In the Eye of the Storm
Nov 29, 2022 – Apr 30, 2023

Alexandra Exter, Still Life, 1913. Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

The exhibition In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine, 1900–1930s presents the ground-breaking art produced in Ukraine in the first decades of the 20th century, showcasing trends that range from figurative art to futurism and constructivism. The development of Ukrainian modernism took place against a complicated socio-political backdrop of collapsing empires, the First World War, the revolutions of 1917 with the ensuing Ukrainian War of Independence (1917–21), and the eventual creation of Soviet Ukraine. The ruthless Stalinist repressions against Ukrainian intelligentsia led to the execution of dozens of writers, theatre directors and artists, while the Holodomor, the man-made famine of 1932–33, killed millions of Ukrainians.

 

Davyd Burliuk, Carousel, 1921. National Art Museum of Ukraine

El Lissitzky, Composition, 1918-1920s. National Art Museum of Ukraine

Oleksandr Bohomazov, Sharpening the Saws, 1927. National Art Museum of Ukraine

Left: Mykhailo Boichuk, Dairy Maid, 1922-1923, National Art Museum of Ukraine / Right: Volodymyr Burliuk, Ukrainian Peasant Woman, 1910-11. © Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

Despite these tragic circumstances, Ukrainian art of the period lived through a true renaissance of creative experimentation. In the Eye of the Storm reclaims this essential – though little known in the West – chapter of European modernism, displaying around 70 works in a full range of media, from oil paintings and sketches to collages and theatre designs. Following a strict chronological order, the show presents works by masters of Ukrainian modernism, such as Oleksandr Bohomazov, Vasyl Yermilov, Viktor Palmov, and Anatol Petrytskyi. Exploring the polyphony of styles and identities, the exhibition includes neo-Byzantine paintings by the followers of Mykhailo Boichuk and experimental works by members of the Kultur Lige, who sought to promote their vision of contemporary Ukrainian and Yiddish art, respectively. It features pieces by Kazymyr Malevych and El Lissitzky, quintessential artists of the international avant-garde who worked in Ukraine and left a significant imprint on the development of the national art scene. The exhibition also showcases artworks of internationally renowned artists who were born and started their careers in Ukraine but became famous abroad, among them Alexandra Exter, Wladimir Baranoff-Rossiné, and Sonia Delaunay.

 

Vadym Meller, Sketch of the “Masks” choreography movement “Masks” for Bronislava Nijinska’s School of Movements, Kyiv, 1919. Museum of Theatre, Music and Cinema Arts of Ukraine

Viktor Palmov, The 1st of May, 1929. National Art Museum of Ukraine

Wladimir Baranoff-Rossiné, Adam and Eve. Carmen Thyssen Collection

In the most comprehensive survey of Ukrainian modern art to date, with many works on loan from the National Art Museum of Ukraine and the State Museum of Theatre, Music and Cinema of Ukraine, the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza celebrates the dynamism and diversity of the artistic scene in Ukraine, while safeguarding the country’s heritage during the inadmissible, present-day occupation of its territory by Russia. After it has been seen in Madrid, the exhibition travels to the Museum Ludwig in Cologne.

 

In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine, 1900–1930s
November 29, 2022 – April 30, 2023 / Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza
Visit the exhibition page >

A Journey Inward
Self-Portrait Photography
A young photographer from Russia has been immersing herself in the art of self-portraiture for several years now, a...
+
Lyonel Feininger: Retrospective
Oct 27, 2023 – Feb 18, 2024
The German-American artist Lyonel Feininger is a classic protagonist of modern art. The Schirn Kunsthalle is dedicating an extensive...
+
30 Under 30 Women Photographers / 2023
Torino Art Week / Exhibition
Presented for Torino Art Week 2023 and in collaboration with Recontemporary in Turin, Artpil proudly announces the 2023 exhibition...
+
Antoni Tàpies. The Practice of Art
Sep 15, 2023 – Jan 7, 2024
A self-taught artist during the interwar period, Tàpies reflected on the human condition, his historical situation and the artistic...
+
Torino Art Week 2023
Prescription .144
Torino Art Week 2023 opens the first week of November with events that will fill the city with works...
+
Dorothea Lange. Tales of Life and Work
Prescription .143
Dorothea Lange's photography, now nearly a hundred years later, continues to resound in its portrayal of a time and...
+
REGENERATE
Jun 23 – Dec 10, 2023
With REGENERATE as its theme, the festival brings together works that explore the changes modern society must face, seeing...
+
Joel Sternfeld: American Prospects
Sep 28, 2023 – Jan 21, 2024
American Prospects has enjoyed a life of acclaim. Its pages are filled with unexpected excitement, despair, tenderness and hope....
+
A Journey Inward
Self-Portrait Photography
A young photographer from Russia has been immersing herself in the art of self-portraiture for several years now, a...
+
Lyonel Feininger: Retrospective
Oct 27, 2023 – Feb 18, 2024
The German-American artist Lyonel Feininger is a classic protagonist of modern art. The Schirn Kunsthalle is dedicating an extensive...
+
30 Under 30 Women Photographers / 2023
Torino Art Week / Exhibition
Presented for Torino Art Week 2023 and in collaboration with Recontemporary in Turin, Artpil proudly announces the 2023 exhibition...
+
Antoni Tàpies. The Practice of Art
Sep 15, 2023 – Jan 7, 2024
A self-taught artist during the interwar period, Tàpies reflected on the human condition, his historical situation and the artistic...
+
Torino Art Week 2023
Prescription .144
Torino Art Week 2023 opens the first week of November with events that will fill the city with works...
+
Dorothea Lange. Tales of Life and Work
Prescription .143
Dorothea Lange's photography, now nearly a hundred years later, continues to resound in its portrayal of a time and...
+
REGENERATE
Jun 23 – Dec 10, 2023
With REGENERATE as its theme, the festival brings together works that explore the changes modern society must face, seeing...
+
Joel Sternfeld: American Prospects
Sep 28, 2023 – Jan 21, 2024
American Prospects has enjoyed a life of acclaim. Its pages are filled with unexpected excitement, despair, tenderness and hope. Its fears are expressed in beauty, its sadnesses in irony.
+