Ukraine and Lithuania: common cultural space

Lviv museum employees carry on the tradition of Boris Woznicki building inter-ethnic cultural bridges. Just like Woznicki first presented Johann Georg Pinzel to Europe, the joint project of the museums in Ukraine and Lithuania “Portraits of Grand Dukes and Lithuanian Nobles from Ukrainian Museums” presents half-forgotten artistic artifacts to the world. These are the portraits of historical figures, who at one time played a special role in the political life of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, had an impact on the fate of the half of the Ukrainian lands. The funds of the Ukrainian museums preserve a significant number of portraits from the 17th century with images of the nobles from the Chodkiewicz, Radziwill, Sanguszko, Sapieha, and Wisniowiecki families, as well as the Doctor of Philosophy and Medicine Paul Boim. It all is reflected in the catalog.

The catalog has been published by the organizers of the exhibition – the National Museum “Palace of Grand Dukes of Lithuania” and the Lithuanian Art Museum. “This exhibition became the most striking confirmation of a successful development of cultural ties between the two nations. It demonstrates the common cultural heritage and history of Lithuania and Ukraine and the links of the lingering historical memory,” was written in the letter from Arunas Gelunas, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, and Mykhailo Kulyniak, Minister of Culture of Ukraine.

The exhibition presented 86 portraits. Thirteen restorers have worked on them for two months so that the faces of the common ancestors could tell the audience about the common fragment of history of Ukraine and Lithuania. “We are united around the idea of serving for the good of the common history. We should make the history alive by showing common heritage,” believes Jolanta Karpaviciene, deputy director of the National Museum “Palace of Grand Dukes of Lithuania” and the head of the delegation. A Lithuanian poet of the 17th century once said: “The countries are recognized by the faces of their rulers.” This quote has become the motto of the exhibition. During four months the exhibition was held in Vilnius over 11,000 people have visited it.

“Lithuania started speaking Ukrainian,” said Karpaviciene. For the first time in the history of cultural relations between the people of Lithuania and Poland the catalog was published in three languages. “Museum, artifacts, paintings, restoration works, and preservation are the terms well-understood in the circles of museum specialists in Ukrainian, Russian, and Lithuanian,” director of the Lviv Historical Museum Bohdan Chaikovsky drew some parallels. “These are the key terms at the presentation of the catalog.”

Ukraine was represented at the event by the Lviv Historical Museum, Lviv National Art Gallery, and Volyn Museum of Regional Ethnography. The museums transferred 20 female portraits, 62 male portraits, and four portraits of kids to the Art Museum of Lithuania for temporal exhibit.

Ihor Khomyn, chief curator of the funds of the Lviv National Art Gallery wrote in the catalog: “From an artistic point of view, the best portraits of all presented at the exhibition are the ones of the Polish kings and the Grand Dukes of Lithuania.” First of all, these are the portraits of Sigismund III Vasa, Michal Korybut Wisniowiecki, August III, and Stanislaw August Poniatowski.

“The level of printing quality is high, it was acknowledged by the fact that the catalog was nominated for the National Award of Lithuania,” the coordinator of the exhibition Taras Rudko said.

The museums do not draw a final line in such cross-cultural cooperation; on the contrary, they want to continue the positive work. Lviv Historical Museum invites you to an exhibition of the portraits to see the priceless artifacts for yourself after they come back from Vilnius.