Anastas Kostandini: The mosaic at the National Historical Museum was in a state of degradation, the debate now after the restoration is a show

The restoration of the "Albania" mosaic on the facade of the National Historical Museum has brought back the debate. Authors of the work, researchers and beyond are involved these days in a debate on the work, which was placed in the museum in November 1981. The debate returned to why the "Albania" mosaic of the museum does not contain communist symbols. The decision to remove the stars and the party book from the mosaic was taken by the government in 1993. The painter Anastas Kostandini, as one of the authors of the work, says that the debate is now excessive. According to him, the work was in degradation and a good restoration work has been done. Kostandini says that the removal of symbols in 1993 also saved the work. "The "Albania" mosaic with the intervention made in 1993 by our colleague, it was a very efficient and smart intervention, which saved the mosaic from a kind of hunger and very fierce contestation that was with the change of systems. The star on the back that was part of the composition, the star on the flag and the book, which were 3 elements that the mosaic had, were removed, but they should not be reasons for making such a debate. Excessive debate for show reasons. There is no need to hold the mosaic hostage the moment that story is restored and closed. The moment of 1993 belongs to a story", says the painter.

Restoration work

The restoration of the mosaic was made possible thanks to the "EU4Culture" program, financed by the European Union and implemented by UNOPS in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture. The work group was led by the restaurateur Agron Islami, where, as the painter Kostandini says, it is now important that the work was saved. "The work was in a state of complete degradation. The EU project provided funding by restoring it within the restoration laws. The state of the mosaic that came up to that point is simply taken. The restaurateurs have done a scientific job. The discussion now seems pointless to me. This is to find Kola at work. The mosaic has passed the test of fire, Agim Nebiu removed enough, removed at least what could be removed, because other things were also required. But these 3 elements were removed, where the work lies in its beauty. The correction that was made in 1993 is a distant year, 30 years ago. If those elements were not removed at that time, the mosaic would have been destroyed", says Kostandini. The painter Anastas Kostadini, one of the authors of the work, reacted long ago to the problematic situation over the years. According to him, even the restoration programs were not to restore the symbols, which were removed once. "You could not ask the restoration programs to add or replace the elements that were removed. This is absurd and was not in the request of the program and the project. We have not asked for such a thing either. Now there are some who want to make a show, but let them open debates in general about works of art, not specifically about this at the moment when the mosaic has been restored. Even in the state he is in with all that has happened to him, he is the same mosaic and the message is complete. The mosaic should not be held hostage to this debate. They leave the mosaic, don't deal with it anymore, but enjoy it", he says. The "Albania" mosaic of the facade of the National Historical Museum was inaugurated in November 1981. The work was created by well-known artists of the time such as Vilson Kilica, Josif Droboniku, Agim Nebiu, Anastas Kostandini and Aleksandër Filipi. The restoration, which lasted for about 2 years, ended a few days ago.