Vasyl Krychevsky returns to Ukraine, via a collection of his works (05/18/03)

Vasyl Krychevsky returns to Ukraine, via a collection of his works

by Yaro Bihun
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

WASHINGTON - When Vasyl Hryhorovych Krychevsky (1873-1952) left his native Ukraine at the end of World War II, he was one of its most renowned artists. He never returned, dying less than 10 years later in Caracas, Venezuela.

This month, a half century later, he is returning home, in a way - in the form of a large collection of his works - thanks to his descendants in Caracas, who thought it was time for new generations of his countrymen to get to know him better; an American investor and his wife, who thought it was a good idea and agreed to help make it happen; and a journalist, who, as fate would have it, was able to bring the parties together.

The result was on display April 30 at the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington, which along with the SigmaBleyzer investment company mounted what could have been called a "Western Hemisphere farewell exhibit" of selected works from the Vasyl Krychevsky collection on the eve of its departure home to Ukraine.

On hand were the artist's granddaughter, Oksana Linde Ochoa of Caracas and the sponsors of this artistic homecoming, Natalia and Michael Bleyzer of Houston. Adorning the walls of the main reception room of the Embassy were a cross-section of the more than 300 oil paintings, watercolors, architectural sketches, book cover designs and theatrical and movie set designs that within a few weeks will find a new home in five museums and cultural institutions in Ukraine.

Welcoming them and the other guests at the Embassy, Ambassador Kostyantyn Gryshchenko underscored the importance of having Vasyl Krychevsky's works return to Ukraine, where "they will be cherished as our heritage and something that is very dear to every Ukrainian and important to our history."

The ambassador expressed his country's gratitude to the artist's daughter, Halyna Krychevska Linde, and granddauther, Ms. Ochoa as well as to the Bleyzers for making the return possible. He noted that Mr. Bleyzer, who was born in Kharkiv and made his business career in the United States, is now playing an important role not only in the economic revival of Ukraine but also in helping return Ukrainian art to its homeland.

Ms. Bleyzer said a few words about the artist, the "tremendous diversity" of his creativity, which included such architectural treasures as the Zemstvo building in Poltava, for which he became known as "the father of Ukrainian architecture," and the Shevchenko Memorial Museum in Kaniv; set designs for Mykola Sadovsky's theater in Kyiv, artistic direction for Dovzhenko's "Zvenyhora" and other movies; innovative book cover designs, textiles, kylyms, as well as Ukraine's first national trident emblems in 1918 and the two-hryvnia note.

The guests also heard from Ms. Ochoa, who traced her grandfather's life history from Vorozhba, near Kharkiv, where he was born in 1873, to Caracas, where he died in 1952. She thanked all those involved in the current project, especially the people of Ukraine for wanting to know more about her grandfather.

Upon the Krychevsky collection's return to Ukraine, it will be exhibited briefly in Kyiv, Poltava and Kharkiv, after which it will be divided up for permanent display at the National Gallery of Art and the Lavra Book and Cinema museums in Kyiv, the Shevchenko Memorial Museum in Kaniv, the Zemstvo building in Poltava and the Kharkiv Museum of Art.

Four years ago, the Ukrainian Embassy hosted a similar farewell exhibit of oil paintings and watercolors by Vasyl Krychevsky's artist son, Mykola Krychevsky. It was part of a 112-work collection donated to five museums in Ukraine by Kateryna Krychevsky-Rosandich of Mountain View, Calif. Mykola Krychevsky settled in Paris in 1928 and spent most of his creative years in France. Prior to Mrs. Krychevsky-Rosandich's donation, very few of his works had found their way back to Ukraine.

While the family of Vasyl Hryhorovych Krychevsky has retained some of his works, and many pieces are held by museums and private collections, a significant collection of his works - some 300 pieces - are at The Ukrainian Museum in New York City, a gift from the son of the artist's first wife, Vadim Pavlovsky.

As recalled by E. Morgan Williams, editor of the ArtUkraine Information Service (ARTUIS), the story of the move of Vasyl Krychevsky's works from Caracas to Ukraine began three years ago when Oksana Linde Ochoa mentioned to him the family's interest in donating the collection to museums in Ukraine. Her earlier attempts at direct contacts with institutions in Ukraine and elsewhere where unsuccessful. He brought it to the attention of Natalia and Michael Bleyzer, whose investment company, SigmaBleyzer, became the sponsor of the project, financing its organization and transportation from Caracas, through Washington, to Ukraine, and the mounting of the four exhibits, in Washington and in Ukraine.

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