The charity exhibition 'We stand with Ukraine' opened in the Columbus Museum of Art.
This selection of modern and contemporary works by artists who were born or grew up in Ukraine draws from the Columbus-based collection of Edward Khodorovsky. They are presented here at this time in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
An independent nation since 1991, Ukraine has a long and complex history. It was variously ruled by the Austrian and Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and in the modern era, the Russian Empire and Soviet Union. Owing to this, several prominent figures who entered the history of art as Russian had important ties to Ukraine. For example, Kazimir Malevich was born in Kyiv, and Vladimir Tatlin in Kharkiv. Though born in Moscow, Wassily Kandinsky grew up in Odesa. All of them were instrumental figures in the development of abstract art in the early twentieth century.
Several of the artists spent their careers in Ukraine. Others gravitated—or were displaced by war or persecution—to the centers of art in Paris, Berlin, Moscow, and New York. One of them, Iryna Fedorenko, who was born in Mariupol, is currently living as a refugee. Working in a range of styles, the artists here attest to the significance and resilience of Ukrainian culture throughout its tumultuous history.
On view from April through July 2022 in Columbus Museum of Art. Learn more