Museum of Western and Oriental Arts

This museum is more known under the name of Museum of Western and Oriental Arts. It was founded in 1919 on the basis of Varvara (1852-1922) and Bogdan (1849-1917) Khanenko’s private collection, which originated in 1870 and was donated in 1919 to the All-Ukrainian Academy of Sciences by Varvara Khanenko. The collection grew in 1925-1940 when many items from the USSR museums were donated to its depository. 

Three museum section

The museum has three sections: ancient, West European, and Eastern art. The exhibits include ancient Greek art, Roman art, and Byzantine art; paintings and sculptures by Italian masters such as P. Perugino, G.Bellini, A. Magnasco, J.Donatello and F. Guardi. Among its gems are the works of famous Spanish artists: Goya graphics “Disasters of War” and “Caprichos”, “Portrait of Infant Margarita” by Diego Velazquez and “Still life with Chocolate Milk” by Juan Zurbaran.  Flemish masters are represented by P. Brueghel the Elder, F. Hals, P. Rubens, and J. Jordaens; French painters – by J. David, J. Greuze, and F. Boucher. The Eastern collection contains sculptures and drawings from ancient Egypt, Syria, Iran, Turkey, Central Asia, Caucasia, India, Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, Thailand, Japan, China, and Indonesia. The Renaissance-style museum building is itself an historic treasure dating back to 1887. It was commissioned by Bogdan and Varvara Khanenko, husband and wife patrons of the arts, featuring the family coat of arms and three decorative towers.