One of the  last works of M. Percov ("Bookkeeper")

On 5 November 2009, “The Heritage”, the exhibition by the set designer Mikhail Percov was opened at the Centre for Tolerance and will be on display until 31 January 2010.

The exhibition is undoubtedly connected with the eternal aspects of death and creation, which has outlived the author. On display are set compositions for Shakespeare’s tragedies and comedies dealing with the issues of the human nature, graphic works on the subject of traditional Jewish trades, cartoons and the artist’s last work – stucco bas-relief depictions of traditional trades and professions.

 J. Markas Zingeris, the director of the Vilna Gaon Sate Jewish Museum, spoke at the launch of the exhibition. Romualdas Budrys, the director of the Lithuanian Art Museum, shared his personal reminiscences about Percov’s creative activities. The principal of the Šolom Aleichem School, Miša Jakobas, spoke about the set designer’s contribution to the schoolchildren’s artistic education (Percov gave the children drawing lessons). The pianist Veronika Vitaitė, who personally knew the artist, played some music by Sergey Rakhmaninov, Percov’s favourite composer. The official part of the opening ceremony was concluded by Jelizaveta Lichtinšain, the artist’s daughter, who is the guardian of her father’s creative legacy and sees to it that it is not forgotten.

Present at the opening of the ceremony to commemorate Mikhail Percov’s 90th birth anniversary also were Simonas Alperavičius, the chairperson of the Lithuanian Jewish Community; Faina Kukliansky, the chairperson of the Vilnius Jewish Community; Josephus Camille S.Wijnands, the ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Janice McGann, the deputy head of the Vilnius Mission of the Irish Embassy; and Jeffrey J. Cary, PR officer of the USA.  

From left to right:  Simonas Alperavičius, the chairperson of the Lithuanian Jewish Community, Josephus Camille S.Wijnands, the ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Museum director Markas Zingeris