An exhibition of pictures of a painter Yuda Vainshtok will be held in "Retro" Almaty art gallery on May 26. That wonderful artist is not with us already. Several months ago he could be 80. The exhibition is organized by his daughter - Galina Korobkina, Jewish Republican library worker.

  Forty years running, since 1954, Yuda Mendelevitch had been working as an artistic director at "Kazakhfilm" studio. He participated in a creation of a number of movies. Among them were: "Angel in a skull-cap", "Our dear doctor" and many others. Being a graduator of Russian State Institute of Cinema, he started from Ashhabad film studio, from where he came to Almaty "Kazalkhfilm" on an invitation of his friend Igor Savvin.

  Yuda Vainshtok was in strong friendly relations with a famous film producer Shaken Aimanov. He was his frequent visitor. They liked to play chess. As Yuda Vainshtok told about the film director, he was a bright and talented person, among friends of whom were Jews, Russians, Kazakhs, as he payed no attention to nationality. But Yuda Mendelevitch wasn’t accepted to the Commonwealth of artists. May be because of that fifth line in the passport. And non membership of the Commonwealth of activists meant no exhibitions.

  While Yuda Mendelevitch was alive, there were only two his exhibitions - held in a foyer of one of Almaty cinemas and without a pomp. More large expositions were represented to the spectators’ judge only after his death.

  In a planned exhibition we expect to demonstrate not only drafts to films, but also photo albums, which Yuda Vainshtok composed, while selecting people for his movies. As well as etudes that he drew just for himself, when resting.

   "When I was little, he painted me as well", tells Galina. "But those portraits have never been exhibited. It seemed to me that I bore little resemblance in the portraits. It always happens, even, when your own father paints you. That time I didn’t ask my father of his work and friends, and now I understand what I lost. I try to gather all the information concerning my father to tell people about him. May be I would write a book about him".

Gauhar Nauryzbaeva