Penza, 4 September 2015. PenzaNews. The memorial plaque to the Distinguished Worker of Arts of Russia Valery Sazonov was unveiled on the wall of the Penza Savitsky Picture Gallery on Friday, September 4. Valery Sazonov had been heading the institution for over 40 years.

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Ivan Belozertsev, the acting governor, attended the event.

“May the memory of you live forever, Valery Petrovich. We will remember you as a great connoisseur of arts, great manager and talented teacher. It is hard to overestimate your contribution to the culture of the Penza region and its importance for the future generations,” said the official.

The ceremony also involved the arts connoisseur’s grandson Kirill Fokin Sazonov, Valery Sazonov’s colleagues, and pursuers of his art.

According to public sources, the arts collection of the Savitsky Picture Gallery during Valery Sazonov’s term has increased by nearly 7.5 times, from 1,770 to 13,305 units.

The institution also increased by expanding into the land and peasantry region bank and the governor’s house, opened the Museum of a Single Painting, one of a kind in the world, and gained a subsidiary Nikolsk Museum of Glass and Crystal Glass.

On September 4, Penza will hold the first showing of Franz Xaver Winterhalter’s “Portrait of Varvara Dmitrievna Rimskaya-Korsakova” with the film “Touching the Mystery” – the last artistic work of Valery Sazonov.

The Penza College of Architecture and Construction will open an exhibition “In Memory of Valery Petrovich Sazonov” on September 17.

The Penza Picture Gallery plans to dedicate a memorial room to Valery Sazonov in the future.