Implementation of Saving Function as the Main Function in Activities of European Visual Arts Museums during World War Two

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to research the saving function implemented by the personnels of the visual arts museums during the Second World War on the territory of Ukraine and of the Western European countries, research the actions of the museum workers seen as sociocultural projects from a scientific point of view. The research methodology lies in the application of historical methods due to which the origin and the development of historical processes and events are being explored in their chronological order with the scope of finding out the historical connections and patterns by means of a modern analysis of how the museum workers fulfilled their positions' tasks during the war. Empirical and theoretical methods are being used. Such methodological research allows the explorers to analyse the ways of the task fulfilment aimed at saving as the main function of all the activities carried out by European art museums during the wars in the twentieth century. The scientific novelty is in a new generalising scientific view on the fulfilment of their positions' tasks by museum workers and military men of a specially founded unit whose goal was to save the museum objects of the world's art heritage under the threat of illegal deeds of the aggressor country. Conclusions. The sociocultural planning of the activities of the European museums' workers used the stereotyped marketing methods aimed at the implementation of saving as the main function. It is necessary to point out that, due to full-scale hostilities on the European territory, the priority function the museums workers wanted to implement was saving and evacuation of museum collections from the hostilities area, as well as conservation works. After the evacuation and restoration in a safe area, the museum personnels, when it was possible, focused their attention on the function of the art works' exhibition.