NAMU. New image

/ Design /

Those who recently visited the National Art Museum of Ukraine might be surprised to find that the space on its lower floor now looks different - fresh and open. The walls here are painted with British paints Little Greene and Paint & Paper Library, which are officially represented in Ukraine by the Manders company. This is only part of the stages of the large-scale reconstruction of the museum.

Last summer, the National Art Museum of Ukraine on Hrushevsky Street, beloved by many Kyivites, was closed for restoration, but already in December the first results of the work were presented. Now ego should be called short and simple - NAMU (abbreviation from ego in the English version of the name National Art Museum of Ukraine). On this occasion, the museum acquired a new logo and other identity from the team of the Banda creative agency.

National Art Museum of Ukraine (NAMU)

Dmitry Rostovtsev even developed a new NAMU Font, which includes graphic elements from different periods — 1, 500, 1800, 1910s, and 30s. Remarkable fact: creative director of the agency Pavel Vrzhesh and landscape artist Yevgeny Vrzhesh, whose works are stored in the NAMU fund, are not just people with the same last name, but are related to each other as great-grandson and great-grandfather.

First of all, the roof and marble floor were restored, the doors were replaced (the old ones, well known to the regulars, have now become the property of the museum fund), the so-called hospitality area was renovated: the lobby and the vestibule — the space that unites the first and second floors of the exposition, the lobby and service rooms. In the 120 years of the museum's existence, this is the first restoration in its history. Let us remind you that it was built in the neoclassical style according to the project of the Moscow architect Peter Boytsov, but our legendary architect Vladislav Gorodetsky completed the project and supervised the construction work.

In the 120 years of the museum's existence, this is the first restoration in its history

Architects Aleksey Bykov, Alexander Burlaka and Pavel Velychko were engaged in the renovation of the vestibule and vestibule. Before starting work, they conducted serious research: "At the very beginning, we studied the history of the building, its interiors, worked with archives, conducted a survey among museum employees on what they would like to change and what to leave. The first professional impression of the entrance group is that it is overloaded. When I got inside, I didn't feel the possibilities of this space: there are beautiful columns, many elements that you want to look at, but they were covered with furniture, and it was distracting and annoying," says Alexey Bykov. After that, they immediately freed the space from unnecessary details, thereby opening up the walls and the luxurious coffered ceiling, which needed to be renovated, as well as revised the color scheme and proposed a new lighting scheme.

National Art Museum of Ukraine (NAMU)

The colors for the walls were chosen by the architects together with the museum staff. At first, they wanted to use bright juicy tones in the spirit of the Ukrainian tradition, but later they settled on a calmer range. The Manders salon and the famous British paint brand Little Greene helped the authors of the project to put their ideas into practice. He is known for collecting his collection of unique shades in various historical sites throughout Great Britain. It is not surprising that with the participation of the Little Greene company, more than one state-protected architectural monument or building representing national, cultural, and historical value has been restored.

National Art Museum of Ukraine (NAMU)

Having gone through many shades presented in the Manders salon, made dozens of "live" paintings on fragments of the museum premises to understand how they will work in reality, the project authors chose color 643 Sea Nor Sky from the Paint & Paper Library brand palette for the lobby. By the way, they call it very poetically - the color of the horizon line between the sky and the sea. Shade 113 French Gray from the Little Greene palette became a new incarnation of the original gray color discovered during the work under the layers of paint, which was once painted the interior of the porch. This is an original Victorian color, delicate, universal, timeless, and also one of the most popular in the brand's palette. The coffered ceiling was painted in an almost pure white, but not so tiring for the eyes Loft White 222 from Little Greene, and 223 Shallows from the white range of the same brand appeared on the columns and pilasters. The plinths received the color 260 Air Force Blue. In general, the group of shades of Air Force Blue is a collective term that describes many shades of the blue color of the uniforms of individual squadrons of the British Royal Air Force. The reception desk and the cabinet in the lobby are made to order in the same shade.

Shade 113 French Gray became a new incarnation of the original gray color discovered during the work under layers of paint

Modernized showcases and elements of the original interior of the museum, designed by architect Pavel Ivanovich Hollandsky, served as a model for furniture design. In addition to the reception desk, the lobby has a cash desk, a wardrobe, and a huge custom-made mirror. They decided to place a cafe and a museum bench in the vestibule. The color of the furniture was chosen as a complement to the color of the walls, so that the main accent of the interior became the white perimeter of the columns and pilasters.

David Mottershead, owner of Little Greene

David Mottershead, owner of Little Greene:

For many years, the Little Greene company has cooperated with non-profit organizations English Heritage and the National Trust, which look after the architectural monuments of Britain. We not only help them with restoration, but also include shades found on these objects in our palettes. Thus, we offer the market colors that have not lost their relevance for centuries.

When we found out that our partner in Ukraine, the Manders company, started cooperation with the National Art Museum, we were very happy. It is nice that the paints of our brands Little Greene and Paint & Paper Library were used in the renovation of a landmark building of the end of the XNUMXth century for Kyiv. It is doubly nice that this is not just a historical building, but an art museum - I collect art and even bought several works of Ukrainian artists. When I got to NAMU, I was impressed by their collection. I really hope that the renovation project will continue in the rest of the museum.

Olga Balashova, Deputy Director for Development of NAMU

Olga Balashova, NAMU Deputy Director for Development:

Color is the favorite element of Ukrainian artists of all times. The harmonious combination of juicy, bright, often contrasting shades in one work is a common feature for most periods of art presented in the museum's collection. We really wanted to show this Ukrainian character in the project of the incoming group. To give visitors the opportunity to feel the mood and spirit of the place from the first minutes of their stay in the museum. That is why the choice of color became a whole epic for us.

We pursued several goals. On the one hand, they sought to visually update the space, but on the other hand, this project was the result of rethinking traditions from the beginning. So, when choosing the color of the walls, we went through many shades - from ocher and terracotta to mint, but finally settled on a restrained range, close to the previous blue and white interior. The museum team made the final decision on such inheritance collegially.

It was important for the designers to emphasize the beauty of the architecture, so they generalized the volumes, removed unnecessary detail and fragmented elements. Columns and pilasters received silver color Little Green Shallows 223, the ceiling - laconic Little Green Loft White 222, walls gained depth thanks to Paint & Paper Library Sea Nor Sky 643. It was this calm and refined color that became the perfect background for anticipating a meeting with Ukrainian art. And this is the opinion not only of employees, but also of visitors who never get tired of posting new photos on Instagram.

 

/Published in #11 volume Pragmatika, May 2019/