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Паулу, ИМЛИ РАН (Москва), Государственного
Русского музея (Санкт Петербург), в престиж-
ных издательствах.
Уникальный, единственный в мире музей
Велимира Хлебникова известен далеко за пре-
делами Астрахани и России. И в этом большая
заслуга Мая Митурича-Хлебникова, дарителя
высокохудожественной и научно значимой
«Хлебниковской коллекции». Тем не менее
о ней известно преимущественно астраханской
аудитории – школьникам, студентам, учителям,
преподавателям вузов. В настоящее время
назрела необходимость издания каталога
фамильной коллекции Хлебниковых. Она
открывает новые возможности изучения
жизни и творчества поэта Велимира Хлебни-
кова. По ней можно четко проследить, в какой
семье рос поэт, какие люди его окружали, какие
книги он читал, чем увлекался в детстве и юно-
сти; почему именно в этой семье выросли вели-
кий поэт Велимир Хлебников и знаменитая
художница Вера Хлебникова.
«Хлебниковская коллекция» состоит из сле-
дующих разделов:
1. Предметы быта семьи Хлебниковых
и Митуричей.
2. Фамильная библиотека Хлебниковых.
3. Фамильные документы.
4. Фамильные фотографии.
5. Живопись и графика Веры Хлебниковой,
Петра Митурича и Мая Митурича.
5
КАТАЛОГ. Музей Будетлянина и «Хлебниковская коллекция»
On 19 October 1993, in Astrakhan, the Mu-
seum of Velimir Khlebnikov – an outstanding Rus-
sian Futurist poet (‘budetlyanin’), scientist and
thinker – was opened. Its opening in Astrakhan
was non-casual: it (Astrakhan) is “one of the keys
to Khlebnikov”, as stated by the literary historian
D. Svyatopolk-Mirskiy.
Here, on Boljshaya Demidovskaya Street (now
53, Sverdlova St.), for sixteen years (1914–1931),
the poet’s nearest and dearest lived: his father Vla-
dimir Alekseyevich, Director of the Astrakhan Re-
serve; his mother Yekaterina Nikolayevna, a histo-
rian by education; and his sister Vera Vladimi-
rovna, an artist. Here, Velimir arrived on a regular
basis (1914–1918) and here he created some of his
works.
The apartment wears well enough: the ‘origi-
nal’ dusk-oak-parquet floor, the ceiling plaster, the
glazed tile (Dutch) stoves, the interior shutters
and the disposition of rooms…
There was no doubt when choosing the con-
cept for the Astrakhan Khlebnikov Museum that it
would have to be a purely literary memorial. The
principles of the poet’s view of the world were laid
in an intelligent family and linked by numerous
threads with the history and nature of the
Astrakhan Territory. Many of his father’s ‘ecologi-
cal’ ideas found their poetic incarnation in his
son’s creative work. Love and knowledge of history
descended to him from his mother. The deep spi-
ritual affinity tied Velimir with his sister Vera,
whose artistic talent was highly appreciated by him.
Thus, without rending the poet from his fa-
mily environment but making him the centerpi-
ece of the whole exposition, Nature and Art com-
bined with a compulsory presence of the sense of
History were taken as a basis of the concept for the
Astrakhan Khlebnikov Museum.
A very special role in establishing the museum
was played out by the so-called ‘Khlebnikov Col-
lection’ – the family heirloom safely kept by Vera
Khlebnikova and her husband Petr Miturich and
donated to Astrakhan by their son May Miturich-
Khlebnikov under the Deed of Gift of 30 April
1997
1
. It included: the Khlebnikovs’ library with
the marks of all family members (including
Velimir himself); a plate with the Verbitskiy family
crest (maternal), a drawing by Velimir titled
“A Gypsum Mask”, some paintings by Vera Khleb-
nikova and some ornithological sketches by Alek-
sandr Khlebnikov; the family furniture and dish-
ware; the poet’s personals: a necktie given by May-
akovskiy, a pencil, a self-made pen of the willow
branch, a foot locker, some wooden figures from
Sergiyev-Posad; some postcards from the Velimir's
collection, books from his private library, lifetime
editions…The family photo album of the Khlebni-
kovs was also donated to the Museum (its employ-
1
Moreover, a part of the Collection was accepted in the deeds of ROSIZPROPAGANDA (under command of the Ministry of Cul-
ture of the RSFSR), under the protocols of the Buying Committee of the APG (Astrakhan Picture Gallery) and the further deeds of gift
of M. Miturich-Khlebnikov, during 1997–2005.