À propos des copies d’art byzantin à Istanbul : les artistes russes émigrés et l’Institut byzantin d’Amérique

Abstract

Concerning the byzantine art copies in Istanbul. The Russian émigré artists and the Byzantine institute of America. Created in 1930 by the american archaeologist Thomas Whittemore, the Byzantine Institute of America was, in the thirties, in charge of the tracing, restoration and publication of St Sophia of Constantinople’s mosaics. This Institute’s history nevertheless dates back to the early twenties, since its destiny is closely linked with the presence in Istanbul of a large colony of émigrés, including some artists haring fled the Bolshevist Revolution. Owing to their artistic practise attached to the traditional values of the orthodox world, they wished to pass on a special sensibility, in order to clear the ground towards Byzantium’s reception in Occident. The present article is devoted to some of these artists, especially Izmailovitch and Kluge who, working as copyists, played a significant part in Byzantium’s reception in Occident. Through their skills, the Americans were able to appropriate the RAIK’s experience (Russian Archaeological Institute of Konstantinoupolis, closed in 1914 because of Turkey’s joining in the First World War) and build their activities in direct continuation with their illustrious predecessor. The present article is based on the analysis of some unpublished documents preserved in the archives of Bordeaux, Paris, St Petersburg and Moscow, and wishes to contribute to the history of art history.