The collection of the War Museum has been enriched with a new publication –the popular science book “‘The Year 1933’ by Viktor Tsymbal – The First Pictorial Work about the Holodomor” authored by leading research fellow of the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide, Andrii Ivanets.
On the eve of this, employees of the War Museum attended the public dialogue “Artist and Defender of the Ukrainian People’s Republic Viktor Tsymbal and the First Painting about the Holodomor,” which took place at the National Historical Library of Ukraine. As part of the event, the publication and the figure of the artist himself were discussed.
Andrii Ivanets spoke about the key stages of the biography of Viktor Tsymbal (1902–1968) – an artist and veteran of the Army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic. Living in Argentina in 1933, he deeply affected reports from Ukraine gripped by an artificially induced famine, disseminated this information, and embodied his feelings in the painting “The Year 1933.” On the reverse of the painting, he placed his signature “Tsymbal 36,” and therefore – according to Andrii Ivanets – 1936 may be considered the year the work was completed.
After the event, Andrii Ivanets donated a copy of the book to the War Museum’s collection. The publication will become an important part of research and exhibition work, helping to speak about the Holodomor through the language of images, testimonies, and personal stories.
