National Art Museum of Ukraine was founded in 1899. It has the most representative collection of Ukrainian figurative art in the world. Collection of the museum numbers almost 40 thousands exhibits, among which masterpieces of Ukrainian painting, sculpture, and graphics from Kyiv Rus age to nowadays are represented.
Museum has one of the best Ukrainian icon collections which opens with the rare object of the 12th century – polychrome wooden relief “Saint George with hagiography” of Byzantine origin. The works of all masters related to Ukraine can be found in the museum collection. There are beautiful pieces of decorative and pictorial art, icons and old parsuna style portraits, works of T. Shevchenko, N. Pimonenko, G. Narbut, A. Murashko, V. Krichevsky and many others.
The Ukrainian Baroque period art collection is extremely valuable. There are paintings, icons, polychrome sculptures and old books in the collection.
The real gem is the collection of Ukrainian avant-garde of the twentieth century. There are the works of the famous set designer A. Petritsky, constructivist V. Yermilov and futurist O. Bogomazov. The Ukrainian period masterpieces of such recognized masters of the avant-garde as Alexandra Exter, Alexander Archipenko and D. Burlyuk are in the collection too.
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