The United Artistic and Historical Comission and its role in the Anatoly Lunacharsky’s plans of organization of the central department for protection of historical and cultural heritage (January – early February 1918)

Abstract

The article analyzes the situation of the protection of historical and cultural heritage in the end of 1917 – beginning of 1918 in Petrograd. After the October Revolution Anatoly Lunacharsky (the people’s commissar for education) decided to organize the central department for protection of historical and cultural heritage of Russia. This project was previously discussed by the Provisional Government. After the October Revolution it became even more current question. On the one hand it was the time of the building on completely new principles of state administration, and on the other, it was the time of general instability and in fact the outbreak of civil war. Responsibility for the safety of such artifacts (among them museum collections were the most important), which lay with the Bolsheviks, could be used as a weighty argument in the fight against numerous political opponents. It was in urgent need to take the preservation of cultural and historical monuments under centralized control. The foundation for such an organization was prepared by the Petrograd Artistic and Historical Commission, which began its activity in the period between the two revolutions of 1917. After the October Revolution, its members, realizing the importance of the tasks, refused to join the sabotage of the actions of the new government and continued to fulfill their duties. The authors analyze a number of archival documents, not previously considered by researchers in this perspective. These documents give reason to propose that Anatoly Lunacharsky planned to create the State Council for Arts under his own patronage in the period between January and February 1918. Also, he planned to transform the United Artistic and Historical Commission into the central executive body for protection of historical and cultural heritage. In fact, it should have been the ministry-equivalent organization. After the creation of the State Council for Arts this Commission should save its functions of the central executive institution. In this regard P. P. Veyner prepared a Note by the Anatoly Lunacharsky’s request, the publication of the text of which is carried out by the authors for the first time.