Vasyl Yermilov, Relief "A", 1920

Wood and oil on plywood

Collection of Konstantin Ivanovich Grigorishin, Kyiv
Courtesy of The Ukrainian Museum, New York, New York

Ukrainian Museum

by Marina Tsesarsakya

A couple of days ago I visited an exhibition of paintings in the Ukrainian Museum. Growing up there, I never had a chance to see these amazing works of art, they were always hidden. The works have survived decades of neglect and treachery caused by 2 World Wars, a revolution that ended an empire, and the intimidation of artists in the years under dictatorship.

The name of the exhibition„ “Crossroads: Modernism in Ukraine1910-1930,“ describes the modernist period of Ukrainian art history. The Orange revolution of 2004 turned the world’s attention to the Ukraine, a country that for centuries been under shadow of its neighbors. After generations of repressed cultural identity, the important contributions of Ukraine's artists to modernism have finally surfaced.

This exhibition showcases the dimensions of Ukraine’s encounter with artistic modernism, in all of it’s diversified range of its expression. The extensive collections of the Ukrainian Museum demonstrate the scope and beauty of Ukrainian culture.

Crossroads: Modernism in Ukraine1910-1930
Through 11 March, 2007
@ The Ukrainian Museum
222 E. 6th St., 212/228-0110
http://www.ukrainianmuseum.org

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