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About - Exhibition archive - 2015

Peter Ossowski’s exhibition "My Motherland - Ukraine"

The exhibition "My Motherland - Ukraine", dedicated to the 90th anniversary of our artist-countrymanPetro Ossovskyi opened on 18 May 2015 in Kirovohrad Regional Art Museum’s department Petro Ossovskyi Picture Gallery “World & Homeland”.

Petro Pavlovych Ossovskyi, People's Artist of the USSR, Winner of the USSR State Prize and M. Sholokhov International Prize, Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts, was born on 18 May 1925 in Mala Vuska village, Kirovohrad region. In 1950 he graduated from Surikov Moscow Art Institute. Since 1956 he was a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR.

Petro Ossovskyi’s pictures are kept in National Art Museum of Ukraine, Kyiv National Museum of Russian Art, Donetsk Regional Art Museum, Odesa Regional Art Museum, Kharkiv Art Museum, Kirovohrad Regional Art Museum, Kirovohrad Regional Museum, the National Art Museum of Belarus, the State Tretyakov Gallery, State Russian Museum and other museums, galleries and private collections in Ukraine, Russia and in numerous foreign collections.

Petro Ossovskyi is known as the founder of "severe style" in art. He was honoured with numerous international, state, church, community, etc. awards.

On 18 May 2007 Petro Ossovskyi Picture Gallery “World & Homeland”, the department of Kirovohrad Regional Art Museum was opened. Art galleries of Petro Ossovskyi were also opened in the Russian Federation: "Pskov motives" (2007, Pskov, Pskov Museum-Reserve), "Pushkin and the Land of Pskov" (2007, Pushkinohorye, Pushkin Reserve), "From the Shores of Lake Baikal to the Waters of the Caribbean” (2011, Tolyatti, Volga Art Gallery), "Izborsk Chamber” (2012, Izborsk, Pskov region), "Russian Chamber” (2013, Egorievsk, Egorievsk Historical Art Museum).

In 2008, Petro Ossovskyi was awarded the title "Honorary Citizen of Pskov”

Petro Ossovskyi was awarded the state award of Ukraine in the Embassy of Ukraine in the Russian Federation in spring 2013. He received the honorary title "Honored Artist of Ukraine". The artist in his turn gave Ukraine triptych "Steppe Hellas", created in 2008 and dedicated to his little homeland (Kirovohrad region). And in autumn 2013, Petro Ossovskyi transferred this work, exhibited at his exhibitions during 2008- 2012, was transferred to the collection of the National Art Museum of Ukraine.

The artist lives and works in Moscow. However, his relationship with his little homeland is not interrupted today.

A great exhibition in the halls of the Academy of Arts in Moscow was organized, by tradition, to celebrate Petro Ossovskyi’s 90th anniversary. Art Gallery "World and Fatherland" situated in the artist’s little homeland did not stay aloof from this outstanding event and opened the exhibition presenting the best works of the artist stored in the collection of the regional art museum. The museum’s team tried to present the whole variety and diversity of Petro Ossovskyi’s talent in this exhibition.

The sense center of the presented paintings are those dedicated to the artist’s little homeland. They are "My Motherland is Ukraine", “Mala Vyska Fields”, “Motherland”. Among the paintings there are also canvases from "Pskov motives” series of paintings and parts of the triptych “Illuminated by the Light of Victory”.

Graphic works of the artist became a separate part of the exposition. There are portraits of his countrymen made in Mala Vyska. Petro Ossovskyi’s engravings with Mexican motives also excite the curiosity. They are less known among his creative heritage but definitely deserve attention.

The aforementioned paintings and graphic works naturally complement the paintings presented in the stationary exhibition of the gallery.

In the recent years the visitors of Petro Ossovskyi Picture Gallery “World & Homeland” were introduced with Petro Ossovskyi’s latest artworks. As a part of this work exhibitions of reproductions "Izborsk Chamber Paintings", “Petro Ossovskyi’s Epoch Images", "Petro Ossovskyi’s Italy”, and "Picturesque Mystery by Petro Ossovskyi” were opened in the gallery “World & Homeland” Posters the abovementioned exhibitions are on display as an original report of Petro Ossovskyi’s creative work and activity of the gallery “World & Homeland”.

The exhibition reveals Petro Ossovskyi as a writer too. It represented his albums and numerous publications, including “Notebooks of the Artist," Dmyto Vertepov’s book "Diary of Terskyi Kazak" (the diary of an outstanding figure of Ukrainian scene, Petro Ossovskyi’s grandfather).

It is obvious that Petro Ossovskyi has made a significant and prominent contribution to the cultural treasury of the Ukrainian people. The artist did a lot for Kirovohrad region, his little homeland, as well. His active civic standpoint, that manifests itself in his deeds, not in words, is a silent reproach for some pseudo-patriots. This is a reason to think for those who still think about Petro Ossovskyi as of an ardent degender of the Soviet regime.

Kirovohrad Regional Art Museum’s team congratulates Petro Ossovskyi with a grand anniversary and hopes that the opening of this exhibition will be a good present to his 90th anniversary and a present for all lovers of the fine arts of our region.

Anatolii Kimnatnyi – Head of Kirovohrad Regional

Art Museum’s department – Petro Ossovskyi Picture Gallery “World & Homeland”