Contemporary Ukrainian Art and the Twentieth Century Avant-Garde

Throughout the twentieth century the goal of international recognition remained an idée fixe for the Ukrainian intelligentsia. Artists were often urged to find ways of bringing the country’s unique traditions, sensibility, and worldview to the European cultural high table. The post-independence generation also subscribes to this goal. But that was most successfully accomplished by the first, arguably the least self-conscious, generation-and the one that was most closely integrated with West European culture. Before discussing the art scene since 1991, it is useful to examine the impact of the historical avant-garde (c. 1908-30) on the European mainstream, since the achievements of this earlier generation serve as a beacon for many contemporaries.