The Museum’s birthday. What the press says

The Contemporary museum of calligraphy has celebrated its first birthday. Among the presents was one royal indeed. It is the World’s largest mezuzah included into the Guinness World Records. It was created two years ago in Israel by a famous Hebrew calligrapher Avraham Borshevsky. Now this masterpiece is in Moscow where it found a new home.

But the largest mezuzah was kept under wraps – as it turned out no one can take out from its box.

Alexey Shaburov, Director of the Contemporary museum of calligraphy:
- To write mezuzah is a hard job. The master should poses special skills, and not every one can make it. After it is written it should be checked by computer. It a special sacred text with its own certificate.

Traditionally a mezuzah should be kept in a scroll on a door frame. The museum doors are not large enough for the new exhibit – the largest mezuzah. So most probably it will be kept in a showcase.

Among the scrolls and manuscripts there was another important present – the handwritten anthem of the Russian Federation. This folio was given to President Dmitry Medvedev by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at this year’s summit G8 in L’Aquila.

Evgeny Drobyazin, calligrapher:
- It is really hard to work with Russian scripts. That is all because we have been thinking that we have the writing but do not write. You know why? Because the Ostromirov Gospel was wholly painted and not written.

The Contemporary museum of calligraphy has celebrated its first anniversary The Contemporary museum of calligraphy has kept its first anniversary. The solemn ceremony opened with a live performance by calligraphers from Russia, China and Korea who were writing to the sounds of Beethoven and Mendelssohn. Soon after the wide audience was presented a world-renown sacred masterpiece – the “World’s largest Mezuzah”. The art piece was created by a famous Israeli calligrapher Avraham Borshevsky.

The mezuzah written by Avraham Borshevsky is at the present time the only of its kind to be registered in the Guinness World Records. A mezuzah is a piece of parchment (often contained in a decorative case) inscribed with specified Hebrew verses from the Torah. A mezuzah is affixed to the doorframe of Jewish homes to fulfill the mitzvah (Biblical commandment) to inscribe the words of the Shema "on the doorposts of your house".

The World’s largest mezuzah will be shown to a wide audience at the II International exhibition of calligraphy on October 14th, 2009, - said Alexey Shaburov, Director of the Contemporary museum of calligraphy. The exhibition will be held from October 14th to November 14th, 2009 in Moscow’s Sokolniki exhibition centre. Over 100 calligraphers from 33 countries take part in this project.

Another important clou of the evening was the handwritten anthem of the Russian Federation. The manuscript was created by a famous Russian calligrapher Evgeny Drobyazin, and then illuminated by a world-know artist from Italy Barbara Calzolari. This July the hand-made Russian anthem was presented to President Dmitry Medvedev by Silvio Berlusconi at G8 summit in L’Aquila.

According to Alexey Shaburov “the handwritten anthem of the Russian Federation and other artworks by Evgeny Drobyazin will be shown at the II International exhibition of calligraphy together with the first handwritten Constitution of the Russian Federation”.