Press releases

MINSK, 22 October (BelTA) - The painting of Belarusian artist Walenty Wankowicz was brought back to Belarus. Belgazprombank acquired “The Portrait of poet Tomasz Zan” from a Russian private collector. "The painting is the only work of the artist that has been returned to its historical homeland,” BelTA learned from Yuri Karpitsky, the head of information and public relations at the information policy department of Belgazprombank.

Experts of the State Russian Museum studied the painting for its authenticity and confirmed its great artistic and historical value. According to Yuri Karpitsky, the appearance of this work in Belgazprombank’s collection is of particular importance. Out of many works created by the artist, only a small part of them have survived in museums and private collections in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Poland, Lithuania, and Russia. Now, Belarusians will be able to see the original work of the artist. Until now there was not a single work of the artist in Belarus as many paintings were taken out to other countries or lost. Interestingly, the painting is the only known portrait of Tomasz Zan. The new addition to the corporate collection of Belgazprombank will go on display during the exhibition "Ten Centuries of Art in Belarus". The exhibition opens in Minsk in March 2014.

Walenty Wankowicz (1800-1842) is one of the most famous Belarusian artists of the 19th century. The artist was recognized as a brilliant representative of Romanticism style in painting thanks to such paintings as "Feat of a young Kiev citizen during the siege of Kiev by the Pechenegs in 968”, “Mickiewicz on the Cliff of Yudah". However, Wankowicz was better known as a portraitist. He made portraits of poets Alexander Pushkin, Piotr Vyazemsky, pianist Maria Shimanovskaya, and many others.