All of us from time to time play the part of a regular tourist – with a map in our hands and a list of must-see sites, and still feeling a bit lost in a new city. Sightseeing in a group is safer but less interesting -- you’re going to see only what the guide chooses to show you.
And walking through museums, you will have to concentrate on keeping track of your fast-moving excursion, unable to examine everything that interests you. Such hurried and confusing tours are likely to cause a long-term allergy to all museums in general. The key to receiving pleasure from visits to museums is simple – museums require time and solitude. Provided with that, a museum tour can be a real pleasure. Unfortunately, Kyiv is not as rich with worthy museums as some other ancient capitals are. Even if you’re a newcomer to the city, it won’t take much of your time to look through the most famous museums. Still, there are smaller and lesser known museums and galleries presenting original constant expositions, which can provide you with an exciting experience.
State Museum of Theater, Music and Cinema
The museum belongs to the historic and cultural complex Kyivo-Pecherska Lavra, but is barely paid attention to by those who come to see the caves, churches, and Scythian gold. It happened so that I got into this museum together with a tour group, something I dislike. We had to wait in a small hall for almost half an hour, expecting our tour guide. During this time, I examined the walls hung with posters, photos and theater playbills from the beginning of 20th century, some of them featuring the outstanding Ukrainian actress Maria Zankovetska. Finally we followed our guide through exhibits dedicated to the origins of Ukrainian theater, the life and work of Ukrainian composer and conductor Boris Lyatoshynskiy, and ended up in a hall dedicated to the prominent Ukrainian theater and cinema director Les Kurbas. The tour, a bit dull but enriched with facts was under way, yet after five minutes I was distracted by small stage models and sketches of costumes resembling the style of German expressionism. The latter is hardly surprising, since in the first decades of the 20th century Kurbas studied in Vienna. Gradually I moved away from my group, further and further, till I discovered a side corridor hung with posters depicting Vira Holodna, the cult actress of Ukrainian silent movies. Enchanted by the silence and emptiness of the place I went forward, passed a red hall decorated with figures of workers, revolutionaries, communist slogans, and descended the stairs to the first floor. I found myself at a mildly illuminated neat blue-and-white empty hall. Passing this angelic Art Nuveau room decorated with photos telling the history of theater, I came across an old round wooden vertep – the word translates as “cave” – and means a portable puppet theater used on East Christian Christmas from the first half of the 17th century. In a quiet and mild voice, the guide told a visitor about the origins of vertep, simultaneously spinning the creaking construction filled with small dolls depicting Biblical characters.
House of Peter the First
A small two-story house with a green roof on the corner of Khoryva and Kostyantynivska is known as the House of Peter the First, where the Russian ruler stayed in 1706 while preparing for the Russian-Swedish war. Though the house changed owners and its appearance numerous times, it remains one of the oldest stone buildings of the 17th century in Kyiv. Since the last renovation, the House looks very similar to its original appearance and has been open to the public since summer 2007. I often pass it while walking in Podil, but only recently decided to go inside and see what the interior look like. It turns out the House of Peter the First houses the Museum of Charity. Paying a symbolic admission fee of Hr 2 I walked in and found out that at the end of 1913, 86 charity organizations functioned in Kyiv, 47 of which helped the poor, as well as elderly people and infants, 15 – the crippled and ill, and 24 of them helped school kids. On the walls of several tiny rooms I saw maps of Kyiv from the time of Peter the Great hanging on the walls, photographs of charity leaders and graduates of charity schools, icons, and Kyiv’s sights in various historical periods. At different times the house had different inhabitants, like the insane dissident composer Artemiy Vedel, who was forecefully kept there, or the noted doctor Feofil Yanovskiy, who rented rooms in the house. Finally, an orphanage operated there but was dismissed in 1917. Narrow showcases expose items that have remained from the time when the place was used as a house – glass bottles, clay jars, books and newspapers. Rare furniture items include sofas, tables and clocks from the 18-19th centuries. Another advantage of the House is the view from its small windows, helping you get a sense of old Podil.
Parsuna Doll Gallery
At my first acquaintance with the gallery Parsuna, I practically stumbled upon it during one of my tours around the city with a photo camera. Upon opening a glass door decorated with a forged greenish handle, I saw hand-made dolls in bright costumes. The note on the door said the entrance fee constitutes Hr 5, but I saw no cashiers around and no one asked me to pay, so I wandered around for free (I confess). Dolls stood on pillared bases, looking like small models of people. Further on the shelves weird works by Dmitry Kravtsov were arranged – brightly colored and lacquered combinations of elephants, crocodiles, fishes, and what not. Most of all, I was amazed by Harlequin-like dolls with faces of sharp lines and thin arms clothed in rich fabric. They resembled marionettes from the chests of Mangiafuoco, the theater director from “Pinoccio” by Carlo Collodi. Among smaller dolls on the back shelves were elves, dwarves, princesses, and other fairy-tale creatures. The warm and unobtrusive atmosphere of Parsuna surely has something to do with its exhibits, which, in their turn, have a obvious connection to childhood. The temporary exhibition at the gallery also includes paintings. As for the dolls, they are made by Ukrainian, Russian and foreign artists, who, by the way, lead doll making classes right in Parsuna (Hr 1,500 for a course of eight lessons, Hr 3,500 for individual classes, materials included). In case you find a doll you’d like to take home with you, you can easily buy it for an average of Hr 2,000.
As I was searching for museums and galleries that could showcase some rare and unusual items, I was disappointed to discover that most of them were closed – either for renovation or due to some unknown reasons. One of such missed opportunities was Netske gallery on Kruhlouniversytetska that presents the art of Japanese netsuke (carved ivory or wooden figures believed to bring good fortune to its owner). I’ve seen part of their exposition when it was temporarily shown in other places and was amazed by its beauty. Hundred-year-old and modern netsuke are created by authors of various nationalities, including Ukrainians. When I reached the gates to the gallery just recently, a notice said that the gallery is closed till Oct. 6, so in a week you can try your luck and drop by.
Another dissapointment awaited me in the Sacred Treasures of Ukraine Museum on Desyatynna Street, which displays icons from personal collections in various regions of Ukraine. The museum boasted three hundred icons from the 15th – 19th centuries and 50 paintings by Maria Primachenko, the genius of folk craft who never had formal art education. The guard courteously informed me that the museum is closed for renovation and will be opened “closer to winter.”
The same story with a relatively new Museum of Model Cars on Taras Shevchenko boulevard – “Sorry. Closed for renovation.”
State Museum of Theater, Music and Cinema (21 Mazepy, 280-1622);
House of Peter the First (6/9 Kostyantynivska, 463-6797);
Parsuna (43 Khoryva, 425-2415);
Netske (4 Kruhlouniversytetska, office 1A, 492-0013);
Museum of Sacred Treasures of Ukraine (12 Desyatynna, 278-8308);
Museum of Model Cars (1B Shevchenko, 234-2215).
