Exhibition “Belinsky Code” with exhibits from Penza region opened in Moscow

The Belinsky Code exhibition was opened in Moscow, dedicated to the 215th anniversary of the birth of the famous literary critic. A significant part of the exposition was made up of rare items from the collections of museums of the Penza region. Visitors will be able to see the personal belongings of Vissarion Belinsky, his death mask and learn what a critic might be like in the age of social media.

According to the press service of the Ministry of Culture of the Penza region, the exhibition became a joint project of the State Museum of A. S. Pushkin and the Association of State Literary and Memorial Museums of the Penza region. It was prepared within the framework of the Association of Literary Museums of the Union of Museums of Russia.

The exposition is located in four halls dedicated to different periods of Belinsky’s life. Visitors are told about his childhood and youth, his studies at Moscow University, participation in the circle of Stankevich, work in literary magazines, the last years of his life and creative heritage.

Among the exhibits provided by Penza museums is a cane belonging to the critic with a cane in the form of the figure of Cardinal Richelieu and his death mask.

Also in Moscow presented Belinsky pedigree, books, lithographs, paintings and a series of graphic drawings by the artist Boris Lebedev. The works created in the middle of the XX century are called a unique illustrated biography of a literary critic.

According to Natalia Poleva, Director General of the Association of State Literary and Memorial Museums of the Penza Region, the exhibition was initiated by the co-chairs of the Association of Literary Museums Dmitry Bak, Director of the State Museum of the History of Russian Literature named after V.I. Dahl, and Evgeny Bogatyrev, Director of the State Museum of A.S. Pushkin. According to her, before the museums did not unite to create a similar project dedicated to Belinsky.

At the same time, the organizers decided not to limit themselves to the traditional story about the life and work of the critic. Historical documents and memorial items were supplemented with modern multimedia technologies.

In particular, Belinsky’s statements were presented in the format of publications in social networks. And with the help of artificial intelligence created his imaginary video blog and account with photos.

According to the curator of the exhibition Evdokia Rozanova, the authors of the project tried to imagine what Belinsky could be if he lived in the XXI century, wrote articles on a computer and shared his views on the Internet.

This approach is designed to show the literary critic not only as a historical figure, but also as a living person whose ideas can be of interest to modern audiences.

You can visit the exhibition “The Belinsky Code” in the State Museum of A. S. Pushkin in Moscow until February 21, 2027.