«МОНУМЕНТАЛЬНОЕ ПОСОЛЬСТВО»: ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТЬ НАРОДНОГО ХУДОЖНИКА В. М. КЛЫКОВА В РОССИИ И ЗА РУБЕЖОМ КАК ЧАСТНАЯ ПОПЫТКА УКРЕПЛЕНИЯ МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫХ ОТНОШЕНИЙ В КОНЦЕ ХХ — НАЧАЛЕ ХХI ВЕКА
“THE MONUMENTAL EMBASSY”: THE ACTIVITY OF THE PEOPLE'S ARTIST V. M. KLYKOV IN RUSSIA AND ABROAD AS A PRIVATE ATTEMPT TO STRENGTHEN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS IN THE 1990S — EARLY 2000S

Summary/Abstract: In the establishment and development of foreign policy relations in the twentieth century, the activities of artists, writers, film directors and other representatives of artistic occupations were of no small importance. Art diplomacy was often more effective than military operations and multi-day negotiations. After the collapse of the Soviet system and the destruction of previous diplomatic relations, the new state system was not immediately established. It was during the 1990s and early 2000s that private initiative became possible in the foreign policy field, both by public organizations and individual artists. However, this issue has not been sufficiently investigated at the present stage of historical science. The purpose of this work was to identify and analyze public projects and creative works of the People's Artist of Russia, muralist V. M. Klykov (1939—2006), aimed at strengthening relations with fraternal states and Slavic peoples. The research is based on the key principles of historicism, consistency and objectivity, with the use of biographical, retrospective and problemchronological methods. As a result of working with published and documentary sources, we were able to find out that the Foundation for Slavic Literature and Culture, headed by sculptor Klykov, which assumed international status, implemented a program for the creation of Slavic communities, the preservation of important interethnic ties and the building of relations with the states of the “near abroad” as part of the popularization of the legacy of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Equal-to-the-Apostles. The opening of the International Slavic Cultural Center in Moscow, the delivery of the Holy Fire from Jerusalem, art exhibitions and creative evenings, the installation of monuments and the organization of summit meetings are only part of the work carried out by V. M. Klykov to promote the values of the Russian civilization and the development of cultural dialogue in general. Noting the importance of the national artist's work in this area, the author proceeds fromthe fact that a private attempt to preserve previous contacts was necessary in the context of the restructuring of the diplomatic system at the end of the twentieth century. The Foundation's support for Yugoslavia, Serbia, Transnistria, and Montenegro during their internal political crisis, with the uninvolved official position of Russian diplomacy, demonstrated the solidarity of the Russian people with the peoples of these states and contributed to the preservation of constructive interethnic contacts that became a platform for the development of further relations.

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