Collection of the museum-apartment of Apollinary Vasnetsov: stages, factors and sources of formation

The aim of this study is to analyze the main stages of the formation of the collection of the museum-apartment of the artist Apollinary Vasnetsov. The research materials include the museum’s receipts books, official letters from the artist’s heirs, by-laws emanating from government bodies, and museographic publications: catalogs and museum guides. The study used historical-comparative, historical-systemic, retrospective, historical-biographical methods, as well as techniques of historical source study. The stages of the formation of the museum collection are considered in their direct connection with the gradual expansion of the museum, the development of its activities, general museum trends, the evolution of the concepts of Soviet museum science, and a number of sociocultural factors. Throughout the entire period under study, the museum’s funds were replenished with objects of graphics, painting and decorative arts. The main method of replenishment was the transfer of objects from the family collection; new objects were acquired systematically, in connection with a change in exhibition concepts and the discovery of gaps in the museum collection. In the formation of the funds of the Museum-Apartment of Apollinary Vasnetsov, three periods are clearly distinguished. The first period (1960-1965) is characterized by the transfer of part of the family collection to the museum funds; Vasnetsov’s memorial workshop was opened in his apartment, which received the status of a monument of national significance. The second period (1965-1970s) is associated with the expansion of the museum, the intensification of its collecting and collection work, the strengthening of the social significance of memorial museums, and the development of scientific research work. The third period (1980s) is characterized by a conceptual change in the exhibition, its clear division into memorial and auxiliary, revealing the artist’s creative path. It was determined that during this period the collection of the Museum-Apartment of Apollinary Vasnetsov continued to develop thanks to third-party donors who were not related to the artist. It is emphasized that the data and results of such studies will help preserve the original concept of the memorial museum and correctly supplement it when creating new museum exhibition and reconstruction projects. This analysis of the practice of acquiring the collections of the Museum-Apartment of Apollinary Vasnetsov makes an undoubted contribution to solving current problems associated with the phenomenon of a small museum.