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The Ethnology Notebooks. 2026. № 3 (189), 655—666

UDK7:069.5](73) Mercury:7.03(477)

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/

ARTISTIC CANON AND PRIVATE INITIATIVE: CONSTRUCTING THE MERCURY ART CENTRE COLLECTION

PETRASHYK Volodymyr

  • ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000­0001­5407­9357
  • Candidate of Art History, Associate Professor,
  • National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture,
  •  20, Voznesenskyi Uzviz St., Kyiv, 04053, Ukraine,
  • Contacts: e­-mail: volodymyr.petrashyk@naoma.edu.ua

Abstract. The article examines the formation of the Mercury Art Centre collection as a coherent scholarly and curatorial project representing 20th­century Ukrainian art. It analyzes the role of private initiative in constructing the artistic canon and integrating works from key private collections (Larysa Hordynska, Dmytro Horbachov, Yurii Tsvengrosh). Particular attention is paid to works by Oleksa Novakivskyi, Oleksandr Bohomazov, Mykhailo Andriienko­Nechytailo, Yakiv Hnizdovsky, and Sviatoslav Hordynsky as representatives of different models of Ukrainian modernism. The importance of attribution, provenance research, and conceptual selection in shaping a coherent artistic narrative is substantiated.

Problem Statement. In contemporary cultural processes, private art collections play an increasingly significant role in shaping artistic narratives, preserving cultural heritage, and influencing the formation of artistic canons. The case of the Mercury Art Centre collection provides an opportunity to examine the mechanisms through which private initiatives participate in the selection, interpretation, and legitimization of artworks within the broader art historical discourse.

Purpose. The purpose of this article is to analyze the principles, strategies, and conceptual foundations underlying the formation of the Mercury Art Centre collection and to investigate its role in the construction and representation of the artistic canon within contemporary cultural space.

Methods. The study employs a combination of historical­artistic, comparative, and interdisciplinary approaches. The research methodology includes formal and stylistic analysis of artworks, contextual analysis of collecting practices, as well as institutional and cultural studies methods aimed at examining the relationship between private collecting initiatives and canon formation processes.

Results. The research demonstrates that the Mercury Art Centre collection represents a deliberate curatorial model that combines artistic value, historical significance, and contemporary relevance. The collection reflects specific criteria of selection and representation, contributing to the preservation and reinterpretation of national and international artistic heritage. It is established that private collecting practices not only reflect existing artistic canons.

Conclusion. The study confirms that private art initiatives are important agents in the construction of artistic canons. The Mercury Art Centre collection illustrates how collecting strategies can influence cultural memory, artistic valuation, and public understanding of art. The collection functions not merely as an assemblage of artworks but as a dynamic cultural platform that contributes to the ongoing negotiation and redefinition of artistic canon in contemporary society.

Keywords: Ukrainian modernism, private collection, artistic canon, Mercury Art Centre, O. Novakivskyi, O. Bohomazov, J. Hnizdovsky, M. Andriienko­Nechytailo, S. Hordynsky.

REFERENCES

  • Ovsiichuk, V. (1998). Oleksa Novakivskyi. Institute of Ethnology of the NAS of Ukraine. Lviv. ISBN 966­02­0149­4 [in Ukrainian].
  • Voloshyn, L. (1924). The Art School of Oleksa Novakivskyi 1923—1935. Life in the Perspective of Time. Lviv; Drohobych: Kolo Publishers [in Ukrainian].
  • Holubets, O. (2012). Art of the 20th Century: The Ukrainian Path. Lviv: Kolir PRO [in Ukrainian].
  • Horbachov, D. (2017). Ukrainian Avant­Garde of the 1910s—1930s. Kyiv: Mystetstvo [in Ukrainian].
  • Horbachov, D. (2020). Knights of the Hungry Renaissance. Kyiv: Dukh i Litera [in Ukrainian].
  • Sichynskyi, Volodymyr. (1934). Andriienko. Lviv: Association of Independent Ukrainian Artists [in Ukrainian].
  • Popovych, Volodymyr. (1969). Mykhailo Andriienko. Munich [in Ukrainian].
  • (1978). Andreenko. Album presente par Jean­Claude et Valentine Marcade. L’Age d’Homme [in French].
  • Berehovska, Kh. (2019). Sviatoslav Hordynskyi. Half a Century of творчість. Kyiv [in Ukrainian].
  • Stepovyk, D.V. (2003). Yakiv Hnizdovsky: Life and Work. O. Olzhych Research Foundation in the USA. Kyiv: O. Teliha Publishing House [in Ukrainian].
  • Marychevska, O. (2013). «Painting of Yakiv Hnizdovsky: Epoch, Time and Man». Fine Arts, 1, 92—94 [in Ukrainian].
  • Skliarenko, H. (2010). Ukrainian Art of the 20th Century: Problems of Development. Kyiv: IMFE NAS of Ukraine [in Ukrainian].
  • Novakivskyi, O. (2009). Selected Works. Lviv: National Museum.
  • Bohomazov, O. (1914). Painting and Elements (reprint editions). Kyiv [in Ukrainian].
  • Andriienko­Nechytailo, M. (2005). Works and Archives. Paris; Kyiv.
  • Hnizdovsky, Y. (1980). Woodcuts and Drawings. New York.
  • Hordynsky, S. (1990). Essays on Ukrainian Art. New York; Lviv.
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