Book dedicated to memory of outstanding restorer and researcher of Old Russian painting O.V. Lelekova was published

The Russian school of scientific restoration is always associated with O.V. Lelekova and the State Research and Development Institute of Restoration where she headed the Department of Tempera Painting Restoration during 43 years (1966-2009). Being a restorer with unique experience and knowledge, Olga Vladimirovna Lelekova worked together with other specialists in various cities of Russia and foreign countries: Ukraine, the Philippines, Finland, Germany, and France.

O.V. Lelekova and the restorers of her department elaborated a unique technology, methods and principles of restoration of the wall painting in the Ferapontov Monastery. Since 1982, she was at the head of the large-scale restoration of the frescoes of 1502 in the Nativity of the Virgin Cathedral of the Ferapontov Monastery. She involved chemical technologists, microbiologists and climatologists in this work. This precise restoration lasted for 30 years. Such a method had never been applied to monumental painting before. It ensured preservation of Dionisy’s frescoes in Ferapontovo in the years ahead.

Olga Vladimirovna Lelekova achieved high results thanks to her scientific approach to restoration. The team of the project consisting of 8 members – N.G. Bregman, R.A. Devina, G.I. Vzdornov, M.M. Naumova, M.S. Serebryakova, Y.A. Ruzavin, I.N. Fedyshin and O.V. Lelekova - was awarded the State Prizes of the Russian Federation in 1998. All of them made their contribution to the restoration and conservation of the frescoes in the Ferapontov Monastery that would preserve the charming beauty of art of the early 16th century for years to come.

O.V. Lelekova proved herself to be a historian and art critic simultaneously with practical restoration. Her researches resulted in the two-volume book “The Iconostasis of the Assumption (Dormition) Cathedral in the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery of 1497”. It was published in 2011.

A special part of the new book tells about this edition. In general, it contains the best researches and works of O.V. Lelekova, numerous photographs of O.V. Lelekova, her friends and employees that are published for the first time, the chronicle of her restoration, the list of published works and the name index.

The photos in the book come from the private archives of G.I. Vzdornov, I.P. Mokretsova, Y.S. Finogenova, N.G. Bregman, O.V. Voronova, T.I. Anisimova, M.N. Sharomazov, E.N. Shelkova, V.V. Zverev, V.A. Solomatin, S.A. Pisareva, A.V. Nitetsky, O.M. Revin, S.V. Filatov, Y.V. Kruteeva and official archives of the museums in Kirillov and Ferapontovo.

“The heritage of O.V. Lelekova is great. Her achievements are obvious and widely recognized, first of all, regarding preservation of the monuments of Old Russian painting of global importance. Another part - the proprietary technology of practical restoration that was elaborated and proven many times – waits for its successors who could apply Olga Lelekova’s experience and achievements for preservation of ancient works of art both in Russia and worldwide”, noted M.N. Sharomazov, director of the Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Reserve.

G.I. Vzdornov, member of the State Research and Development Institute of Restoration, compiler of the book, underlined in his introduction, “Our book about O.V. Lelekova marks a new twist in professional literature, a twist toward the personality of a restorer and his or her influence on the Russian restoration community”.

The book contains articles and recollections of friends, colleagues and pupils about O.V. Lelekova and her two central projects in which she participated both as a head and a restorer: restoration and preservation of the frescoes painted by Dionisy in 1502 in the Nativity of the Virgin Cathedral of the Ferapontov Monastery (the UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the package of work on the iconostasis of the Assumption (Dormition) Cathedral in the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery (1497).

The book size is 272 pages with illustrations. It is a hard cover book.

You can read it in the library of the Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Reserve. Besides, you can buy it in the museum stalls.