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Sculptor presents Vasil Bykaw bust to Columbia University in New York

Sculptor Ales Shaternik has presented a bust of renowned Belarusian writer Vasil Bykaw to Columbia University in the City of New York.

In an interview with BelaPAN, the artist said that the idea to create the bust had originated with him during Mr. Bykaw's funeral in Minsk on June 25, 2003.

The bronze bust depicts a musing Bykaw, an image that reflects the feelings and fate of the author, according to Mr. Shaternik.

The sculptor said that he had presented the bust to the world's largest university following an appropriate call from the Belarusan Youth Movement of America. "This initiative was supported by Vitaut Kipel, head of the Belarusan Institute of Arts and Sciences in New York, and the administration of the school, which put my work on display at the lobby of the university library in the Amsterdam district on Manhattan Island," Mr. Shaternik said.

He noted that the bust would be officially unveiled in New York this summer.

There is only one monument to the famous writer in Belarus. It is on display at a private museum in the Minsk region.