The Ukrainian
Avantgarde in Zagreb
Only a year after the exhibition
of Kasimir Malevich's works loaned by the State Russian Museum in Leningrad,
which presented one of the major artists of our century to the public, the
Museum of Contemporary Art has again staged an exhibition of avantgarde
artists of the early 20th century, featuring works from until recently
inaccessible museum holdings in the USSR.
In collaboration with the Museum
of Ukrainian Fine Arts and The Museum of Theatre, Music and Film of the
Ukraine in Kiev we have organized the exhibition UKRAINIAN AVANTGARDE
1910-1930.
Exhibitions of avantgarde
movements in Hungary, Poland, Croatia, Russia, Czechoslovakia (De-vetsil),
Bauhaus, Zenith, held at the Museum of Contemporary Art, are a part of the
programme endeavouring to present both the avantgarde movements in the first
half of the century and those that we are witnessing.
Zagreb and Kiev, Croatia and the
Ukraine, have traditionally good relations because they have much in common,
in geo-political, religious and cultural terms. This is the basis for a
lively cultural exchange aimed at better mutual understanding. Last year the
Museum of contemporary Art organized a show of Ivan Mestrovic's sculpture in
Kiev at the suggestion of the Museum of Ukrainian Fine Arts. This was an
oportunity for preliminary talks on a reciprocal exhibition of the works
from the Kiev Museum holdings. It was felt that the most interesting choice
would be an exhibition of the Ukrainian avantgarde from the beginning of the
century which had never been completely presented to the public.
The final decision was made
during the visit to Zagreb of Mr. Stanislav Vasylevich Koltunyuk, deputy
minister of culture of the Ukraine and Mr. Sergei Mikhailovich Chaikovsky,
head of the Museum Department in the Ministry of Culture of the Ukraine. We
discussed future cooperation between the Museum of Contemporary Art and
Ukrainian museums; our guests accepted our suggestion to prepare a first
comprehensive survey of hitherto unknown Ukrainian avantgarde art and show
it in Zagreb.
The agreement was soon
officially verified and the protocol signed by the Ministries of Culture of
the Ukrainian SSR and the SR of Croatia in September 1989 in Kiev.
The exchange of ideas between
Branka Stipancic and Tihomir Milovac, curators of the Museum of Contemporary
Art, and Mikhail Romanishin, director of the Museum of Ukrainian Fine Arts,
Ms. Irina Gorbachev, deputy director, Dmitry Gorbachev of the Theatre
Institute and Mikhail Kolesni-kov, curator of the Bakhrushin Museum, begun
in the summer of 1989 during the Mestrovic show, continued in June of 1990
when the concept of the exhibition was finalized.
This exhibition provides an
insight into the period of 1910-1930 in Kiev, Kharkiv, Lvov and Odessa and
the achievements in painting, sculpture, design, set and costume design
which equal those of other avantgarde movements of the time, in both the
USSR and the rest of Europe.
Aware of the importance of this
event, we have decided to publish a catalogue which, besides the usual data
and reproductions of the works by 28 artists exhibited, would include texts
by prominent scholars in the field from the Soviet Union and abroad and the
original texts by the artists themselves.
We are grateful to the Ministry
of Culture of the Ukraine, particularly to Mr. Stanislav Vasylevich
Koltunyuk; Mr. Mikhail Romanishin, director of the Museum of Ukrainian Fine
Arts and Ms. Lud-mila Kovalska, curator; Mr. Leonid Matat, director of the
Museum of Theatre, Music and Film; other museums and private collectors who
loaned the works for the exhibition.
Our thanks are due to the
General Consulate of the USSR in Zagreb, particularly Mr. Valeriian D.
Marusin.
Particular thanks are due to Mr.
Dmitry Yemelianovich Gorbachev without whose great enthusiasm and vast
knowledge this exhibition could not have been organized; his gracious help
is gratefully acknowledged.
We should also like to thank the
Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia and the Culture Funds of the
city of Zagreb and Republic of Croatia for their assistance.
Marijan Susovski
Director of the Museum of
Contemporary Art |