" style -- patriotic, propagandistic, often kitschily idealizing life under communist rule -- to anything more adventuresome. Artists who chose more individual paths, which could also include religious or homosexual expressions, were often sent to mental hospitals, prison camps or the firing squad during Stalinist purges. Those who were luckier either bent their publicly shown work to official models or simply hid all efforts from view. See more..
Palm Beach fest fetes 'Winter's Bone'
The award for best documentary feature went to Amanda Pope and Tchavdar Georgiev's "The Desert of Forbidden Art."
Wandering in the Desert No More
“The work of art is a scream of freedom,” said Christo, the Bulgarian-born American artist whose experience of growing up in a Communist country left a deep mark on his creations. In Russian art, there have been many “screams of freedom,” especially during the repressive Stalin and Brezhnev years, when artists who didn’t paint in the accepted Social Realism style (think smiling factory workers and singing proletariat marching arm in arm) were shunned, sent to mental institutions and exiled to labor camps. This shameful legacy is chronicled in a new documentary “The Desert of Forbidden Art,” currently making its way to film festivals around the world. In the film, directors Amanda Pope and Tchavdar Georgiev tell the story of one man who dedicated his life to hunting down works by forgotten Russian Avant-garde artists, amassing one of the largest collections in the world in the process. The collector, Igor Savitsky, born into a bourgeois family shortly before the Russian revolution, went on to collect more than 44,000 artworks and open a museum, which today is the second largest collection of Russian avant-garde art in the world after the Russian State Art Museum in St. Petersburg. See more..
Palm Beach Int'l Film Fest: The Future Will Be!
The Award for Best Documentary Feature went to The Desert of Forbidden Art, directed by Amanda Pope and Tchavdar Georgiev. Risking being denounced as an “enemy of the people,” Igor Savitsky rescues 40,000 forbidden fellow artists’ works and creates, in a far desert of Soviet Uzbekistan, a museum now worth millions. Documentary jurors Rob Davis and Aaron Wells commented, “This year’s documentary category featured an excellent slate of remarkable films dealing with a broad array of fascinating subjects. Having a number of exceptional films is both a blessing and curse to the jury members – it makes watching the films an incredibly enjoyable process, but it makes judging them a very difficult task. This year’s winner tells an engaging story in an innovative, artistic style. The film details one individual’s incredible lifetime commitment to preserve works of art representing a nearly forgotten artistic movement, and visits the museum in a remote part of the world where the artistic works are preserved and exhibited.”
Uncovering the Desert of Forbidden Art
As famed for its paintings as it is for its founder, Uzbekistan’s Nukus Museum is home to over 44,000 refugees – not exiled people, but exiled pieces of art. As depicted in the documentary The Desert of Forbidden Art, it took one courageous man — as well as many defiant artists — to not only create the museum, but to do so in the face of danger. Igor Savitzky was the man in question. Come the onslaught of Soviet power in 1917, Savitzky, realizing that culture was to be relentlessly repressed, took it upon himself — with the financial help of a Communist leader —to salvage thousands of Russian works of art, transporting them from Russia to Uzbekistan, a distant province of the Soviet Union. The film, which chronicles Savitzky’s feat, interweaves Savitzky’s story (told by actor Ben Kingsley) with that of the artists, whose tales are told by the voices of Sally Field, Ed Asner, and Igor Paramonov. See more..
Documenting the Documentaries
Desert of Forbidden Art: This story of how Igor Savistsky stashed more than 44,000 censored Soviet Union paintings into the Nukus Museum is a hidden corner of Uzbekistan — technically Karakalpakstan — is a portrait of defiant vision blended with tremendous contemporary art. In viewing the collection, it’s no overstatement to say — as did New York Times reporter who stumbled upon the museum after the fall of the USSR — that an entire chapter of art history should be rewritten due to these works. They are cultural treasures from a land that did its best to do away with individualism, and this film does Savistky, who died in 1984 due to years of using toxic cleaners on silver artworks, true justice.
"Desert of Forbidden Art' a thrilling revelation
The point of movies is, and always was, to take us to another place, a place away from our familiar streets, to educate and thrill us with visions that might ordinarily have slipped by us, as we whirled through our workaday lives. Filmmakers from around the planet have always done this and done it well. But with the walls of tyranny and suppression torn down in the past century, new and exciting visions have appeared. Centuries of lost art and literature have been exposed through the hard work of pioneers in restoration, digging through the rubble of a century of political suppression. A hero of this period was Igor Savitsky, a child of the White Russian society of wealth and comfort in Kiev. Savitsky dreamed of becoming a great painter, but when he was rebuffed by one of his idols who said that he would never be a great artist, Savitsky began to withdraw into depression. See more..
'Desert of Forbidden Art' tells of Soviet artwork saved from destruction
Even the geographically astute might have a hard time locating Nukus, Karakalpakstan, on a globe, but it is in this arid, remote area of Uzbekistan that the greatest trove of Soviet era "degenerate art" is housed, thanks to the efforts of Igor Savitsky. "The Desert of Forbidden Art," screening this weekend at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, sheds light not only on this astounding 40,000-piece collection but the conditions that forced its creation. Savitsky was an archaeologist and frustrated artist who began work on an archaeological survey in Nukus in 1950. At the time, Josef Stalin's government dictated that the culture of places such as Uzbekistan should be suppressed and eliminated. But Savitsky painstakingly collected and preserved Uzbek rugs, clothing, jewelry and art, and then began surreptitiously collecting the work of artists who had been banned for not participating in officially sanctioned Soviet art, most of which consisted of romanticized depictions of workers and openings of power plants and military facilities. See more..
The Desert of Forbidden Art REVIEW
Think of art under the Soviet regime, and images of smiling farmers and factory workers spring to mind, their roles in keeping the Workers’ Republic a happy and prosperous place to work. Of course, other art was being created during the years between the Bolshevik Revolution and the death of Stalin, but the Kremlin crushed it as thoroughly as possible. The leadership called much of it “decadent” and, worse still, “anti-Soviet.” And that’s where Igor Savitsky comes in, the central figure in “The Desert of Forbidden Art,” a documentary screening Friday to Sunday at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Born in Kiev just before the Revolution, Savitsky went to Karakalpakstan in 1950 as an artist with the Khorezm Archaeological and Ethnographic Expedition. He fell in love with the desert, writing that it “is perfect for an artist to find out how color sounds.” See more..
Thousands of rescued artworks are housed in the desert of Uzbekistan
The Desert of Forbidden Art, which the Greater Park Circle Film Society will screen on Saturday, is a fascinating film, unique in its use of art history to show life in the Soviet Union. It's an angle of this time period that many may be unfamiliar with, expanding on the damaging effects of Soviet authoritarianism. In the parched landscape of Uzbekistan sits a museum with the second largest collection of Russian avant garde artwork in the world. The Nukus Museum of Art (located in Nukus, the capital city of the autonomous Karakalpakstan Republic) was established by Igor Savitsky in the 1960s. A failed artist himself, Savitsky emigrated to Nukus and began collecting indigenous Uzbek artifacts as the Soviets were implementing a system of cultural ambiguity. See more..
Pick of the Week: Screening of ‘The Desert of Forbidden Art' at Truro Community Center
See the story of the surreptitious saving of Russian avante-garde art when “The Desert of Forbidden Art” screens at 7 p.m. at Truro Community Center in North Truro. The film, from Amanda Pope and Tchavdar Georgiev, tells how Igor Savitsky, a struggling artist during the time of the oppressive Soviet regime, rescued 40,000 forbidden works by fellow artists by pretending to purchase state-approved art, and then established an art museum in the desert of Uzbekistan. He was able to convince the same government banning the artwork to finance his purchases.
Here on Earth: Radio Without Borders
Interviews with the directors Amanda Pope and Tchavdar Georgiev on public radio.
Zooming in on the 2010 Wisconsin Film Festival
This captivating documentary recounts the story of Igor Savitsky, who risked the gulag to help save Soviet culture in spite of itself. The Kiev native saved some 44,000 works by Soviet artists who had been deemed degenerate or anti-Soviet, preserving both art and reputations. Savitsky (1915-84) collected for decades, transporting these artworks deep into the deserts of northwest Uzbekistan, where they might be safer from Stalin. He endured an often desperate existence to establish a museum containing one of the world's largest collections of avant-garde Russian paintings and drawings, along with thousands of central Asian artifacts and contemporary works. Alas, Savitsky's efforts are now threatened by regional instability and the collection's desperate need for restoration. But this gripping film is a compelling testimonial to art and the human heart from which it derives.
The Eyes of a Hooligan
It's rare that a long-dead subject beams with such presence as Igor Savitsky in The Desert Of Forbidden Art. Despite the grave circumstances that came with Savitsky's lifelong project—collecting government-suppressed art in a distant outpost of the Soviet Union—Amanda Pope and Tchavdar Georgiev's documentary often had the audience at the Wisconsin Union Theater laughing at the man's slippery antics. Voice-overs from Ben Kingsley give Savitsky a defiantly droll voice, and interviews with surviving colleagues and children of repressed artists recall him scamming authorities into funding his museum in Karakalpakstan, or weaseling his way into the confidence of a state-backed artist in order to secure his more personal, less propaganda-smothered works. "He had the eyes of a hooligan," recalls one subject. More impressive is that the filmmakers do not let Savitsky upstage the art itself. Think Gauguin or Chagall's boundless shocks of color, colliding with the influence of Russian icon painting, the Soviet avant-garde, and the scenery of the desert lands many artists fled to in order to enjoy a last gasp of freedom after the revolution. Not only did Savitsky appreciate the grasp of colors and patterns in the region's folk art, the artists he collected absorbed that influence into paintings that challenge in their own right. Some of these images don't even seem to come up on a Google search, so The Desert Of Forbidden Art is a crucial lesson, and one that'll save you a trip to Uzbekistan.
An Oasis of Creativity
Amanda Pope and Tchavdar Georgiev, writers, directors, and producers of the film festival darling “The Desert of Forbidden Art,” according to Pope, “specialize in the impossible.” Their documentary about Igor Savitsky, a Soviet era collector who not only opened the Nukus museum in the Uzbekistan desert and rescued over 40,000 pieces of Russian Avant-Garde art, but also managed to convince the Communist government to fund the very artifacts they persecuted people for during the Stalin era, has screened at numerous international film festivals to rave reviews. See more..
Forbidden Documentary to Debut
“I found these paintings rolled up under the beds of old widows, buried in family trash. These were forbidden works, by artists who stayed true to their vision at a terrible cost. “It was a time of total control of the arts …” So begins the narration by actor Ben Kingsley in the trailer for a remarkable documentary - six years in the making - written, produced and directed by USC cinematic arts associate professor Amanda Pope and cinematic arts grad Tchavdar Georgiev MFA ’00. See more..
Review: The Desert of Forbidden Art
The Desert of Forbidden Art tells the story of the extraordinary Igor Savitsky, prolific collector of Soviet avant-garde art. The film is a sweeping look at the decades of the Soviet repression of the arts, and one man’s pursuit of capturing a legion of forgotten or politically volatile artists, and in doing so creating one of the most important collections of Western art ever made. See more..
Creative Forces: Women in the Business (Santa Barbara Film Festival)
Join us for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival Women's Panel featuring Erin Wilson (Writer, Chloe), Rachel Tenner (Casting, A Serious Man), Joan Sobel (Editor, A Single Man), Amanda Pope (Director, The Desert of Forbidden Art), Sarah Siegel-Magness (Producer, Precious), Bonnie Arnold (Producer, The Last Station). Moderated by Madelyn Hammond. If you want to watch panel tease go to VIEW VIDEO. If you want to watch the entire panel go to VIEW ENTIRE PANEL above.
Film Festival Highlights
"The Desert of Forbidden Art" is a fascinating glimpse at the world of art the Russian government never wanted you to see. For decades, any Russian artist whose vision conflicted with the Soviet rule was imprisoned or executed. One Russian man sought to ensure these artists' works would be seen, and eventually amassed a collection of more than 40,000 pieces the government sought to destroy. Sally Field, Ben Kingsley and Edward Asner lend their voices to this powerful documentary about passion and creativity.
The Arts on Sunday
In the middle of Uzbekistan's desert is a museum, home to one of the most remarkable collections of 20th century Russian Art. (duration: 9′45″)
В поисках запретного искусства
Как выживает искусство в во времена идеологического удушья? В годы советской власти художники, следовавшие своему творческому признанию, часто кончали свои дни в Гулаге, под пулями тюремщиков или попадали в психушки. 7 лет назад режиссеры Чавдар Георгиев и Аманда Поп случайно узнали о музее советского авангарда посреди узбекской пустыни, в каракалпакском городе Нукусе, собранном "Среднеазиатским Третьяковым" Игорем Савицким. Чавдар рассказывает о том, как созрела и воплотилась идея документальной ленты "Пустыня запрещенного искусства".
דוקאביב: האמנות מתגייסת למהפכה הקומוניסטית
עם פרוץ המהפכה הרוסית ב-1917, גם האמנות נאלצה להתגייס לטובת המהפכה ומנהיגיה. הסרט "אמנות אסורה במדבר", שיוקרן ביום שישי ב-14:00 במוזיאון תל אביב ובשבת ב-12:00 בסינמטק תל אביב, עוסק באמנים שסירבו בתוקף לשרת את השלטון, הוגלו או נשכחו, וביצירות שלא עמדו בצו האופנה האמנותי - הסגנון הריאליזם-הסוציאליסטי - ועל כן נהרסו. איגור סביצקי, שדמותו עומדת במרכז הסרט, פעל במשך עשרות שנים כדי למצוא, לאסוף, לשחזר ולהציל את היצירות האלה. את קולו בסרט משחק באמינות השחקן הבריטי בן קינגסלי. דרך סיפורו האישי של סביצקי מציג הסרט גם את רוח התקופה, את עליית השלטון, את השינוי הדרסטי בחייהם של האנשים ברוסיה ואת סיפורם של האמנים. סביצקי עצמו נולד למשפחה מהמעמד הגבוה שנאלצה לוותר על נכסיה לאחר המהפכה ונטמעה במעמד הפועלים. לאחר שקרובים ומכרים רבים שלהם נעלמו, הם אף נדרשו להוכיח כי הם תומכים באידיאולוגיה השלטת. See more..
Circling Cultural Pursuits Like Hungry Vultures
Culture Vulture swoops in to the Documentary Edge Festival and delivers nutrients for creative and art-centric minds, with documentaries that span different art forms from across the globe. The Desert of Forbidden Art (Russian Federation/USA/Uzbekistan) explores the work of Igor Savitsky – perhaps one of the most important people in the history of Russian art. Outfoxing Soviet censors, the artist and iconoclast saved more than 40,000 forbidden artworks as the film shows the lengths Savitsky will go through to save these previous articles no matter what the dangers… and the horrors of Soviet rule in the 1960’s with newly discovered archival footage.
Transcending Tragedy at Cinequest 2010
Dubbed 'Le Louvre des steppes' by Télérama magazine, the Savitsky collection includes approximately 90,000 paintings, sculptures, artifacts, textiles and jewelry by both ancient and contemporary artists and artisans. With its impeccable research, exquisite cinematography, and flawless editing The Desert of Forbidden Art is storytelling at its best, and affords an otherwise impossible entry into this dazzlingly creative and colorful world. Both the collection and the film are brilliant. See more..
Santa Barbara fest sets sked
Flying Lessons' to open Feb. 4-14 event The 25th Santa Barbara Film Fest will feature 200 films including 18 world premieres and 28 U.S. bows. The 10-day fest, which runs Feb. 4-14, will open with Derek Magyar's "Flying Lessons" and close with George Gallo's "Middle Men," starring Giovanni Ribisi, Luke Wilson, James Caan, Kelsey Grammar and Kevin Pollack. "The Sun Came Out," directed by Simon Mark-Brown, was recently added to the line-up, featuring musical artists Neil Finn, Eddie Vedder, Johnny Marr, Phil Selway, and Ed O'Brian as they gathered in New Zealand to record an album for charity. Other world premieres include Amanda Pope and Tchavdar Georgiev's doc "The Desert of Forbidden Art," starring Sally Field, Ben Kingsley, and Edward Asner, and James Kleinert's "Disappointment Valley…A Modern Day Wesern" with Viggo Mortensen, Sheryl Crow, and Daryl Hannah. This year's jury includes "Avatar's" Joel David Moore, USA Today film critic Claudia Puig, actors Haaz Sleiman, Clifton Collins Jr., Anthony Zerbe, and Dennis Franz, and "Under Our Skin" director Andy Abrahams Wilson. See more..
