Nikolai Shmatko addresses to the philanthropists for their help

It has been almost eight months since the Ukrainian sculptor Nikolai Shmatko, recognized as the King of Marble, took shelter in a damp and cold basement of a school in the city of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitskiy. Having become a hostage of the promises of the famous Ukrainian politician Viktor Baloga to build a big gallery in Zakarpatye for the marble sculptures and the pictures, Nikolai Shmatko had left his long-occupied place in Luhansk and… found himself cheated. All this time there have been endless discussions: why did the gallery turn out to be in the basement and under siege? All this time there have been attempts to find the way out of this situation; still, this is the end of the year of 2013, and it is getting colder outside…

As Nikolai Shmatko notices, over the period of this year he had to reject, perforce, several proposals concerning his participation in the big international exhibitions. All this time he has been working on the projects and has been searching for the ways out of the unfavourable situation. "One of the ways is to find costs for the construction of a building for the entire collection, – he says. – Of course, I will not be able to cope with this problem, as I just have no money now. I have to look for the support and to address to the philanthropists and the people who are not indifferent".

Nikolai Shmatko offers a variety of the projects of the contemporary architectural building that would become not only a decoration of any town, but would bring the spiritual dividends to the society. The King of Marble hopes that, finally, he will be heard.

The art gallery "Shmatko & Sons" was founded in 1985 by the sculptor Nikolai Shmatko. At the present moment the art gallery has the largest collection of marble sculptures of one author in Ukraine. The constant exposition of the art gallery "Shmatko & Sons" represents more than 80 statues of Italian and Ural marble, 300 pictures (paintings and graphics) and architectural projects.

Pereyaslav-Khmelnitskiy, 25.11.2013 (photos of Rafael Shmatko)