Detail page - Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz

The exhibition shows around 60 paintings from one of Ukraine's most important museums, the Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art, in dialogue with works from the Berlin collections, primarily the Gemäldegalerie and the Alte Nationalgalerie. The works were transported from a war-related emergency storage facility to Berlin in autumn 2023 with the support of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) and in cooperation with the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, where they were safely stored and documented. The special exhibition is being funded with 900,000 euros from the BKM budget.

The exhibition (24.1.-22.6.2025) aims to send a signal of solidarity with Ukraine; Ukrainians receive free admission on presentation of a passport or ID. From October, a further station is planned at the Kurpfälzisches Museum Heidelberg, supported by the Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung, among others.

Hermann Parzinger , President of the SPK, explains: "This project is not just about an exhibition, it is about the cultural identity of Ukraine. Russia also wants to destroy the country's culture and history in its brutal war of aggression. For the SPK, this extraordinary exhibition is a sign of solidarity, not only with the Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art, but with Ukraine as a whole."

Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth emphasises: "Russia's criminal war is also an attack on Ukraine's cultural identity, which is also specifically directed against cultural institutions. Museums, theatres, libraries and archives are being deliberately attacked, Ukrainian books burned and art treasures stolen from the occupied territories. This exhibition here in the centre of the capital is a clear sign of solidarity and close partnership: we stand by Ukraine, we must and we will continue to support it resolutely. The pictures that we can see in this exhibition are not only a very special artistic delight, they also show that Odesa is Europe and Ukraine is part of our common European cultural heritage."

Ukrainian Culture Minister Mykola Tochytskyi explains: "Although art cannot literally deter the enemy, it undoubtedly has another powerful force. The events like this prove that our Victory is not somewhere far in the future. The Victory is not something hypothetical. It has already hap-pened and happens everyday. / Although art is not able to deter the enemy or prevent attacks, it undoubtedly has another powerful force. Events like this show that our victory is not in the distant future. Victory is not something hypothetical. It has already taken place and is taking place every day."

The speech of the Federal President: https://www.bundespraesident.de/DE/reden-und-aktuelles/reden-und-interviews/reden-und-interviews_node.html

Information about the exhibition: https://www.smb.museum/presse/pressemitteilungen/detail/gemaeldegalerie-von-odesa-nach-berlin-europaeische-malerei-des-16-bis-19-jahrhunderts-241-2262025/