Khanenko Museum: history, exposition, address

The museum of Khanenko, formerly known as the Museum of Western and Eastern Art, is located right in the center of Kiev. Now it is the largest collection of works of art in Ukraine. On the history of the museum and its collection, read further in the article.

History of foundation

The couple Khanenko came from noble families. Bogdan Khanenko was the son of a nobleman, and Varvara was the daughter of the famous Kiev sugar factory Tereshchenko. The couple was always interested in art, and the proceeds from entrepreneurship went to buy antiques and paintings.

About forty years Khanenko collected works of art. Varvara was one of the first to collect ancient Russian icons. The collection was replenished with world masterpieces of painting and sculpture, brought from Berlin, Vienna, Madrid and other parts of the world. So, in the collection there was a still-life of Zurbaran "Tableware and a mill for chocolate", works of the Rubens school, Rembrandt, the work of D. Velasquez F. Cesare and others.

In 1913, Bogdan Khanenko bought out an apartment house, in order to open an exposition of his collection in it. But during the war it was necessary to take out most of the exhibits in the Moscow Historical Museum. After the death of Bogdan Khanenko in 1917, Varvara returned the collection to Kiev. According to the will of the spouse, she opens the Khanenko Museum in the capital.

Museum building

The street where the Khanenko Museum is located is the completion of the plan of the square near the University. House number 15 belonged to the entrepreneur and philanthropist Tereshchenko. The architect of the project was the architect Meltzer.

In 1888 Bogdan Khanenko bought the house and placed in it a rich collection of works of art. The new owners immediately began to internalize the house. Over the interiors worked for several years. The artists and architects Vrubel, Marconi, Melzer, Kotarbinsky and others took part in this.

Initially, it was planned to create a private closed collection. But active patronage and work on the organization of the present National Art Museum of Ukraine inspired Bogdan Khanenko to open a public museum. To do this, the owners of the house decided to decorate each room, respectively, the collection that is in it.

In the building of the future museum appeared the Red Room in the Renaissance style, the Golden Cabinet in the Rococo style, the Delft Dining Room in the Dutch style, the Karelian Birch Cabinet in the style of Russian classicism and the Gothic Green Room. The entrance and the main entrance were done in the Baroque style.

By 1891 the collection had expanded considerably. And the architect Krivosheev is charged with working on a two-story superstructure above the mansion. On the main facade there are images of the Khanenko family coat of arms.

Khanenko Museum: photos, collections

Among the exhibits collected by Varvara and Bogdan Khanenko, there are objects of antique and Egyptian works, Japanese woodcut, Italian majolica, Saxon and Chinese porcelain, bronze and faience from Iran. The museum of Hanenko presents works of Italian, Flanders, Dutch, Dutch, Spanish and French arts.

The whole collection is placed in different halls depending on the theme. There is a hall of the "Art of China", the hall of "Art of Buddhism", a hall dedicated to Japan, the countries of Islam, Greece, Rome, Egypt. Separately placed painting, sculpture, graphics, arts and crafts.

The most famous exhibits are the works of Paul Rubens, Leonard Bramer, diptych "Adoration of the Magi", "Portrait of the Infanta Margarita." Italian art is represented by works of the Renaissance and Baroque. Among the French works are the works of Claude Vernet, Louis Tokke, Pierre Soubleira, a decorative panel by François Boucher.

The art of the East is represented by Chinese painting on silk, bronze cast figures, enamels and varnishes, a collection of Japanese netsuke, engravings and swords. The art of the countries of Islam is represented by works from Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Egypt and Turkmenistan.

Khanenko Museum: address

In the heart of Kiev, close to the university. T. Shevchenko is the Khanenko Museum of Art. Museum address: st. Tereshchenkovskaya, 15 - 17, Shevchenko district. The nearest metro station is "Lva Tolstogo Square" (blue branch) or metro station "Teatralnaya" (red branch).

Working hours and prices

The museum works all days except Monday and Tuesday.

For visitors it is open from 10.30 to 17.30.

In the first Wednesday of each month you can visit the museum for free, but these days the museum is open only until 14 hours.

Visits to exhibitions of Western and Eastern art are paid separately. The entrance fee for each of these exhibitions is:

• 15 UAH. (39 rubles) - an adult ticket;
• 8 UAH. (20 rubles) is a student one.

Visiting two expositions is worth:

• 25 UAH. (65 rubles) - for adults;
• 12 UAH. (32 rubles) - for students;
• 8 UAH. (20 rubles) - for schoolchildren and pensioners.

Temporary expositions:

• 8 UAH. (20 rubles) - for adults;
• 4 UAH. (11 rubles) - for students;
• 3 UAH. (8 rubles) - for schoolchildren and pensioners.