Now you can get acquainted with the collection of the Mystetskyi Arsenal in online format.
The collection of the Mystetskyi Arsenal—National Cultural, Art and Museum Complex has come together over the course of nearly two decades, beginning from the establishment of the Museum as a separate unit within the complex in 2007. Currently, the collection comprises 9,081 objects. Collecting priorities changed while Mystetskyi Arsenal sought to articulate its institutional identity, and the simultaneity of these processes has significantly shaped the museum collection. The holdings range from archaeological finds excavated from the site of the Arsenal, to works of the historical avant-garde, and contemporary experimental artworks, as well as household items, bonistics, phaleristics, numismatics, examples of sacred art, and cult objects, etc.
The war brought its adjustments and limitations. In the current conditions, an important element of security, along with the physical preservation of works of art and archaeological finds, has become the digitization of the collection. The creation of an e-catalog has become a priority for the team of the Mystetskyi Arsenal.
Olesia Ostrovska-Liuta, the Director General of the Mystetskyi Arsenal:
“The contributions in this publication cover various aspects of collecting: from the consolidation of the archaeological collection through research conducted directly on the territory of the Old Arsenal, to descriptions of the contemporary art collection that has been purposefully collected and safeguarded by the institution. We also cover the discussions held within the Mystetskyi Arsenal team concerning the role that a contemporary art museum might play in Ukrainian culture. This, in turn, grounds our understanding of the ways we might develop the collection in the future.
We are presenting this publication against the body of experience Ukrainian museum institutions gained in the context of the russian war against Ukraine. In particular, this pertains to the weight and significance of each collection and the dedication required from specific people for its preservation in perilous and dangerous times. And, what might be even more important, about the significance of museum collections in preserving the memories of ourselves and the surrounding world, the ways they shape the collective identity of societies, the experiences they testify to, and the ways they resist attempts to erase individuals and entire nations” .
The publication includes a catalog of the artistic and archaeological groups of the Mystetskyi Arsenal collection and is accompanied by articles presenting research on different segments of the collection and their provenance.Thanks to the personal experience of the authors, who were involved at different times in the formation and research of the collection, the history of the establishment and institutional evolution of the Mystetskyi Arsenal can be traced.
The publication is funded by the Stabilisation Fund for Culture and Education of the German Federal Foreign Office and the Goethe-Institut. goethe.de.​
