The Ethnology Notebooks. 2025. № 6 (186), 1346—1355
UDK [7.074:73/76(=161.2)]:027.54(477.83/.86-25)”19″
DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/nz2025.06.1346
OLEH SYDOR AND THE COLLECTION OF GRAPHIC WORKS BY VOLODYMYR VITRU
KUPCHYNSKA Larysa
- ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6461-4819
- Candidate of Art History, Associate Professor,
- Director Research Institute for Art Library Resources;
- Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv,
- 2, Stefanyk Str., Lviv, 79000, Ukraine,
- Contacts: e-mail: oklarysa@gmail.com
Abstract. Volodymyr Vitruk is a well-known Ukrainian collector who, in the second half of the 20th century, formed one of the richest collections of Ukrainian art in Lviv. It includes works of fine, decorative, applied, and folk art. They gained fame outside Ukraine and were written about by famous personalities of the time. In 2008, Oleh Sydor’s book «Volodymyr Vitruk’s collection: passions and public duty» was published in Lviv, which has been very popular among art connoisseurs since its release. In 2014, with the assistance of O. Sydor, a large part of the graphic works from V. Vitruk’s collection was transferred to the Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv by Olha Vitruk-Paruta and Dmytro Paruta. There is no information about them in the literature today, which proves the relevance of the chosen topic. The purpose of this publication is to reveal the history, structure and content of V. Vitruk’s collection of graphic works in the funds of the Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv, to determine its place and role in the history of Ukrainian culture. The research shows that it presents the work of approximately 230 artists. It includes works that mainly cover the 1960s—1980s. The largest part consists of easel graphics with a predominance of landscape and portrait genres. It is noted that Ukrainian artists also worked in other genres. Applied graphics are analysed separately. Among the many examples, illustrations for Ukrainian folk tales and poetic and prose works by prominent Ukrainian writers of the 19th and 20th centuries are highlighted. Special attention is paid to small-format graphics, primarily postcards, which occupied an important place in the work of many artists. Being private in nature, they testify to the great importance of national and religious holidays for each author. Based on the study of the collection, the ideological and aesthetic priorities of the artists and their figurative and content-related solutions to the pressing problems of the time are revealed. It has been proven that their works are an invaluable source for studying the history of Ukrainian culture in its various aspects.
Keywords: Volodymyr Vitruk, Oleh Sydor, collection, graphic works, Ukrainian artists.
Received 17.11.2025
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