PARIS, March 21 French abstract sculptor Frederic Maroselli donated a sculpture entitled » Marathon», symbolizing, in his opinion, the current Russia.
““Everything that is happening now upsets and annoys me — everything that I hear in the French and American media. I get other information. It seems to me that your president was very patient. I have been dissatisfied for a long time, since 1999, when the bombing of Yugoslavia began and no one said a word. Therefore, I decided to donate this sculpture. This marathon runner will be able to finish, he will win this marathon,» the author said.
The ceremony took place in the building of the diplomatic mission in the 16th arrondissement of Paris with the participation of Russian Ambassador to France Alexei Meshkov.
“This is a unique thing: the French sculptor himself, at the call of his heart, gave us, Russia, this sculpture with such a symbolic name “Marathon” and said warm words so that we would successfully run this marathon. And I am sure that we will run it — it has always been «, the ambassador said.
He noted that in France «people suffer» because of the abolition of Russian culture, declared in the West after the start of the conflict in Ukraine.
«»Russia has always been very brightly represented here. These were film and music festivals, the Mariinsky and Bolshoi Theaters came, there were tours of drama theaters. It is obvious that in the near future we will not be able to Today there is a big risk when exporting art treasures to the West — we know what was done with the «Scythian gold». We cannot take risks,» he said.
Meshkov noted that despite the fact that «the scale in French-Russian cultural relations that we are used to is not now there,» contacts between the two countries remain at the working level.
“I am sure that art will break through this wall of alienation that has been erected in France,” the diplomat said.
He noted that the Russian House and the Russian Spiritual and Cultural Orthodox Center in Paris continue to work actively, there are plans to organize a festival of Russian cinema in Paris.
The master of steel sculpture, abstractionist Frederic Maroselli is a graduate of the National School of Fine Arts in Paris. His works adorn a number of government buildings and educational institutions in France. Maroselli's works were exhibited in Montreux (Switzerland), Rome, as well as at expositions in Canada, Germany, Belgium and Spain.
Earlier it was reported that the ambassador to the Netherlands stated that there was no progress in Scythian gold.