NEW YORK – The new exhibition “The Impact of Modernity: Late 19th and Early 20th Century Ukrainian Art” opened to the public on Sunday, November 17, at The Ukrainian Museum. Nearly 100 guests attended the special event, at which guest curator Myroslav Shkandrij, professor of Slavic studies at the University of Manitoba, spoke about the never-before-seen works of art and their significance in Ukrainian art history in light of the world renown of several of the artists.
Prof. Myroslav Shkandrij speaks at the exhibit’s opening.
Prof. Shkandrij has previously curated exhibitions of avant-garde art and written extensively on 20th century Ukraine. The nearly 80 artworks and books on display were selected from a major donation made to The Ukrainian Museum’s permanent collection of fine art by Dr. Jurij Rybak and his wife, Anna Ortynskyj, who was present at the opening event.
Adrian Hewryk, vice-president of the museum’s Board of Trustees, and Maria Shust, director, expressed their deep gratitude on behalf of the museum for the generous gift to its permanent collection of fine art.
“The Impact of Modernity” will remain on view through May 3, 2020.
The artworks in the exhibit range from classics of the late 19th and early 20th century to avant-garde experimental art of 1910-1930, from works produced in Ukraine (some prior to World War I and some during the interwar period) to others produced in the United States by artists who emigrated from Ukraine. Dr. Rybak and Ms. Ortynskyj assembled the collection by visiting art dealers and auctions, by discovering works in overlooked stores, or by purchasing them from acquaintances. The historic avant-garde period became a particular interest for them.
Representing the modernist period of the early 20th century are Oleksandr Murashko and Heorhii Narbut, two great artists who left a rich legacy and continue to exert a powerful influence on the development of Ukrainian art. Works by several leading artists known throughout the world are also included in the collection – Sonia Delaunay, who moved to France, and Vsevolod Nicouline (Nikulin), who went to Italy – and others such as Alexander Archipenko, Abram Manevich (Manevych), Simon (Semen) Lissim, Louis Lozowick and David Burliuk, all of whom immigrated to the United States and made important contributions to sculpture, painting and the graphic arts.
Interwar Galicia (now western Ukraine) produced a number of important artists such as Olena Kulchytska and Leopold Levytsky (Lewicki) who worked in graphic art, and the naïve Lemko painter Nikifor (Nykyfor) of Krynytsia. Representing Ukrainian artists of the 1910-1930s are Kyiv painter Mykhailo Zhuk – best known for his decorative designs and portraits – and by the Kharkiv avant-gardists Vasyl Yermilov and Maria Syniakova. Some of the most innovative and exciting work from this period, however, was produced for the theater. The exhibition presents examples of costume art designed for avant-garde performances by the most prominent avant-gardists: Alexandra Exter, Vadym Meller, Isaac Rabinovich, Anatol Petrytsky, Mykhailo Andriienko-Nechytailo (Michel Andreenko), and Oleksandr Khvostenko-Khvostov. These objects can be viewed alongside those of designers like Serhii Kuchynsky, Alexander Kachinsky, and Vladimir (Volodymyr) Bobritsky, who immigrated to North America, where they also worked in theater and design.
“The exhibition presents a rare opportunity,” writes Prof. Shkandrij, “to take in the breadth and scope of modern Ukrainian art within the context of international development. Previously unseen works by kindred spirits – artists of different backgrounds who all originally came from Ukraine – offer viewers the opportunity to see some of the greatest artists of the last two centuries and simultaneously to explore the unique homeland-diaspora relationship that their creativity represents.”
This is not the first time that Dr. Rybak and Ms. Ortynskyj have enriched The Ukrainian Museum’s permanent collection with prized works of art. In 2013, they donated a large collection of vintage posters, shown that year in the exhibition “Propaganda and Slogans: The Political Poster in Soviet Ukraine, 1919-1921” (also curated by Prof. Myroslav Shkandrij). The following year, the museum received from them a portfolio of books illustrated by Heorhii Narbut and a lithograph on paper (“Coquette”) by Archipenko, both of which are currently on display in “The Impact of Modernity.”
At the opening event, UM Director Shust underscored “the important role private collectors have historically played in the formation of museum collections.” As in the case of the Rybak/Ortynskyj gifts, they “preserve the cultural legacy of a nation.”
Thirty-one artists are represented in “The Impact of Modernity: Late 19th and Early 20th Century Ukrainian Art.” The exhibition is accompanied by a bilingual, illustrated catalogue with an essay by the curator, as well as a brochure.
The Ukrainian Museum is located at 222 E. Sixth St., New York, NY 10003; telephone, 212-228-0110; e-mail, [email protected]; website, www.ukrainianmuseum.org.