Artwork Saved from Bombs in Ukraine Goes on Display in Warsaw

Priceless treasures from an art museum in Kyiv that were moved to Poland to save them from the destructive power of Russian bombs have gone on display at Warsaw’s Royal Castle.

The Khanenko Museum transported 40 items to Warsaw following a Russian aerial attack in late October 2022. Though the artworks in the museum’s permanent collection were not directly damaged in the assault, the decision was made to send them to Poland so they could be displayed at the Royal Castle in Warsaw.

The museum’s director, Yuliya Vaganova, told TVP World: “To save the collection doesn’t mean to put it away into crates but to display it in the open to share Ukraine and Poland’s common European cultural heritage.”

Vaganova added that during the attack in the autumn of 2022, “Our team had to choose between saving their families or saving our collection. And most of the staff came to the museum to conserve the collection.”

Shine anew

The 37 pieces on display underwent a careful process of restoration after their journey to Poland. Among the most notable pieces is a Venetian sedan chair, now brought back to its former glory. The Royal Castle’s director, Professor Małgorzata Omilanowska-Kiljańczyk, explained that Warsaw was especially well-suited for this challenging task, as it required the expertise of multiple specialists. “This sedan chair is made out of wood, silk, and leather, so many people worked together to make it happen,” she said.

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This exhibition marks the first time the Khanenko Museum’s collection has been displayed outside Ukraine. It includes a selection of European art from the 17th century onward, featuring treasures by Rubens, Bellotto, and Juan de Zurbarán.

Another exhibit is a portrait of King Stanisław August of Poland, painted by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun in 1797. Not only is it one of the two last likenesses of the king painted before his death, but it was also considered long lost until recently.

The portrait of Stanisław August in the costume of Henry IV has never been seen outside Ukraine.

The Royal Library offers hope

For Ukrainians, it was especially poignant to see these artworks displayed in the Royal Library of the Warsaw Castle, the only part of the Castle left untouched by German destruction during WWII. The rest of the Castle was turned to rubble after the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 and was finally rebuilt in 1974.

In her opening speech, Yuliya Vaganova explained that seeing the art from Kyiv’s Khanenko Museum in the Royal Library filled her with a sense of possibility: “Looking at the Royal Castle in Warsaw made me realize that one day we will meet and see these artworks back in Kyiv.”