A publication about the painting “The Year 1933” and its author, Viktor Tsymbal, was presented
On Wednesday, November 12, the Holodomor Museum presented Andriy Ivanets’ publication “Viktor Tsymbal’s ‘The Year 1933’: a pictorial original work about the Holodomor.” During the event, attendees were able to view the painting for the first time after its nearly two-year restoration at the National Research Restoration Centre of Ukraine.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Argentine Republic to Ukraine, Elena Leticia Mikusinski, greeted the participants of the event, emphasising the importance of Victor Tsymbal for Ukraine and Argentina and the significance of his painting: “He gained recognition as one of the most respected graphic artists and illustrators in South America. But despite his professional achievements, he remained deeply devoted to his homeland. Together with his wife, Tsymbal was an active part of the Ukrainian diaspora in Buenos Aires. His most powerful work, ‘The Year 1933,’ was created in Buenos Aires in the 1930s. The painting depicts a mother holding her dying child. It is a poignant and compassionate image of the Holodomor, the artificial famine that claimed the lives of millions of Ukrainians. Far from his homeland, Tsymbal used art to speak where words were powerless. He transformed grief into a universal message of truth.”
The author of the study, senior researcher at the museum Andrii Ivanets, spoke about the artist’s life: his family, his enlistment in the Army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, and later his forced emigration and life abroad, where he continued his public activities for the Ukrainian benefit. The researcher provided interesting details about the disagreements, regarding the date of the work creation, ‘The Year 1933,’ and discussed other versions of the painting and imitations of the image created by Viktor Tsymbal in art. Andrii Ivanets also shared details of the painstaking work that brought ‘The Year 1933’ back to Ukraine, where it became part of the Holodomor Museum’s collection and later entered the State Register of National Cultural Heritage of Ukraine.
Yurii Savchuk, Director General of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II, shared details of the painting’s transport from the United States to Ukraine. In 2020, he had the honour of transporting this valuable exhibit to Kyiv.
Svitlana Strielnikova, Director General of the National Research and Restoration Centre of Ukraine, spoke about the condition and restoration of the painting, which had not always been stored in proper conditions for over 80 years of existence.
A representative of the family, a military serviceman named Anton Tsymbal, shared his memories of how he met Andriy Ivants, after which work began on the artist’s archive: “I inherited the archive from my late grandmother, Viktoria Tsymbal, who devoted most of her life to filling and systematising this archive, which she collected piece by piece. And I am sincerely glad that this work has finally resulted in this book.”
We want to thank Ihor Stambol, a historian and press centre coordinator at the Ukrainian Crisis Media Centre, for moderating the event.
As a reminder, Viktor Tsymbal’s “Viktor Tsymbal’s ‘The Year 1933’: a pictorial original work about the Holodomor.” is available for purchase at the museum ticket office. If you are from another city, please email us at [email protected].
