Contemporary Ukrainian Art and Collecting of 1991–2018

Abstract

Since works of art are always investments not only in “emotional intelligence”, but also in “value-artistic component”, the goal of the article is to trace the formation of interaction between the creation of works of modern Ukrainian art and their collecting during Independence. Collecting works of art in Ukraine of the time indicated does not have comprehensive coverage. However, some recently published materials, allow us to present the general features of the formation of the institution of collecting in Ukraine. These publications have become the key basis for the study. It is shown that the initial motivation of collectors can be different: someone begins to simply collect “what they like”, and this irresistible attraction grows into the creation of an impressive collection, and with its formation, the collector’s preferences are also improved. Someone approaches art from the point of view of its material value, recognizing in collection a reasonable investment guaranteed against losses. Someone is engaged in collecting from the standpoint of patronage, seeking to support artists and development of art in general. But in any of these options there is, more than certainly, a plentiful cultural harvest in the future. Not aiming at a comprehensive consideration of the problem of collecting works of contemporary art in Ukraine, the article is designed in the mode of essay to present the main, most significant phenomena in the Ukrainian museum. They are aimed, firstly, at the actual fixation of artistic phenomena by collecting artistic artifacts, a holistic view of the emergence of modern Ukrainian art in the variety of its visual ideas, creative directions, “visual” and “mental” preferences and artistic positions, and thirdly, to establish a factual basis for understanding the phenomenon of art history of Ukrainian art of the 20th–21st centuries in the context of the global art movement.