Description of the attraction
The apartment museum of Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin (1873-1938) is located on Aptekarsky Island, on Graftio Street (formerly Permskaya), 26. This is the last home of the great singer. Here Chaliapin lived for 8 years: from 1914 to 1922, and then left the border.
The museum was opened in the spring of 1975. It is the first museum in our country dedicated to the creative activity of the artist. The museum has survived thanks to the care and concern of Isai Grigorievich Dvorishchina, the secretary and friend of Chaliapin. He lived here until his last days. Dvorishchin died in February 1942. Later, the museum took over the patronage of the Leningrad Theater Museum, where an unknown person called and reported the existence of such a house. So the things and the archive of the talented singer miraculously managed to be preserved for future generations.
Currently, the museum is carefully guarded, renovations are being planned in it in order to present its splendor to visitors and convey to them the atmosphere of Fyodor Ivanovich's artistic and simply human hobbies, which the apartment keeps. For example, since 1991 the museum has been closed for large-scale renovations. And in 1998, on the day of the 125th anniversary of the artist's birthday, the museum re-opened in a brilliant atmosphere, with knowledge and love recreated the life and creative path of the artist of music, through museum exhibits.
In the museum you can get acquainted with the entrance hall, small and large living rooms, with the dining room and Shalyapin's household items. They will help visitors to plunge into the world of the great singer, to feel the atmosphere in which he lived. This will be helped by the completely preserved interior of that time. Experts have recreated a corner of the singer's dressing room at the Mariinsky Theater.
The museum reflects all stages of the life of Fyodor Ivanovich. A large number of letters, photographs, sketches for scenery and performances are presented here. The appearance of the great singer can be imagined by his personal belongings, theatrical costumes, the collection of weapons, which was presented to him by M. Gorky. The letters allow one to feel the spiritual image of the artist, to understand his broad ties with his contemporaries, and characterize the spirit of communication between the singer and his relatives. With the help of photographs, documents and things, you can imagine Chaliapin as a living ordinary person in his connections with people of his time. They convey his appearance as a genius of the opera stage, theater. A myriad of costumes, theater posters, programs from opera halls and theaters tell about the artist's richest creative and theatrical life.
Drawings and paintings also immerse visitors in the musical world of Chaliapin. Drawings and photographs in which Fyodor Ivanovich is depicted in ordinary life, and not only on the stage, are very interesting. They contribute to the recreation of the life story of this talented person. Chaliapin the singer is depicted in numerous photographs and paintings from opera and theater scenes.
Workshops of artists K. A. Korovin, A. Ya. Golovin, A. E. Yakovlev, they convey to the visitors of the museum very reliable material from the life of the artist. A portrait made in 1921 by the famous portrait painter B. M. Kustodiev, fully by means of painting conveys the biography of Fyodor Ivanovich. Here you can see everything Chaliapin - from an artist of fair theaters to a performer of famous world operas. Chaliapin himself was very fond of this portrait, and therefore took it with him when he went abroad. In 1968, Shalyapin's relatives sent the portrait as a gift to the Theater Museum.
The entire creative path of Chaliapin is revealed in the expositions of the museum. It leaves no one indifferent and will be interesting not only for musicians, specialists and people of art, but also for an ordinary person, because it is always pleasant to touch beauty.
