As of November 29, the National Art Museum of Ukraine (NAMU) will host the opening of the exhibition “In the Eye of the Storm. Secession in Ukraine,” part of the large-scale exhibition project “In the Eye of the Storm. Modernism in Ukraine in the 1900s-1930s,” showcased in leading European museums from 2022 to 2024. The Secession was specifically presented in 2024 at the Belvedere in Vienna as part of an expanded version of “Modernism in Ukraine,” and later evolved into an independent exhibition project at the Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava.
After a resonant presentation of Ukrainian art abroad, the exhibits have returned briefly to Kyiv, and some of them will be displayed in this exhibition before being sent to storage. “In the Eye of the Storm. Secession in Ukraine” offers a rare opportunity for viewers to encounter long-unseen beloved works from the permanent collection of NAMU, as well as to rediscover lesser-known pieces.
In three halls on the first floor of the museum, 29 works from the museum’s collection and two paintings by Ivan Miasoiedov from the Poltava Art Museum (named after Mykola Yaroshenko) will be presented. The exhibition will unite works by prominent representatives of Ukrainian art in the early 20th century – Oleksandr Murashko, Fedor and Vasyl Krychevsky, Mykhailo Zhuk, Abram Manievych, Vsevolod Maksymovych, Hryhorii Narbut, Oleksa Novakivskyi, and Petro Kholodnyi.
For the first time, a new piece in the NAMU collection will be presented at the exhibition – a sketch for the diploma work “Argonauts” [1909] by Ivan Miasoiedov. The sketch was included in the exhibition in Bratislava; however, it has not yet been seen by the audience in Ukraine. The addition to the collection was made possible through the support of Accordbank. The museum now possesses a work by one of the most important artists of the Secession era, who was previously unrepresented in the collection.
“In the Eye of the Storm. Secession in Ukraine” recreates the polyphony of authorial voices from the early 20th century, telling the story of their search for a national style. The flourishing of Ukrainian art during this time was driven by the formation of national consciousness, the aspiration for cultural autonomy, as well as close ties with European artistic centers and a good familiarity with new trends. Known by various names such as Modern, Jugendstil, Art Nouveau, Secession, or Liberty, the style at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, despite its general similarities, had characteristic features in each country, also connected with the desire to develop a national artistic style. In Ukraine, as in other countries, the development of a new national school coincided with the revival of folk art, the organization of applied arts workshops, and the emergence of talented folk artists.
Curators: Yuliia Lytvynets, Maryna Drobotyuk
Musical accompaniment: Mishukoff
The exhibition will be open throughout December. The museum operates on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 12:00 to 18:00.
Museum address: 6 Hrushevskoho Street. Entry to the exhibition can be accessed through the service entrance at the back of the museum. To reach it, please walk around the building to the right along Museum Lane.
