Almost 4,000 paintings belonging to the National Gallery of Abkhazia were destroyed when a fire swept through an exhibition hall in central Sukhumi, the region’s capital, Abkhazia’s acting culture minister said in a statement.
“This is an irreparable loss for Abkhazia’s national culture,” she said.
The National Gallery is more of a storage space than a museum, however.
Residents rushed to the scene on Sunday to rescue paintings, but only 200 artworks were removed from the burning building.
Photos from the scene, released by Apsnypress, a local news agency, showed people carrying framed canvases, some charred and burned.
Persons:
Dinara Smyr, Aleksandr Chachba, ”, Apsnypress
Organizations:
National, Residents
Locations:
Abkhazia, Russian, Georgia, Russia, Syria, Venezuela, Sukhumi, Abkhazian, France