Artists who were born in Ukraine

As I think of the tragic destruction right now of two culturally important cities, Kyiv and Odessa, I'm thinking of the many creative people who were born there, and how earlier catastrophes and persecutions affected their lives. Several well-known twentieth-century innovators in the arts were born in Ukraine -- or in cities that are now in Ukrainian territory. I was surprised that not one of them remained in Ukraine for their mature career, and in fact almost all emigrated to the US or to Western Europe, some as a part of the great exodus of Jews from the region to the Land of Opportunity (same reason that I'm here!) 

The complexities of art and history in the 20th century have many causes. While the arts flourished in the west and in the very early days of Russian Communism, artists were generally suppressed or persecuted under Soviet power. Soviet Realism became the required art style, which squelched creativity very effectively. 

Kasimir Malevich, Self Portrait, 1908 or 1910-1911. (Wikipedia)

Kasimir Malevich (1879-1935) was a leader in the avant-garde art movements of the early 20th century, particularly the Futurists. Malevich was born in Kyiv, Ukraine. As a young man, he attended art classes at the Kyiv Art School, and later studied in Moscow, where he remained through his creative years. His life and work were disrupted by the Communist government, which did not agree with his innovative, modernist style. For a complete biography see: https://www.theartstory.org/artist/malevich-kasimir/life-and-legacy/. 

Sonia Delaunay, "Prismes électriques," 1914. (Wikipedia)

Sonia Delaunay-designed swimsuits, 1920s. (source)

Sonia Delaunay (1885-1979) was born in Odessa and educated in Moscow, though she is generally identified as a French artist, and spent most of her career in Paris. She is known for her art, and also for fashion design. She worked with her husband, the painter Robert Delaunay on an art movement called simultané, "which Sonia and Robert were to practise all their lives.... What was it? A movement, a style, an aesthetic adventure? (Cendrars called it a “technique”.) A Russian-French fusion, it rejoiced in the movement and contrast of colours and their loquacity."  For a review of her life and work, see "Sonia Delaunay: the avant-garde queen of loud, wearable art"

Alexander Archipenko, The Ukrainian Poet Taras Shevchenko, 1935.
(Detroit Institute of Arts)

Archipenko, Statuette, 1959 (source)

Alexander Archipenko (1887-1964) was born in Kyiv, where he began his studies in fine art -- but like so many Ukrainian-born artists, soon moved on. In Paris in 1909, he had his own studio, and met other artists and writers such as Modigliani, Léger, Apollinaire, Cendrars and others; his work was well-regarded. During World War I, he took refuge in Nice, France, with other artists. In 1923, he opened an art school near Woodstock, New York, and worked in the US for the rest of his career, mainly as a sculptor. He was one of the first to use plastic as a medium for his sculpture. For a biography and overview of his art see: http://www.archipenko.org/life-and-work.html

Louise Nevelson, "Black Wall," 1959.
(Tate Museum, London)

Louise Nevelson (1899-1988)  "was born Leah Berliawsky in Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi, Russia (now Ukraine). In 1905, her family immigrated to Rockland, Maine, due to the terrible abuse inflicted by the Tsarist Russians on the Jewish community that she grew up in." Nevelson is famous for her large sculptural installations: "The stories embodied within her works resulted from her cumulative experiences - as a Jewish child relocated to America from Russia, as an artist training in New York City and Germany, and as a hard-working, successful woman." Source: https://www.theartstory.org/artist/nevelson-louise/

Weegee, Mona Lisa Distortion, 1958. (source)

More Mona Lisa Distortions by Weegee — remember these images were made in a
dark room, long before computer manipulation of images was invented.

Weegee (1899-1968), an American art photographer, was born as Usher Fellig in Lemberg, then part of Austria, but now Zolochiv, Ukraine. Like many Jews from Ukraine and elsewhere in Eastern Europe, the Fellig family immigrated to New York in 1911, where Usher's name was changed to Arthur. After a very impoverished childhood, he learned to be a photographer. Weegee's works depicting street scenes and people in New York and various experiments with photo distortion (including a number of Mona Lisas) influenced several famous artists and photographers including Diana Arbus and Andy Warhol. For a complete biography: https://www.theartstory.org/artist/weegee/life-and-legacy/

Musicians from Ukraine

I haven't found many musicians from Ukraine who are familiar to me, though Wikipedia lists many obscure ones. Reinhold Glière (1875-1956), born and educated in Kyiv, is the only composer on these extensive lists that I've even vaguely heard of.

My greatest familiarity is with Vladimir Horowitz (1903-1989), the world-famous pianist, who was born in Kyiv, Ukraine. His training was at the Kyiv Conservatory, and his early performances took place in Ukraine. Then he toured Russia for several years. In 1925, he left for the West, and performed in most major concert venues for the rest of his life; he only returned to Russia once, in 1986. He settled in the US, and became a US citizen, like many other accomplished Ukrainian artists and performers. I attended a concert by Horowitz on October 9, 1977, at Hill Auditorium on the University of Michigan campus. At that time, he performed only at 4 PM on Sundays. (Link to concert program)

The Arts in Ukraine Now

Art in Ukraine is very much alive -- or was until last month!
An art gallery in Kyiv now houses refugees. (source)

The concert house in Kharkiv, Ukraine, before and after bombing March 1, 2022. (source)

Yes, the barbarians are attacking all human and cultural targets, killing children, and destroying everything they can. Inhuman!

In My Neighborhood

Blog post by mae sander, © 2022. Photos as credited.