OLEKSANDRA EXTER

Oleksandra Ekster is a prominent avant-garde artist of world class who lived in Kyiv for over 35 years. It was here that she graduated from St. Olga's Gymnasium, studied at the Kyiv Art School, married Mykola Ekster and lived with his family at 1 Gimnaziynaya Street (now Leontovych Street). In this house she opened her own Painting Workshop, which became a real center for communication and training of such famous artists as Vadim Meller, Anatoly Petrytsky, Oleksandr Tyshler, Oleksandr Khvostenko-Khvostov, Isaak Rabinovich, Kliment Redko and many others.

Exter and her Studio had a huge impact on the artistic life of Kyiv. Together with Alexander Bogomazov, she organized landmark exhibitions of new art - "The Ring" and "Lanka", which were among the first such events in the then empire. Anna Akhmatova wrote that all the "left" artists of Kyiv came from her studio, and researchers claim that the avant-garde line of Ukrainian scenography originates precisely in Alexandra Exter's theater.

Contribution to cultural development
In Kyiv, Exter actively collaborated with Bronislava Nizhynska's ballet "School of Movement". In the modern National Museum of Art, she worked as a co-curator and exhibition designer for the 1906 folk art exhibition. Her contribution to the study and combination of folk art with the avant-garde, as well as to her collaboration with folk craftsmen (in particular, with the peasant workshops of Davydova in Verbivka and Semigradova-Prybylska in Skoptsy) was enormous. As a scenographer, she created hundreds of performances, which, along with her other works, brought her worldwide recognition.

International activities and connection with Kyiv
In 1924, Exter moved to France, where she also worked in fashion, creating fabrics and interiors. Despite the fact that she traveled a lot and lived for a long time in Paris, Moscow, Rome and St. Petersburg, Alexandra always returned to Kyiv. According to the long-time researcher of her work, Georgy Kovalenko, this was her home, workshop and famous studio. Even after leaving Kyiv forever, she furnished her Parisian house exactly like her Kyiv one, filling it with bright Ukrainian carpets, embroidery, ceramics and icons.

Monograph "ALEXANDRA EXTER"
This art monograph “OLEKSANDRA EXTER” was written by Heorhiy Kovalenko, translated into Ukrainian by Maria Panchenko, and edited by Yaryna Tsymbal. The first edition of the book was printed with the support of the Ukrainian Foundation for the Study of Literature and a group of graduates of the Kyiv State University of Fine Arts and distributed among libraries, museums, art institutions, and professionals. The second (commercial) edition will be available for sale.