The exhibition “Ukrainian Avant-Garde. Evolution. Collection Expansion 2.0” is a continuation of the joint project of the Museum of Kyiv History, the city authorities, and art figures on the path toward creating the Museum of Avant-Garde in Kyiv.

In December 2023, the Museum of Kyiv History together with the NGO “Museum of Avant-Garde” began cooperation on forming the museum collection “Ukrainian Avant-Garde. Evolution” and presented an exhibition of 29 works of Ukrainian avant-garde by well-known national artists. However, the collection is rapidly enriched and supplemented with new works that Kyivans and guests of the city must certainly see. After all, avant-garde art is a unique asset of Ukrainian culture.

The exhibition “Ukrainian Avant-Garde. Evolution. Collection Expansion 2.0” consists of two parts: works from the collection of the Museum of Kyiv History and 21 new paintings donated by collectors and artists.

The collection of the Museum of Kyiv History is represented by works whose authors include world stars of the classical avant-garde of the early twentieth century – Anatol Petrytskyi, Vadym Meller, Oleksandr Bohomazov. Also from the Museum’s holdings there are: a work by the outstanding researcher and scholar of the Ukrainian avant-garde, collector Ihor Dychenko, and a work by Oleksandr Roitburd.

“Just in the last six months, collection of the museum ‘Ukrainian Avant-Garde. Evolution.’ has been expanded by 31 artworks, 10 of which are from the holdings of the Museum of Kyiv History. And these are extremely prominent names of classical avant-garde artists whose works are known worldwide! We are especially proud of our invaluable discovery, which has become a true gem of this exhibition – the work by one of the most outstanding scenographers of the 20th century, Anatol Petrytskyi, ‘Costume Sketch for Giacomo Puccini’s Opera Turandot.’ The very discovery of this work is a certain sensation in scientific, historical, and cultural contexts,” emphasizes the project curator, head of the NGO “Museum of Avant-Garde,” Yurii Komelkov.

The second part of the exhibition features artworks by contemporary Ukrainian artists, in particular Oleh Tistol, Maryna Skugareva, Viktor Sydorenko, Hlib Vyshnevskyi, Oleksandr Zhyvotkov, which have supplemented the collection of the future “Museum of Avant-Garde.”

“As of today, the collection ‘Ukrainian Avant-Garde. Evolution’ already counts 50 works donated by collectors and artists, which organically complement the pieces from the holdings of the Museum of Kyiv History. The art collection fully presents the entire path of development of the Ukrainian avant-garde, beginning from the period of the classical avant-garde of the first half of the 20th century,” says the Director General of the Museum of Kyiv History, Diana Popova.