The museum during the war

On 24 February 2022, the day Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Khanenko Museum closed to visitors. In order to keep the collection safe, the museum’s exhibits were dismantled and secured. Three months later, the Khanenko Museum was one of the first to resume working: in May 2022, outdoor tours of the museum courtyard began, and in early June, the first ‘Shadows and Walls’ tour of the empty halls inside the museum was conducted. These tours became regular, allowing visitors to walk through the halls where world art was previously displayed, learn about the history of the museum, and examine the interior decorations. In the summer of 2022, the Khanenko Museum opened a museum courtyard to the public, holding lectures, concerts, and master classes there.

Having rethought its role during the war, the museum set itself the goal of becoming a centre of solidarity, a space for support and stability in society. Active work began with contemporary artists, actors and musicians. Exhibition activities began in August 2022 with the project ‘Soldiers: Invasion,’ and in early October, the contemporary opera GENESIS was presented – a five-hour performance by Opera Aperta, created especially for the Khanenko Museum.

In the following years, the museum continued to actively work with contemporary artists. Interdisciplinary events and contemporary art exhibitions became key areas of activity. During the full-scale war, the Khanenko Museum has launched significant contemporary art projects: ‘Meanwhile, at the Khanenkos’ (2023), ‘Fountain of Exhaustion’ by Pavlo Makov (2023), ‘Courage of a Nation’ by Howard Buffett and Dmytro Kozatskyi (2024-2025), and others.

On 10 October 2022, a rocket hit the children’s playground in Shevchenko Park, directly opposite the museum. As a result of the indirect hit, all the front windows and part of the roof of the Khanenko Museum building were destroyed. Immediately after the explosion, the building was mothballed and the museum was forced to close again. Thanks to the help of the city authorities and international partners, the repair and restoration work has now been completed, and the museum continues to operate today.

In February 2024, in response to requests from visitors who wanted to ‘communicate’ with the museum’s collection in the absence of a permanent exhibition, the project ‘Through the Secret Door’ was launched – one-day long presentations during which museum researchers invite the public to enjoy an art piece from the Khanenko Museum collection, immersing them in the historical and cultural contexts of its creation, cultural functioning, provenance, museumification, and share selected thematic aspects of their research. During 2024–2025, 36 such presentations of European and Asian paintings, sculptures, graphics, decorative-applied art were held. 

In December 2024, the Khanenko Museum received an international award for contemporary art – the Outstanding Museum Practice Award from the International Committee of Museums and Collections of Modern Art (CIMAM) – for rethinking its role during the war and transforming its space into a centre of solidarity, security and sustainability.

The museum continues to actively work with visitors and engage in cultural diplomacy, collaborating with international partners. Over the years of the full-scale war, a number of projects have been created abroad in collaboration with various partners. Among them is the exhibition ‘Old Masters in Ukrainian Museums’ at the Vilnius Picture Gallery, which features paintings by European masters, as well as projects at the National Art Museum of Lithuania: ‘Messages from the “Ideal World” and ‘Reed and Brush’, showcasing Chinese painting, Islamic miniatures and calligraphy. The Royal Castle in Warsaw has opened the exhibition ‘Cabinet of European Art’, icons from the museum’s collection are on display at the Louvre, and stained-glass windows are on display at the exhibition ‘Light in Dark Times’ at the Schüttgen Museum in Germany. In June 2025, teams from the Bredius Museum (The Hague) and the Khanenko Museum presented a joint project – the exhibition “Old Masters from Kyiv in The Hague. The Khanenko Museum at the Bredius Museum,” which brings together works from both museums in a dialogue.

In addition to international support for projects abroad, the Khanenko Museum also receives significant assistance locally, in Ukraine. In the context of war, the power of partnerships has become particularly noticeable. Thanks to the solidarity of the international community, cultural institutions and individual partners, the museum is able to preserve history, take care of its premises and respond quickly to the consequences of war. Particular attention is paid to the safety and long-term preservation of the museum and its history: modern technical equipment is being installed and upgraded, security alarm and fire extinguishing systems are being updated, large-scale scientific and technical research of the building is being carried out, materials for the safe storage and evacuation of works are being purchased, and the reseach archive is being digitised and scanned. Part of the broader process of restoring cultural heritage during the war is the restoration of wooden doors damaged by the blast wave, which would not have been possible without the help and efforts of UNESCO and the CER Foundation.

It is worth noting that four employees of the Khanenko Museum are serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Among them are Oleh Bilyi, Rostyslav Volkovoi, Dmytro Gurskyi, and Andrii Onyshchuk. The Museum team is grateful to them, as well as to all Ukrainian soldiers, for their choice, courage, and for the fact that the museum can continue to work for visitors and carry out exhibition, research, and educational projects.

We would like to thank our partners for their contribution.

We are very grateful for your support: ALIPH Foundation, French Institute in Ukraine (Institut français d’Ukraine), UNESCO, National Heritage Institute of France, Goethe-Institut, Embassies of the United States, France, the Netherlands, Poland, World Monuments Fund, Museum for Change, House of Europe, Heritage Emergency Response Initiative, Cultural Emergency Response, Andriivsko-Peizazhna Initiative, Ukraine Art Sid Center, World Heritage Watch, “Zgraya”, Squat 17b cultural and artistic space, Lenbachhaus und Kunstbau München, Universität der Künste Berlin.