From UVIL ZAJMI

Invited to a retrospective exhibition organized by the family of the “People’s Painter”, Fatmir Haxhiu, on one of his anniversary, where many friends of the artist were also present, a touching evening, full of emotion, memories, accompanied by paintings, drawings, everything that Haxhiu left behind, a valuable legacy. Among the guests were two honorable ladies, with whom I happened to be close. After we introduced ourselves, I learned that they had been teachers at the “Qemal Stafa” high school, where my father, the painter Nexhmedin Zajmi, was one of his first teachers. While those present followed the paintings one after the other, attention stopped when the painting "Mothers of the Labe" appeared, measuring 1920×150, in oil, created by the painter Haxhiu in 1986. Based on the note left by the painter himself, Fatmir Haxhiu, it was his desire, his idea, to present the great help that brave Albanian mothers and women have given in the ongoing struggles for the country's freedom and independence.

A general composition with the rugged terrain and the snowy landscape, to show the difficulties of nature, as well as the women's clothing, characteristic of the Labëria area. "This painting has a rare story," continued the narrator, the painter's son. I judged it as an accompanying expression of a painting, a work of art, a story that has encouraged, provoked and inspired the author. But, suddenly, Artani, very excited, took out a letter, asked for silence, and began reading. We all concentrated, to hear what that letter contained, with curiosity whether it was related to the painting or not. And indeed, a story, like that of the work "Mothers of Labe", by the painter Fatmir Haxhiu, is difficult to come across. A true, surprising, shocking event, to the point of being unbelievable when you hear it, you are informed about its fate.

“After the events of 1997, at the 'Qemal Stafa' high school in Tirana, it was decided to make an effort to change the 'climate', as a result of the difficult atmosphere created throughout the country. We built a flower garden in front of the school, planted many trees that are now several years old, activating many students to collect material for the history of the high school and to begin work on re-establishing the school museum. The high school was opened in 1925, a high school with many values ​​and traditions, where personalities of the time taught and students who have contributed in many fields, both at home and abroad, studied. I was the coordinating teacher, who, in addition to teaching, covered the student government and all the activities at the school. It was decided that we would celebrate the 70th anniversary of the high school, and we had determined the tasks of placing in the school halls, on stands, photos of honored teachers who have taught at the high school and former students, personalities over the years.

With the director of the high school at that time, Mr. Gjegj Zaharia, we went to the Ministry of Education to clarify the names of the teachers honored with the titles 'Teacher of the People' and 'Meritorious Teacher', given after the '90s. When we finished work and were about to leave, we found ourselves in front of an incredible sight. Two workers were transporting construction materials with an improvised stall, which was nothing more than the original painting 'Mothers of the Labe' by master Fatmir Haxhiu. The painting had been part of the national exhibition of 1986. We could not believe our eyes and were alarmed. I immediately went to get two students to save and transport the painting. Along with another painting, which had suffered the same fate.

We kept the painting for sixteen years at school and on the 8th anniversary of the high school in 2010, we placed the painting in a dignified frame. We never told the esteemed professor Fatmir Haxhiu how the painting ended up at the school. In 2000, invited to the 75th anniversary of the high school, he was surprised when he saw it, explaining to us the purpose that had driven the painter to create it. He promised us that he would make a reproduction as a gift for the high school, to later receive the original. But, at that time, he was very committed to creating the monumental painting 'The Battle of Kosovo Field' for the Historical Museum of Kosovo. Unfortunately, in March 2001, unexpectedly when he was at the peak of his work, he passed away. Today I am happy that it is the property of the Haxhiu family as a work of art and not as a stall.

For a moment, Artani stopped, looked around the room, to continue: “From a former teacher at the 'Qemal Stafa' high school, Tirana, March 3, 2016”. Of course, all of us present were surprised. The atmosphere created was truly incredible, unexpected for what the letter, the story, and the event contained, made people silent, there was a moment of pause. Without wasting time, Artani addressed a woman, introducing her publicly. I turned my head and realized that it was exactly that teacher, the protagonist, the author of that letter, of that action, the woman I had at my side, and whom I had introduced at the beginning. Invited, she did not expect that the letter, which she had sent to her family, would be made public there. Remaining somewhat confused, when Artani finished reading, while everyone's eyes, attention, and gaze were and were focused on her. To continue then with the paintings, other drawings, works, works of the painter, realized, and left after his separation from life. Placed with aesthetics, on the gallery stands. A cocktail afterwards at the end, with conversations, comments.

GEORGE ZAHARIA: "PAINTER HAXHIU DIED WITHOUT KNOWING THE HISTORY OF HIS PAINTING"

Former director of the "Qemal Stafa" high school, at the time when the history of the painting is being discussed, not so many years ago today, regarding that event, he recalls: "It was a surprise when I saw it quite by chance and a blue color caught my attention, in a corner of the mortar stall" - he says. Then the moment when the painter Haxhiu saw the work and his request.

Zaharia, how do you remember the establishment of the museum?

In the lobby of the high school, I had placed several stands with photos of prominent personalities, such as those from the visual arts, cinematography, music, education, science, literature, writers, athletes, people with contributions from all areas of life, former teachers, students at that high school. But also heroes, martyrs. The idea was for the younger generations to get to know them. It was hard to find a more beautiful museum then, and I believe even today in a high school, high school, I think there is none. Students, teachers change, leave, others come, those people, photos remain. You see those figures in the lobby, as if you communicate, live with them.

How did you fall in love with the painting "Mother Labe"?

I constantly went to the Ministry of Education, being the director of a prestigious high school, and since it was nearby, of course to secure some help for the school. I had been impressed by a painting that was in the hallway of the first floor, two high school students in black aprons sitting on a bench. I liked it very much, I wanted to take it and put it in the school, typical of that environment. But how? I had to ask the administrator, but it was difficult. They were doing an inventory, and the ministry could not give you, for your school, the painting that had value. Anyway, my mind was working there.

What did you do next with the painting?

The restoration of the ministry began. Paintings and photos were removed from the walls, leaving them in the corridors, without special care or attention. I thought that the opportunity had come to find and take that painting. Obsessed with that painting, I went to the ministry, glancing around to see it. In that mess, I saw two workers with a stall collecting, throwing away the garbage and preparing the mortar. Suddenly, among the mortar and dust, something like the color of sky paint caught my eye. Not sure what it could be, since I couldn't even think of it, and if I hadn't noticed the blue color, everything would have been lost, I wouldn't have shown any interest. They had put two sticks on the stall to hold it up. I stopped them, and I said; "leave this stall here for a while, because I need it". Dressed in a suit and tie, the rule for officials, they remembered that I was someone and without saying a word, they left it there. How many times have I thought afterwards that if they knew me, they probably wouldn't have believed me. They left, only to return a little later, because even they didn't know what that stall really was.

After you left the stall, what did you do with the painting?

That day, Shpresa was also with me at the ministry. This was a heroine teacher, extremely rare and special. Shpresa Bejo (Todri). Dhaskal Todri's niece, a woman, a personality with whom I organized activities, competitions. She had boundless love for the students, with unprecedented devotion to serving them. Such was her nature as a teacher. With an extraordinary contribution to what she did in that school. Being very resourceful, with a passion for taking the school's students to the branch of architecture, she and the students organized lectures every Saturday, as a day off, at the Gallery of Figurative Arts. A systematic commitment and when we held competitions, the first ones were winners from our gymnasium, as they had priority, thanks to the developed courses that offered them more opportunities to be better prepared. All because of Shpresa's work that accompanied them. I called Shpresa, I told her to urgently bring some students here to the ministry. She announced it and they came, but they had a hard time taking the stalls and taking them to school. Since I was there, I ordered them. Two stalls with plaster, but still no one knew what was hidden in those fabrics. We took them to school and I didn't bother with them anymore. I told Shpresa; "you take them, do whatever you want". With the idea that after the plaster was removed, if it was worth keeping them for school, after we found out that the stalls were paintings, but without knowing anything more.

How much risk was there to ruin that painting in that condition?

Shpresa knew well how to do it, so the plaster could also remove the paint and colors, so care was needed, it was a specialist job. Having friends and acquaintances with the employees of the National Gallery of Arts, she took them there, after communicating with the restoration staff. "There are two paintings that the workers had turned into stalls, they are plastered, what should I do with them?" She had informed them.

Were you curious to know whose paintings those were?

I wasn't very interested in the names, but I needed the painting, I was interested in the school. Of course, if it was by a well-known author, it would have multiple values. Meanwhile, Shpresa cleaned the paintings as much as she could without damaging them, with the care of a person like her, then sent them to the Gallery for more professional work. The surprise was that there, when Sopi, who worked in the restoration sector, saw them, he was stunned; "this is my painting," he said in surprise.

After you were informed who the perpetrators were, how did you act?

I learned later who the paintings were by, when after a while, Shpresa came and told me that the paintings were marked, one was by the artist Fatmir Haxhiu, the other by the painter Edi Sopi, whom I knew from my neighborhood, at the Madrasa, and who had graduated in painting. It remained. “How is that possible” – I said. The Gallery people did not talk to Haxhiu’s family. When he brought it to me at school, I was amazed, the painting was very beautiful. The restoration had been done perfectly. The original painting had been restored, you couldn’t believe it, because a short time ago it had been a plasterer’s stall. “Mothers of the Labe”, I remembered the movie, and “we’ll keep this for the director” – I said to Shpresa and put it there.

Are you obsessed with a painting owned by the agency?

I was not an amateur admirer of painting, nor was I passionate about it, but I would not take the painting of those girls in terms of artistic merit, but for what interested me most, for the seriousness of the school, the simplicity, in terms of school discipline. It could have been by an unknown painter, but I was obsessed with it. I also needed it as a theme for high school, because of the fact that a certain liberalism had begun in schools, students, teachers, who came in miniskirts and I was against those clothes.

Was the ministry interested in the lost paintings?

Absolutely, no one from the ministry remembered the two paintings, one of which was in my office. We didn't remind them, we didn't tell them, we didn't show them, nothing, on the contrary. In reality, their interest was zero. They would come to my office, during inspections, meetings, and they didn't even know that that painting existed and that it belonged to the ministry. I don't know what happened to the Sopi one. Meanwhile, at various activities, artistic, sports, school anniversaries, we would invite former students who were still alive, their families, children, parents. Shpresa was a master at such organizations. One day, at one such activity, Fatmir Haxhiu also came. We invited him, without any idea, and with the thought that we had his painting at school. It was 2001.

What is the painter's first contact with the environment?

We didn't tell him, he didn't know anything either, it didn't even occur to me. I knew him as Fatmir, an artist, but without making the connection between artist and painting at that moment. Without giving it any importance, as something common in everyday routine, he sat in an armchair, in the director's office, with the painting on the wall, but at first he didn't see it. Even as a painter, he probably didn't think that one of his works was in the director's office of a school and he was here in this office with his painting. Even more so with that theme, namely war, the heroism of women. Looking around, he saw it, he recognized it, he had a reaction: "This is the painting" - he tells me. That's when I remembered; "yes" - I answer - Professor Fatmir, you are the author of this work. "A very beautiful painting," I continue, now focused on the conversation. The painting completed the office. When different people came, even from embassies, it attracted their attention, they showed interest, they looked at it with a lot of admiration. I also expressed this to Fatmir. There was a moment when, very carefully, he asked me if he could take it? "No, I will take it, but I will make you another painting, identical to this one so that you won't even recognize it. But this one has another value, because it is original. You don't care if it is like this or a copy, it's enough when you see it, you have it here, you won't understand, but my hand will do it," he told us.

What surprised you the most?

I didn't know the love, the connection that a painter has with one of his works, and when he suddenly finds himself in front of it. I am outside this painter-painting relationship. If I had thought about it before, I wouldn't have brought it into the office, because there was a real risk of losing the painting, which we restored to its original state with so much difficulty and which I had already fallen in love with, as part of the office, the school. It's a pity to take it away, even your eye has gotten used to it.

Did you have an agreement with the great artist?

"Yes - I say - yes, this is done immediately, I have no objections but you do it first, so that I don't remove it, the wall looks empty. Not only me, but the entire teaching staff are used to this painting and when people come in and out, they will think where the painting is, did the director take it home. They won't tell me, but they will talk to me in the corridors. They don't know that you have come. I can't gather the team and tell you, the painter came and took it. You do it, what matters is that you have the original here". And so we parted.

And how did the promised "exchange" come about?

No, because after a few days, he suddenly passed away. I was surprised, sad, and grieved, how I did not fulfill that wish, it remained a burden to me. But I could never think about it, since he was active and in good health. After his death, Shpresa connected with her family, her children, Artan her son mainly. We organized an activity with the students, and in a ceremonial way, we handed over the original. In the meantime, very correctly, they had prepared and brought us another painting, as the Haxhiu family wished.

Zaharia, in closing, can you tell us about a somewhat special exhibition you had?

With the artist Bujar Kapexhiu, we created three beautiful, large stands in the school among the cartoons. I put them on the first floor. The theme was mainly the clothing of teachers and students. One of them was a cartoon with students looking at the teacher's red underwear. Phenomena of this nature caused a stir, giving the message that; "don't come to school with unaesthetic clothing". Those cartoons spoke more than anything else. You could see it as soon as you entered the school lobby, a masterpiece by Kapexhiu./ Memorie.al