Press releases

MINSK, 28 June (BelTA) – A square named in honor of Marc Chagall, one of the most prominent Belarusians and a vivid representative of the artistic avant-garde of the 20^th century, was solemnly opened in Jerusalem on 28 June, representatives of the Belarusian embassy in Israel told BelTA.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, representatives of the French Institute in Jerusalem, the Russian culture center, and the general public, including the association of Belarusians in Jerusalem, took part in the ceremony.

According to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Israel Vladimir Skvortsov, the event confirms the special attitude of the Israelis towards the art of the prominent painter, the 130^th anniversary of whose birthday will be marked soon. Over 50 years ago Marc Chagall created unique mosaics and tapestries for the buildings of the Israeli parliament and the Hadassah Medical Center.

The prominent fine art expert Galina Podolskaya, leaders of the Jerusalem press club Roman Gershzon and Alexander Agranovsky came forth with the initiative to name one of Jerusalem’s squares after Marc Chagall. The relevant application was submitted to the city hall in 2014. By the way, Marc Chagall was granted the title of an honorary citizen of Jerusalem back in 1977.

The ambassador of Belarus stressed: “We are sincerely grateful to the enthusiasts, whose efforts have allowed creating a new place named after Marc Chagall in Jerusalem, and to all those, who have supported them. We hope that the square will become another place of interest in this unique city for all the fans of Marc Chagall’s art. Talents of the graphic artist from Vitebsk are internationally recognized. Marc Chagall has won hearts of many people in the world with his inimitable style and a special outlook on life.”

The ambassador reminded that the year 2017 is a special year for Belarus-Israel relations: 25 years since the diplomatic relations between the two countries were established was marked in May 2017.

Marc Chagall Square and the relevant commemorative token are located near the so-called Ticho House (a monographic art museum in the center of Jerusalem) and not far from the house of Rabbi Abraham Kook where Marc Chagall often stayed as a guest.