"Ukraine’s People Revealed" Opens at Walsh Gallery

Seton Hall University Libraries will present Ukraine’s People Revealed, a new Walsh Gallery exhibit showcasing 26 rare eighteenth-century paintings  that offer some of the earliest known visual representations of Ukrainian society. The exhibition opens with a public lecture and reception at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 25, in the Silent Study Room on the first floor of Walsh Library.

Curated by Nathaniel Knight, Ph.D., the exhibit draws from the Bergholtz Collection of Ethnographic Images housed at the Swedish National Museum. The paintings date to the 1740s and depict a wide cross-section of Ukrainian society, including clergy, soldiers, artisans and peasants, offering rare insight into everyday life, dress and identity in early modern Ukraine.

“One of the dominant themes in Russia’s ongoing propaganda war is the erasure of Ukrainian identity,” Knight said. “Putin has repeatedly claimed that Ukrainians were always part of the Russian nation. This exhibit refutes these claims and shows the historical depth and strength of Ukrainian nationhood.”

Knight discovered the images while conducting archival research and will discuss their discovery and historical significance during the opening lecture, which runs from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The program will conclude with a reception, where attendees may view the exhibit and engage with the materials firsthand.

“The exhibit shows a series of recently discovered portraits of Ukrainians dating back to the 1740s, representing a broad cross-section of Ukrainian society,” Knight said. “The word ‘Ukrainian’ is used to identify most of the subjects, and elements of dress and accoutrements show clear marks of Ukrainian identity. The images are the earliest known ethnographical depictions of ordinary Ukrainian people and are therefore of great significance for present-day Ukrainians and for historians of Eastern Europe.”

Following the opening event, Ukraine’s People Revealed will remain on display at the Walsh Gallery for the remainder of the spring semester.

The Walsh Gallery, in the Seton Hall Libraries, is directed by Emily Handlin, Ph.D., and regularly features exhibitions that support teaching, research, and public engagement across disciplines.

The opening lecture and exhibit are free and open to the public.

Click here to register for the exhibition opening.

Categories: Arts and Culture, Nation and World