On the Day of Ukrainian Statehood, the collection of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War was enriched with 13 works by members of the Tartakovskyi family. The Museum received 12 works by People’s Artist of Ukraine Isak Tartakovskyi and “The Return,” a painting by his daughter, artist Liudmyla Budovska.
This donation is of particular significance to the Museum. Isak Tartakovskyi was an outstanding Ukrainian artist whose life and work were inseparably linked to the tragedy of the Second World War. During the Nazi occupation of Vinnytsia, he miraculously survived thanks to the Savchuk family, who risked their own lives to shelter him from persecution. For their courageous actions, Stepan, Nadiia, and Lidiia Savchuk were recognised as Righteous Among the Nations. The Museum has already presented the family’s story as part of “Portraits,” a project dedicated to Ukrainians recognised as Righteous Among the Nations.
The donated works significantly expand the artistic legacy of Isak Tartakovskyi preserved in the Museum’s collection. It already included works devoted to the tragedy of the Holocaust, in which the artist drew upon his own experience of Nazi persecution to reflect artistically on one of the most tragic chapters of the Second World War.
The newly acquired works represent another period of his life: his art of the 1970s and 1980s, when he turned to themes of memory, human dignity, post-war revival, and the inner world of the individual. Together, these works provide a more comprehensive understanding of Isak Tartakovskyi’s artistic development and reveal how his personal memories of the war permeated different periods of his creative career.
Accepting the works for permanent preservation at the Museum, Director General Yurii Savchuk emphasised:
“This donation is of immense significance not only to the Museum but also as a major artistic event. Today, as Ukraine once again endures war, we feel particularly acutely the value of human life, freedom, and peace. It is therefore exceptionally important for us to preserve the memory of Ukrainians’ contribution to the victory over Nazism and to interpret it through the lens of our contemporary experience.”
A special place among the donated works belongs to Liudmyla Budovska’s painting “The Return,” created in 1984. The canvas tells the story of a soldier who returns from the war to his destroyed home, where he is met by his son. Despite the pain of loss, hope remains the painting’s central theme. The doves observed by the father and son serve as a symbol of a peaceful future.
“I was 26 when I painted this work. It is about how a new life inevitably begins after war. Despite everything, people find the strength to rebuild their homes, raise their children, and believe in peace,” Liudmyla Budovska said.
During the meeting, the artist also shared the story behind one of her father’s works that she values most highly, “Long-Awaited Ploughing. 1946.” According to her, the painting symbolises Ukrainians who, having survived the war, returned to work on their native land and rebuild their country. Today, its subject is particularly relevant, as it embodies the belief that, following victory, Ukrainians will once again return to peaceful labour and the reconstruction of their country.
At the conclusion of the event, Yurii Savchuk thanked the artist’s family for placing their trust in the Museum. He emphasised that the donated works would be preserved, researched, and presented to future generations as an important part of Ukraine’s cultural and historical memory.
