An exhibition of European art from the National Museum of Bogdan and Varvara Khanenko in Kyiv was opened at the Royal Castle in Warsaw.
The exhibition showcases 37 valuable works of Italian, Spanish, French, and Flemish art, as well as several pieces of Polish art. This marks the first large-scale presentation of the Khanenko Museum's collection outside Ukraine, informs Radio Liberty.
"I am deeply grateful to the Khanenko Museum's management and the Ukrainian authorities for trusting us, as it truly requires trust to send your greatest treasure to us for safekeeping," said the director of the Royal Castle, Małgorzata Omilanowska-Kilianczyk, at the opening.
Notable artists represented in the exhibition include Rubens, Bellot, and Verne. For the Polish audience, one of the most intriguing works is the portrait of the last king, Stanisław August Poniatowski, painted shortly before his death. This painting was considered lost until recently.
The Royal Castle was the first institution to offer help to the Kyiv museum in early March 2022. According to the director of the Khanenko Museum, Yulia Vaganova, their Polish colleagues wrote a letter asking how they could assist the museum:
"This was very important for us; that letter gave us hope that we were not alone and gave us the strength of solidarity."
In the fall of 2022, the Khanenko Museum building was damaged by a Russian airstrike. The exhibits survived because they were safeguarded at the beginning of the full-scale war. In spring 2023, the museum's management decided to transfer part of the collection to the Royal Castle in Warsaw for safekeeping and restoration. Some works took a year to restore, including a Venetian portszes (a portable carriage) from the 18th-19th century and a cassone (chest) from the same period.
The exhibition opening was attended by the Ministers of Culture of Poland and Ukraine. The exhibition is part of Poland’s presidency of the EU Council, starting on January 1, 2025.
"Today, as Ukraine fights for its freedom and future, we have a duty to remind the world that at the center of this struggle is also the desire to preserve our national heritage, invaluable testimony to history, identity, and human genius," said the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of Poland, Hanna Wróblewska.
The National Museum of Art named after Bogdan and Varvara Khanenko in Kyiv holds the largest and most valuable collection of art in Ukraine, including works of European, Asian, and ancient art.
37 works from the museum's collection will be displayed at the Royal Castle in Warsaw until the end of March. Some works are also currently housed at the National Museum in Vilnius and the Louvre. Next year, the Khanenko Museum's paintings will be showcased in The Hague and Cologne.
