All-Russian art exhibition dedicated to 60th anniversary of Stalingrad battle victory

An all-Russian art exhibition dedicated to the 60th anniversary of victory in the Stalingrad battle (17.07.1942 - 02.02.1943) has opened in Volgograd's (ex-Stalingrad) historical exhibition centre. During defensive actions (till November 18th) Soviet troops stopped the offensive of the Nazi 6th field and 4th tank armies near and inside Stalingrad. On November 19th-21st Soviet troops launched an offensive to encircle 22 divisions (330,000 people) near Stalingrad. After beating back the enemy's attempt to set free the surrounded forces, Soviet troops liquidated it. On January 31st - February 2nd the remainder of the 6th army, headed by Field Marshal Paulus, capitulated (91,000 people).

The exhibition features over 500 best works by artists from Russia's four republics and seven regions.

Sculptures, paintings, thematic pictures, graphic drawings by artists-veterans of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, are presented at the exposition.

Portraits of marshals, generals, documents and drawings of the war epoch, soldiers' ammunition are put on at the exhibition.

The core of the exhibition are works by Soviet artists from the Russian Art Union's foundations, Volgograd's Art Museum.

The jubilee exposition was organised with the participation of eight honorary and people's artists of Russia.

The exhibition will last until March 2003.