Kvorning is partnering with European art museums and exhibition organizers for preparing a touring exhibition in the Nordic countries to present modernist Ukrainian artworks from first half of the 20th century, and at the same time to protect the unique art from the risks of the current Russian invasion that started on February 24, 2022.
Two years later … on February 22, 2024, ‘In the Eye of the Storm – Modernism in Ukraine’ organized by Belvedere, Vienna, with the Royal Museums of Fine Arts, Brussels, and the Royal Academy of Arts, London, in partnership with the National Art Museum of Ukraine, opened at the Belvedere, Vienna. Marking the fourth European venue following Madrid at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum (Autumn 2022), Cologne and Brussels. Kvorning participated in the event in Vienna Thursday evening.
As the first presentation outside Ukraine to explore the development of modern art in Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, and other cultural hubs 1900-1930. The comprehensive exhibition covers a period of incredibly rapid, turbulent, and traumatic development in Ukrainian art amidst significant historical transformations, including the collapse of the Russian Empire, several revolutions, the establishment and brief period of Ukrainian independence, and the establishment of Soviet authority in Ukraine. The significant rise of various movements among visual artists in the early 20th century is closely linked to the rise of Ukrainian national consciousness and processes of cultural nationalization dating back to the second half of the 19th century. The exhibition showcases a wide range of works from national romanticism to constructivist avant-garde. Many works in the exhibition represent collections from Ukrainian national museums. This became possible through the immense efforts of organizers collaborating with museums in Ukraine amidst ongoing warfare.
Works by Mykhailo Boichuk, Vasyl Yermilov, Oleksandr Bohomazov, and Kazymyr Malevych.
Curated by Konstantin Akinsha and Katia Denysova together with Maryna Drobotiuk and Olena Kashuba-Volvach (both from the National Art Museum of Ukraine, Kyiv). Assistant Curator: Miroslav Hal’ák (Belvedere).
The exhibition will be on display at the Lower Belvedere until 2 June 2024.