National Art Museum of Ukraine

The National Art Museum of Ukraine is the most representative collection of Ukrainian figurative art in Ukraine and world-wide. Collection of the museum has near 40 thousands exhibits, among which there are masterpieces of Ukrainian painting, sculpture and graphics from Kyiv Rus age to nowadays. Museum keeps one of the best Ukrainian icon collections, which opens with the rare object of ХІІ century – polychrome wooden relief “Saint George with hagiography” of Byzantine origin. Middle Ages are represented here with the classic examples of icon painting of ХІV-ХVІ centuries from the West-Ukrainian lands, including the unique antiquities like “Bohomatir Odyhitria Volynska (Volyn Holy Mother “Hodigitria)”, “Yuriy-Zmieborets (St.George, The Dragon Fighter)” and “Strasti Khrystovi (The passion of the Christ)” from Halychyna Region. The collection of Ukrainian baroque art is outstanding by its value. Here one can find refine specimens of Ukrainian baroque icon like “Pokrova z portretom Bohdana Khmelnytskogo (The Protecting Holy Mother with a Portrait of Bohdan Khmelnytskiy” (first half of ХVІІІ century, Kyiv Region), pair icons “Velykomuchenytsi Anastasia and Iuliania (Martyrs Anastasia and Juliania), Varvara ta Kateryna (Varvara and Catherine” (1740th , Nothern Livoberezzhia), icons of Lavra workshops from the iconostasis of Uspenskiy Cathedral of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra “Vhid do Ierusalyma (Entrance to Jerusalem)” and “Rizdvo Khrystove (The Christmas)” (both of 1729). The pearl of the collection is Bereznianskiy iconostasis (1760th, Chernihiv Region), which shows the monumental dimensions and excellent artistry of Ukrainian baroque artists. The impression of this wonderful age is strengthened by the collection of blackletter books specimens of Ukrainian portrait of ХVІІІ century, the first secular genre in the Ukrainian painting. One of the biggest museum collections of ХVІІІ – ХІХ centuries’ popular pictures “Kozak-Mamai” is stored here. Department of the modern age art, when Petersburg Academy of Arts was the trendsetter, is opened with works of the famous Ukrainian portraitists, who cast in their lives with the capital city of the Russian Empire – Dmytro Levytskiy and Volodymyr Borovykovskiy. Taras Shevchenko, the painter, occupies a special position in the history of Ukrainian art. Insignificant collection of paintings and graphic works by Shevchenko gives an insight into his outstanding talent and shows new democracy tendencies in Ukrainian figurative art, carried forward by the artists of next generation. Monographic collection of Mykola Pymonenko’s works presents the following development of Ukrainian painting traditions, which included the genre subjects increasing and painting manner transformation from realism to impressionism. Odessa painting school led by Kiriak Kostandi is originally presented here. Image of Ukrainian art development is widen with the classic portrait items (works by H.Vasko, A.Mokrytskiy, O.Rokachevskiy) and landscape painting (works by V.Shternberg, V.Orlovkiy, S.Svitoslavskiy, S.Vasylkivskiy). Monographic collection of Oleksandr Murashko, courageous painting reformer worked at the beginning of XX century, is of our main interest. Vivid and original heritage of Ukrainian avant-garde has works of the world-wide famous sculptor Oleksandr Arkhypenko, famous painters Oleksandra Ekster, Oleksa Hryshchenko, Oleksandr Bohomazoc, Viktor Palmov. Unique stream in Ukrainian art of 1910th – 1930th called after its leading artists, Mykhailo Boichuk, “boichukism” is kept here. In soviet epoch boichukists were included into the list of repressed and prohibited painters and only nowadays they found a respective place in the museum exposition. Art of totalitarian age despite of the dramatic historical collisions gave birth to a galaxy of creative individuals. Names of Fedir Krychevskiy, Anatol Petrytskiy, Tetiana Yablonska, Serhiy Hryhoriev, Mykola Hlushchenko are inserted into the golden fund of Ukrainian art history. Collection of graphics and sculpture of XX century deserves careful attention. The museum collection is still being completed and contemporary painting streams of the end XX – beginning of XXI century find their place here.
Text source
Image source