Lizaveta Herman, Olha Balashova. The Art Of Ukrainian Sixties

The Art Of Ukrainian Sixties is the first comprehensive edition to represent various aspects of the unofficial Ukrainian culture of the 1960s, covering all the key figures of the time.

The book`s core consists of texts on 15 artists, the key figures of the unofficial, or nonconformist, art in Kyiv, Lviv, and Uzhhorod, as well as a separate, extensive overview of the Odessa school. Short monographs supplement the texts about “officially sanctioned” art practices, such as graphics, monumental art, and sculpture, which were also, to some extent, open to formal experiments during the era in question. Historical and methodological overviews in the opening section of the book as well as the concluding section on literature, academic mu- sic, cinematography, and architecture, lay the foundations for a deeper understanding of both official and unofficial art movements of the time.

The visual works have been provided by courtesy of Ukrainian museums, private collectors, and the artists’ families. The rigorous selection of works reproduced in the present edition was conducted during consultations with artists, scholars, and museum teams who had researched the period.

Twenty-six scholars of different generations, schools, and professional milieus contributed to the book. As such, it represents not only a panorama of Ukrainian unofficial art of the 1960s but also a singular survey of contemporary Ukrainian art scholarship in all its motley polyphonic glory.