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Exhibition of icons from Andrei Rublev museum folded up in Kiev earlier than scheduled

The exhibition consisted of 31 unique icons. Alongside icons of the Moscow school, it included icons from Russia’s north and the Volga area

MOSCOW, February 26, /ITAR-TASS/. Thirty icons from Moscow’s Andrei Rublev Museum of Early Russian Art that were displayed at the exhibition in the Kiev-Pechora Lavra were withdrawn from the territory of the Lavra and are prepared for transportation back to Moscow. The exhibition closed earlier than scheduled, a source in the museum told Itar-Tass on Wednesday.

The exhibition consisted of 31 unique icons. Alongside icons of the Moscow school, it included icons from Russia’s north and the Volga area.

“All the icons are intact and ready for transportation to Moscow. The customs clearance is in process,” said the source.

The exhibition “Masterpieces of Russian Art, 15th-17th century icons from the collection of the Andrei Rublev Museum of Early Russian Art,” was mounted in the museum of the National Preserve “Sophia of Kiev” on December 23 and was to have lasted till March.

“The decision to close the exhibition earlier than scheduled met with understanding of Ukrainian colleagues. They gave assistance to specialists of the Moscow museum who had flown to Kiev to oversee the packaging and transportation of the exhibits,” says the museum’s official report.

The museum’s directorate is constantly in touch with chiefs of the National Preserve “Sophia of Kiev” and with the Russian embassy in Kiev.

Officials of the Andrei Rublev Museum expressed the hope soon to continue cooperation with the remarkable museum of the National Preserve “Sophia of Kiev”.

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