ON NOVEMBER 15, 2022, a special convoy—carrying dozens of artworks, many from national collections—left Kyiv for Madrid. These artworks were headed towards the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, the first institution to host “In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine, 1900–1930s,” a unique exhibition that traces the development of Modernism and the avant-garde in Ukraine. Like many exhibitions, “In the Eye of the Storm” shares a little-known history with a broader audience, but this exhibition has an additional aim: to protect these artworks during the ongoing Russian invasion.
“In the Eye of the Storm,” thus, emerged from the dual motivations of reframing European Modernism appeared or will appear at the Museum Ludwig, Cologne; the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels; the Belvedere Museum, Vienna; and the Royal Academy of Arts, London.
