James Butterwick Gallery, London and Modernism Inc., San Francisco are delighted to show Oleksandr Bohomazov: Ukrainian Renaissance at TEFAF Maastricht 2022, Stand 709.

At a time of tragedy for Ukraine, we recognise and celebrate a rich and distinctive Ukraininian cultural icon. Indeed, in Bohomazov’s lifetime his homeland transitioned from the Russian Empire to an independent Republic before being swallowed as Soviet territory. The decline of Empire and the changing nature of statehood constituted a key part of modernity, a broader idea to which the Avant Garde initially reacted, only to become inextricable from the State.

In his 1915 Self Portrait, Bohomazov peers quizzically at us as he reevaluates his surroundings. This collection highlights the remarkable transformation in his works: from the shimmering, impressionistic canvases of his early years to the thick, dark, dynamic strokes of his later drawings. Bohomazov himself noted in his seminal 1914 treatise Painting and Elements, ‘I am, consciously and resolutely, destroying my old understanding of art and building a new one on its ruins’.

Despite scorning the Academic fixation on realism, the numerous studies in this body of work illuminate Bohomazov’s unwavering attention to detail, his attentiveness to human form. The featured studies for the Sawyers triptych demonstrate the synthesis of his prior experimentation with both colour and line as preparation for masterfully colourful and dynamic canvasses.

Find out more about Oleksandr Bohomazov and view his works.

The tragedy of Ukraine means that world museums are looking to exhibit Ukrainian Art of the period. At present, we have confirmed the Thyssen in Madrid in the autumn of 2022, The Ludwig Museum, Cologne the following March and thus we respectfully ask clients to make available any requested picture for future museum loan exhibitions.

We also commit to donate 15% of profit from TEFAF 2022 to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.