Presentation of the publication ‘The Year 1933’ by Viktor Tsymbal: a Pictorial Original Work about the Holodomor

On 12 November 2025, we welcome you to the Holodomor Museum for the presentation of Andrii Ivanets’ research paper “Viktor Tsymbal’s ‘The Year 1933’: a pictorial original work about the Holodomor.” In this publication, the author provides the first comprehensive analysis of the history, fate, and significance of the painting, ‘The Year 1933,’ one of the most significant works about the Holodomor.

“This painting was created by artist Viktor Tsymbal in Buenos Aires in the 1930s and is considered to be probably the world’s first professional painting dedicated to the tragedy of the Holodomor genocide,” emphasises Andrii Ivanets, senior researcher at the Museum and candidate of historical sciences. The research is based on unique documentary materials, including Viktor Tsymbal’s family archive. This made it possible to reconstruct in detail the history of the creation of the first large painting on the theme of the Holodomor, its path to the viewer, and the artist’s biography.”

As part of the presentation, Viktor Tsymbal’s painting “The Year 1933”, one of the most valuable pieces in the Holodomor Museum’s collection, will be on display. Visitors will be able to see the painting for the first time after its comprehensive restoration, which was completed in 2023. As a reminder, on 17 December 2024, the painting “The Year 1933” was officially entered into the State Register of National Cultural Heritage of Ukraine.

Viktor Tsymbal (1902–1968) was an outstanding artist, veteran of the Ukrainian People’s Republic army, activist and patron of the Ukrainian diaspora, a ‘man of truth’ and public figure who, as early as the 1930s, made efforts to inform the world community about the crime of genocide against Ukrainians.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn the full story behind the first painting about the Holodomor and see the restored work itself!

Date: Wednesday, 12 November, at 6 p.m.
Location: Hall of Memory, Holodomor Museum, 3 Lavrska Street.

Admission by prior registration.

We invite everyone interested in the topic of the Holodomor in art!