The 20-Year Journey to Build a Museum for Ivan Marchuk
For twenty years, since 2005, efforts to create a museum in Kyiv dedicated to the artist Ivan Marchuk have been underway. The project's timeline has been shaped by shifting political priorities and national crises. The key milestones in this protracted process include:
- A 2005 directive from President Viktor Yushchenko to establish a cultural center;
- A presidential decree issued by Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2021;
- The allocation of a building at 10 Volodymyra Vynnychenka Street for the museum.
Despite these actions, the initiative has been stalled in recent years due to the ongoing war.
In May 2005, President Viktor Yushchenko ordered the creation of the 'Museum of Artist Ivan Marchuk' cultural center on Andriyivsky Descent. However, on May 28, 2014, acting President Oleksandr Turchynov declared that order invalid. It was not until June 11, 2021, after a long hiatus, that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a decree 'On the Creation of the Ivan Marchuk Museum and Cultural Center of Modern Art'.
The chosen site for the museum is a 2,100-square-meter building at 10 Volodymyra Vynnychenka Street. This building was previously owned by the State Administration of Affairs and, before that, housed the American Embassy. In mid-November 2022, the building was transferred from the State Administration of Affairs to the Ministry of Culture and subsequently to the National Art Museum of Ukraine. The 0.35-hectare plot was rezoned from land for extraterritorial organizations to land for cultural institutions.
Current Challenges and Future Outlook
Since May 2025, the building has been under 24-hour guard, with the security service costing 616,000 hryvnias until the end of the year. In May 2022, the president issued a decree removing mention of funding for the building's repairs. Meanwhile, on June 14, 2021, the charitable foundation 'Marchuk Art Foundation' was registered, with Lidiia Lisimova as its sole founder and head. On August 5, 2021, the foundation changed its name to 'Modern Art Foundation'.
The foundation organized a charity concert by Andrea Bocelli in Kyiv on Independence Day 2021. On August 24, 2021, a fundraising concert for the museum was held at the Olympic Stadium, with ticket prices ranging from 200 to 2,700 hryvnias. However, Lidiia Lisimova declined to disclose the total amount raised, citing confidentiality.
Ivan Marchuk has been living abroad for the last four years due to the war. The artist will turn 90 in May 2026. Marchuk has noted that he previously refrained from selling his paintings, preserving them for humanity, and pointed to his long-held dream of a museum.
“The museum is like a mirage, a phantom, a fata morgana,” he emphasized, commenting on the project's delays.Given the museum's complex history, it can be argued that amid political and social changes, as well as recent events, the realization of this vision remains uncertain.
The creation of the Ivan Marchuk Museum represents a crucial step in preserving and promoting Ukrainian art, yet its execution faces numerous challenges arising from the country's political and social situation. This two-decade-long project could become a symbol of cultural reconstruction in Ukraine if it can overcome the existing obstacles. In the context of war and cultural identity, the museum would not only reflect the artist's legacy but also form part of a broader national strategy for safeguarding cultural heritage.