Kyiv
The Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko Museum of Arts
Tereshchenkovska St. 15/17
Working hours: 10.30 a.m. - 5.30 p.m., closed Mondays and Tuesdays
The Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko Museum of Arts - one of the most interesting museums in Kyiv - is famous for having the biggest and best collection of classical foreign art in Ukraine. In its collection are unique paintings, sculptures, graphics, decorative art of the Ancient world, works from Western Europe and Far East, all of which any of the world’s best known museums would be proud to own.
The museum's first works of art were a gift from the private collection of the prominent Ukrainian art collectors and patrons Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko, collected in the late 19th - early 20th centuries. At that time, it was considered to be one of the best private collections, and it included ancient Egyptian statues, sculptures from Ancient Greece and Rome, rare icons and decorations, picturesque canvases painted by famous European artists and many other valuable works of art. Since it was opened in 1919, the collection grew 13 times and it now includes around twenty thousand works of art.
The museum’s collection occupies two ancient manors in the center of Kyiv and is divided into two parts: one is devoted to western and European art, and the other, to Oriental art. The galleries dedicated to works by European artists include the sole original paintings by Diego Velázquez (‘Portrait of Infanta Margaret’) and by Giovanni Bellini (‘Madonna with Child’) in Ukraine, as well as a unique work by Francisco Goya. The museum is also proud with masterpieces by Peter Breughel Jr., Paul Rubens, Juan de Zurbarán, and other prominent European artists.
The gallery with Byzantine icons of the 6th - 7th centuries hold the real treasures, however. Among others, there are four ancient Christian icons that miraculously survived the period of iconoclasm, and are valuable representatives of world culture.
The museum’s collection of Eastern art is recognized as the biggest in Ukraine. It includes precious Chinese paintings, as well as works by Japanese and Indian artists. There are separate galleries devoted to Islamic and Buddhist art.
The temporary and guest exhibitions take place in the museum, as well.
Cost of admission: to the expositions of the western and European or Oriental art - 20 UAH, to both - 30 UAH. The cost of an audio tour (CD-player) - 35 UAH. Guided tour (for a group up to 25 people): in Ukrainian or Russian - 150 UAH, in English - 250 UAH.
