The Museum of Kyiv History and its branch, the “Museum of the Avant-Garde,” with the support of Zoryana Pelekh, present the fourth exhibition in the project “Ukrainian Avant-Garde. Evolution. Collection Expansion,” which has already become a landmark in the cultural life of the city and the country.

It is important to note that on 15 May 2025, the Kyiv City Council made a historic decision to allocate a building for the Museum of the Avant-Garde at 16 Lypska Street. This unique building in the heart of Kyiv, known as the Countess Uvarova’s mansion, is set to become a symbolic center for the development of the arts in Ukraine. Currently, documentation and plans for restoration work are being finalized.

The exhibition “Ukrainian Avant-Garde. Evolution. Collection Expansion” will take place at the MEC of the Museum of Kyiv History and illustrates the continuation of the long-term and thorough work in researching, promoting, and preserving Ukrainian avant-garde art. The Museum of the Avant-Garde is rapidly developing, and the collection is continually enriched with new acquisitions — in the past few months alone, 30 works were added, 20 of which were donated by patrons and partners. Among them are works covering the origins of the avant-garde, the art of “pre-avant-garde” artists, “classic avant-garde,” and the development of Ukrainian avant-gardism in the 20th–21st centuries.

“We are proud that the museum’s collection continues to grow, and that we are building close partnerships with collectors, artists, and cultural institutions. In particular, this time we will present visitors with copies of three works by Taras Shevchenko, donated by the Taras Shevchenko National Museum — these works predate the emergence of surrealism by several decades and resonate with the masterpieces of René Magritte and Salvador Dalí. We also received from Dmytro Horbachov, a prominent researcher of Ukrainian avant-garde, four works, including ‘Cities’ by Boris Kosarev, a star of the classical theatrical avant-garde,” emphasizes Yuriy Komelkov, Head of the “Museum of the Avant-Garde” branch and initiator of its creation.

The exhibition will also feature works by Ukrainian artists Mykola Krychevskyi, Alla Horska, Opanas Zalyvakha, Hanna Starytska, Naum Sobol, Anatoliy Tartakovskyi, Maks Vitik, Volodymyr Budnikov, Angelina Hafynets, Mykola Novikov, Liubomyr Medved, and Vladyslav Mamsikov.

“Ukrainian Avant-Garde. Evolution. Collection Expansion 4.0” is not only an artistic event but also a profound gesture of respect and gratitude to Diana Popova, General Director of Museum of Kyiv History (2022–2025), who passed away two months ago, yet whose contribution to the creation of the Museum of the Avant-Garde should be remembered and valued.

“Meeting Diana Popova was for me an invitation to a deeper conversation with Ukrainian culture. She did not wait for the right moment — she created it. The Museum of the Avant-Garde became her gesture of faith in the future, her profound ‘yes’ at a time when everyone else was silent. Being a partner in this project is my personal expression of gratitude and a continuation of her work. This exhibition is a living memory of how one person can change history,” noted Zoryana Pelekh, co-organizer of the exhibition, partner of Museum of Kyiv History and the Museum of the Avant-Garde, and founder of Pelekh&Partners.