Date: 13.01.2021

One of the main events of the citywide cultural action ‘Night of the Arts-2020’ was an exhibition on Strastny Boulevard, ‘Survive to Create. Dedicated to the Children of War’ opened by the Russian State Art Library (RSAL) and the Moscow Library of the Arts named after AP Bogolyubov.

The exhibition was the first in the partnership between the two libraries who share a similar profile, that of collecting, preserving, and popularising the nation’s cultural heritage.

As RSAL Director Ada Kolganova noted at the opening of the exhibition, ‘The specialists of these two art libraries have endeavoured to reveal the topic of the Great Victory over Fascism, which is important for every Russian. The picture of the military experiences is presented using photographs of children and the memories of prominent cultural figures. The exhibition offers the viewer a fresh look at the wonderful generation that survived the war.’

Vladimir Semenov, Director of Moscow Library of the Arts named after AP Bogolyubov, drew the audience’s attention to the fact that the opening of the exhibition was scheduled for 5 May, Victory Day. This year’s circumstances prevented the implementation of the planned events. Nevertheless, in the Year of Memory and Glory, as in every other year, this topic does not lose its topicality and urgency.’

Every single one of the faces made familiar through the media, the heroes of the exposition, was born in the 1930s. They not only survived the most difficult of wartime conditions, but managed to preserve and develop their thirst for creativity, to become useful to their compatriots. Their generation gave Russian culture a great number of outstanding masters in the arts. The stories of 58 of them, who have become an example for today’s young people, are introduced in this exhibition.