The main collection of the museum, including 26 paintings and 3 graphic works by Ivan Aivazovsky, was evacuated on the first day of the full-scale invasion and is now located in a safe place. Since the war, the museum has held temporary exhibitions of contemporary artists. Fortunately, no paintings exhibited in the museum were damaged during the shelling on November 5.
This is not the first time the building of the Odesa National Art Museum has been damaged by the shelling. Restoration work is ongoing. UNESCO is assisting the museum staff in collecting evidence of Russian crimes against Ukraine's cultural heritage, and is providing the museum with financial assistance. On November 6, the organization publicly condemned another attack on Odesa.
Kateryna Kulai, the interim director of the Odesa National Art Museum, talks about the museum's life during the war, her belief in victory, and her creative plans.
