The splendor of Ukrainian modernism at the Royal Academy

From 29 June to 13 October 2024, the Royal Academy presents the exhibition “In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine, 1900-1930s”

Source: Royal Academy · Image: Davyd Burliuk, “Carousel”, 1921. Oil on canvas, 33 x 45.5 cm. National Art Museum of Ukraine. © The Burliuk Foundation

The modernist movement in Ukraine unfolded against a backdrop of collapsing empires, World War I, Ukraine’s fight for independence, and the eventual establishment of Soviet Ukraine. Despite such profound upheaval, this became a period of bold artistic experimentation, and true flourishing of Ukrainian art, literature and theatre. Highlighting the range of artistic styles and cultural identities that existed in Ukraine during this period, “In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine, 1900-1930s” is the most comprehensive UK exhibition about Ukrainian modern art to date. The exhibition features over 70 works of art, from oil paintings and sketches to collage and theatre design, many of which are on loan from the National Art Museum of Ukraine and the Museum of Theatre, Music and Cinema of Ukraine, to safeguard them during the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“In the Eye of the Storm” brings together the work of well-known artists including Kazymyr Malevych, El Lissitzky and Alexandra Exter, as well as lesser-known figures such as Oleksandr Bohomazov and Mykhailo Boichuk, each of whom left an indelible mark on the country’s art and culture.

Exhibition organised by the Royal Academy of Arts, London with the Royal Museums of Fine Arts, Brussels and the Belvedere Museum, Vienna in partnership with the National Art Museum of Ukraine.