First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska took part in the opening of the exhibition "The Hague - Kyiv. Paintings of the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries from the Collections of the Hoogsteder and Ponamarchuk Families" at the Khanenko Museum.
The President's wife emphasized the importance of this event: for the first time since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, the Khanenko Museum has presented works of classical art.
"Since the aggressor has been targeting Ukrainian museums for more than two years, after the Khanenko Museum itself was damaged and forced to hide its main collection, every exhibition in such conditions is a victory. The victory of culture over destruction," she emphasized.
The exhibition was initiated by the Hague collector Willem Jan Hoogsteder. His idea was supported by the family of famous Kyiv collectors Ponamarchuks. The project features 31 paintings by the Hague School and 11 works by Ukrainian artists of the late XIX – early XX centuries from private collections, as well as photographs by Piet Gispen of the landscapes of modern The Hague.
"For every Ukrainian, "The Hague" sounds primarily as a synonym for justice and fairness. It is to the international justice of The Hague that we appeal for justice for Ukraine as a victim of the war unleashed by Russia. For museum workers, "The Hague" also sounds like cultural justice. These days, the Hague Convention marks its 70th anniversary. This is the first international agreement where the heritage of one country is equated with the heritage of all mankind!" Olena Zelenska noted.
The opening ceremony was also attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Ukraine Jennes de Mol, Director General of the Khanenko Museum Yulia Vaganova, and curators of the exhibition Willem Jan Hoogsteder, Yana Ponamarchuk, and Olena Zhyvkova.