Attributes of Art mosaic – Opera House – Chișinău – Moldova

‘The Mosaic ‘Attributes of Art’ can be admired again! Restoration work completed

20 December 2022

Successfully completed the restoration of the mosaic panel ‘Art’ by the famous artist Michael Burya. The opening of the panel took place on Friday, December 16, [2022] on the territory of the Maria Bieshu Opera and Ballet Theatre.

The event was attended by the Minister of Culture Sergey Prodan, the artist Valery Yabinski and his team and the architect Sergei Garkonitsa. The mosaic panel was dismantled in 2018 from the former building of the Palace of the Trade Unions, in the capital sector of Ryshkanovka ….. The cost of the project is 8 million lei and is fully covered by Kaufland Moldova [a supermarket chain]. ‘For Kaufland, this is a unique project not only at the level of the Republic of Moldova, but also at the level of the international group of which we are a part. It is a great honour for us that we had the opportunity to become a part of history, defending and exchanging national cultural heritage. Work on moving the mosaic panel was carried out in several stages in compliance with all the requirements, which was a real test for architects and artists’, said Dona Rapchuga, executive director of Kaufland Moldova.

The colour scheme of the big mosaics ‘Attributes of Art’ is combined with taste: red-black gold, with inclusions of yellow, grey and white colours, represented by comedic and tragic masks, musical instruments, and on the other hand resembles the Moldavian carpet. Valery Zhabinsky, head of the department of wall painting of the Academy of Music, Theatre and Fine Arts, led a team of artists who performed the process of restoration of mosaic.

‘They worked hard for nine months. That is how much time it took to restore 218 square meters of mosaics – from early morning until it got dark. We also had moments when we doubted that we would succeed, but together with the beautiful team of artists, we managed to finish this work of art’, said the artist Valery Zhabinsky.

Architect Sergei Garkonitsa, who has more than 20 years of experience in the restoration of monuments, noted that this project of disassembly and subsequent reconstruction of the mosaic is a complex work that requires not only talent, but also passion. ‘I would like to thank the investor who made such an unusual gift not only to the Chisinau municipality, but also to the whole country. This work can be admired by generations, and it will go down in history as the first project of this kind’, said Garkonitsa.

The mosaic panel ‘Attributes of Art’ is located on the territory of the Maria Bieshu Opera and Ballet Theatre. Residents and guests of the capital can already admire them. Kaufland Moldova is also going to transfer this work of art to the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova.’

The above from; Mosaic ‘Attributes of Art’ can be admired again! Restoration work completed – original in Russian and machine translated.

Attributes of Art – in its original location

This is a bit of a success story. Not only was the art work protected there was a determined effort to preserve it when the original location was to be demolished. As the article above indicates the removal and repositioning of a mosaic is far from an easy task. Unfortunately, this happened three or four years ago. I don’t think the political climate is such, at least at the moment, for such effort and expense to be available to some of the other ‘under threat’ mosaics in other parts of Chișinău or even Moldova.

About the mosaic

It was originally installed at the side of the main entrance of the Trade Unions’ Palace of Culture in the Râșcani district of Chișinău. It measures 23 meters wide by 6.5 meters high, has a colour palette of red, black, gold, yellow, grey, and white and uses a traditional Moldovan carpet as its template.

The title takes its name from the symbols, musical and theatrical, that are included in the image. These include; a trumpet, a guitar, a violin, harp and two masks (representing comedy and tragedy)

Artist;

Mikhail Burya

Created;

1974 (at it’s original location, that building now demolished)

Location;

Mitropolit Dosoftei St 53, Chișinău,

GPS;

47.02874 N

28.83001 E

How to get there;

The Opera House is a short walk from the Triumphal Arch, going north-west along Boulevard Stefan cel Mare. The mosaic is at the side of the building, opposite the entrance to a secondary school.