Resistance through art: exhibitions of Ukrainian and Jewish avant-garde presented in Kyiv

The new Avant-Garde Museum opened its doors in Kyiv, located in a historic estate on Lipska Street. The event took place on November 20, 2025, as part of the Avant-Garde Kyiv Fest festival. This is the tenth branch of the Museum of the City’s History, and two large-scale exhibitions were presented at the opening: “Avant-Garde. ARMU. History” and “Avant-Garde. Culture League”. Both exhibitions introduce visitors to the artistic movements that influenced the formation of Ukrainian and Jewish identity in the 20th century and also recall the names of artists who left their mark on the era.

The Avant-Garde Museum was founded in November 2024, and in May 2025, the official opening took place in the architectural monument. The museum’s General Director, Victoria Mucha, noted that the implementation of this project was made possible by the efforts of many people, in particular the museum’s former director, Diana Popova. Despite wartime difficulties, a great deal of work was done to provide visitors with access to the new museum and its collection, which includes about 300 works by representatives of various avant-garde movements.

The director emphasized the importance of opening new cultural spaces in a social context, as well as the need to restore the names of Ukrainian avant-garde artists in the contemporary artistic discourse. She added that the team continues to work on heritage research and tries to counteract attempts to distort Ukrainian culture.

The exhibition “Avant-garde. ARMU. History” features works by prominent Ukrainian artists, including Mykola Hlushchenko, Maria Kotlyarevska, and Vasyl Yermylov. Another exhibition, “Avant-garde. Kultur-League,” is dedicated to the activities of the Jewish cultural and educational organization that existed from 1918 to 1924, and presents works by artists including Marc Chagall and David Shterenberg.

The project is implemented with the support of the Embassy of Israel in Ukraine and other cultural partners. The museum is open to visitors from Wednesday to Sunday, 12:00 to 19:00, and is closed on Monday and Tuesday.