The Desert of Forbidden Art

Name: The Desert of Forbidden Art
Genre: Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, War
Released: March 11, 2011
Duration: 80 min
Rating: 75

2011

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Generally favorable reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews

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Movie Details & Credits

"DIA" Productions GmbH & Co. KG | Release Date: March 11, 2011 | Unrated

Summary: How does art survive in a time of oppression? During the Soviet rule artists who stay true to their vision are executed, sent to mental hospitals or Gulags. Their plight inspires young Igor Savitsky. He pretends to buy state-approved art but instead daringly rescues 40,000 forbidden fellow artist's works and creates a museum in the desertHow does art survive in a time of oppression? During the Soviet rule artists who stay true to their vision are executed, sent to mental hospitals or Gulags. Their plight inspires young Igor Savitsky. He pretends to buy state-approved art but instead daringly rescues 40,000 forbidden fellow artist's works and creates a museum in the desert of Uzbekistan, far from the watchful eyes of the KGB. Though a penniless artist himself, he cajoles the cash to pay for the art from the same authorities who are banning it. Savitsky amasses an eclectic mix of Russian Avant-Garde art. But his greatest discovery is an unknown school of artists who settle in Uzbekistan after the Russian revolution of 1917, encountering a unique Islamic culture, as exotic to them as Tahiti was for Gauguin. They develop a startlingly original style, fusing European modernism with centuries-old Eastern traditions. (inMotion Studios)

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Director: Amanda Pope and Tchavdar Georgiev

Genre(s): Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, War, Documentary

Rating: Unrated

Runtime: 80 min

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Critic Reviews

Kenneth Turan

Mar 17, 2011

Tells a tale that is stranger than fiction several times over. Viewers of this remarkable documentary will be astonished at not only what this art looks like and why it's forbidden, but also where it is and how it got there. Read full review

Ernest Hardy

Mar 8, 2011

It's a must-see for anyone interested in art. Read full review

Neil Genzlinger

Mar 10, 2011

The filmmakers found an appealing collection of relatives and others who knew these artists and Savitsky to tell the story, but they also let the art do the talking, with loving, lingering shots of the brightly colored works. Read full review

G. Allen Johnson

Mar 7, 2011

Does an admirable job of telling the stories of the obsessive Savitsky and other important Soviet artists, such as Alexander Volkov, Aleksei Rybnikov and Mikhail Kurzin. Read full review

Tom Russo

Mar 7, 2011

In The Desert of Forbidden Art, documentarians Amanda Pope and Tchavdar Georgiev offer some background on the late Savitsky, a painter who initially collected ethnic folk art quashed by the Stalin regime. Read full review

Boxoffice Magazine Ed Schied

Mar 14, 2011

This impressive documentary on rarely seen art will have strong appeal for art aficionados. Read full review

V.A. Musetto

Mar 11, 2011

Sadly, with the Soviet Union gone, the art faces a new enemy: Islamic extremists. Read full review

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