The Desert of
Forbidden Art is a fascinating documentary film about the Nukus Museum in Soviet
Uzbekistan that houses thousands of works of art by Russian artists. The man
responsible for this extraordinary collection was Igor Savitsky, whose mission
was to acquire and safeguard important works of art that had been condemned by
the Soviets. The film is rated PG.
Beginning in the 1930’s, the Soviet government forced
artists to depict images that promoted Soviet tenets. Some artists complied and
painted canvases of factories and farm workers, happy comrades and families
existing under the regime of Stalin. Other artists who would not paint along
party lines were arrested and locked up as dissidents, or worse yet executed,
with others sent to Gulags or mental hospitals.
Igor Savitsky was an art lover and collector extraordinaire.
Fascinated by the art created by Russian artists who were suppressed by the Soviet
government, he bought thousands of works of art from the creators or their
family members. Savitsky was perceived as honorable and trustworthy, convincing
the families of the artists to sell the works to him for safekeeping and
eventual display in a less dangerous place. The art had often been hidden in a
family’s attic or storeroom to evade confiscation by the KGB.
Savitsky transported the art, often under arduous conditions
by rail and car, to the remote northwestern desert town of Nukus. He had
visited Nukus in Uzbekistan on an archeological expedition, and decided this
was the perfect remote place to keep the controversial pieces of art safe.
The art we see in the film is indeed beautiful, some very
unusual, most with a political statement in their character. The fact that the
government did not wish these artists to express themselves is a testament to
the repressive conditions that countries endure under corrupt and fearful
leaders.
The director of the museum, Marinika Babanazarova, has
guarded this collection for three decades. The museum’s works include the early
20th century art by these Russian innovators in the style of
Fauvism, Expressionism, Futurism and Constructivism. Savitsky eventually
accumulated approximately 40,000 works of art that he brought to the remote
desert location, far, far from the KGB.
The vocal talents of Edward Asner, Sally Field and Ben
Kingsley (as the voice of Igor Savitsky) add to the pleasing quality of the
film as they voice the diaries and letters of Savitsky, and of the artists that
he approached for his collection. The story is told well, and the
cinematography, especially of the art itself, is first rate. There are many
interviews with experts in the field of art, and great archival footage.
What Savitsky did to safeguard art for future generations
unfortunately does not end with the museum he filled. The art remains
endangered, the threats being Islamic fundamentalists, art profiteers, and
corrupt bureaucrats. I highly recommend The
Desert of Forbidden Art. Whether you are a lover of art, a lover of travel,
or of the truth, this documentary has something in it for you.
