“Alexis Gritchenko (1883–1977). The Greek Adventure. A Ukrainian Pioneer in Greece”: Exhibition at the MOMus–Museum of Modern Art–Kostakis Collection

Discover the exhibition “Alexis Gritchenko (1883–1977). The Greek Adventure. A Ukrainian Pioneer in Greece)” at the MOMus–Museum of Modern Art–Kostakis Collection. Featuring rare works from the artist’s pivotal Greek period (1921–1923), the show highlights how Byzantine tradition, Mediterranean light and modernist movements shaped Gritchenko’s unique visual language

The work of a significant artist of the European avant-garde of the 20th century and his creative encounter with Greece are presented for the first time in the country in the exhibition “Alexis Gritchenko (1883–1977). The Greek Adventure. A Ukrainian Pioneer in Greece” at the MOMus–Museum of Modern Art–Kostakis Collection, at the Moni Lazariston complex in Thessaloniki, from 22 November 2025 to 30 April 2026.

Born in Ukraine and trained in Kyiv and Saint Petersburg among prominent avant-garde artists, Alexis Gritchenko was a painter and art theorist who blended the force of Fauvism, Cubism, and Futurism with Byzantine tradition. Through his theory of “chromodynamism,” in which colour expresses energy and spirituality, Gritchenko forged a personal visual language that bridges East and West.

His stay in Greece between 1921 and 1923 was crucial for his artistic development. He traveled across Athens, Mystras, Delphi, Olympia, Crete, Thessaloniki, and the islands, capturing nature and monuments under the dazzling Mediterranean light. In the works of this period, the Greek landscape is transformed into rhythmic cubist forms where the spirit of antiquity and Byzantine heritage interacts with modernism. The two exhibitions he held in Athens – at the Philological Association “Parnassos” (1921) and at the Byzantine and Christian Museum (1922) – impressed both audiences and critics, who praised his explosive use of colour and the rhythmic structure of his compositions.

The exhibition at MOMus–Museum of Modern Art–Kostakis Collection brings together numerous works from his Greek period, drawn from museums and private collections across Ukraine, France, the UK, the United States, Turkey, and Greece. These are presented alongside earlier and later works, highlighting the decisive importance of Greece in shaping his personal style.

The organization of the exhibition was made possible thanks to the contribution of collector Michel Lièvre-Markovitch and Malabart Gallery LTD, London, home to the largest private collection of works by Alexis Gritchenko; the essential assistance of Natalia Butterwick in gathering and documenting the rich material for the catalogue; and the scholarly collaboration of art historian Vita Susak.

The exhibition “Alexis Gritchenko (1883–1977). The Greek Adventure. A Ukrainian Pioneer in Greece” seeks to restore the Ukrainian avant-garde artist to his rightful place in the history of Greek art, showcasing a creator who, through light and colour, managed to synthesize the Mediterranean into a new, modern visual language.

Participating institutions, foundations, and private collectors contributing works to the exhibition and the catalogue:

– Michel Lièvre-Markovitch, London–Athens
– Malabart Gallery LTD, London
– Ukrainian Museum, New York
– Gallery LLC “Malyarstvo,” Lviv
– National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum, Athens
– Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki
– Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine, Lviv
– Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, USA
– Alexander Demko and Gizella Lopusanszky, New York
– Ömer Koç, Istanbul
– Olexei Kurylyshin, Lviv
– Daniel Sztul, Paris

Exhibition Curators: Michel Lièvre-Markovitch, Maria Tsantsanoglou
Scientific Advisor: Vita Susak
Catalogue Editor: Maria Tsantsanoglou
Catalogue Coordinator: Natalia Butterwick
Assistant Curator: Angeliki Charistou

Biographical Note

Alexis Gritchenko (Krolevets, present-day Ukraine, 1883 – Vence, France, 1977) was a Ukrainian painter and art theorist whose work fused Byzantine tradition with modernist aesthetics. He initially studied philology and biology at the universities of Kyiv, Saint Petersburg, and Moscow before dedicating himself to art. His visit to Paris in 1911 sparked his enthusiasm for modern art, especially Cubism, while his travels in Italy in 1913–14 inspired him to merge the spatial and chromatic principles of the early Renaissance with the spiritual and formal characteristics of Byzantine art. His theoretical writings explored the relationship between Byzantine and contemporary art, analysing their morphological and structural affinities.

After the 1917 Revolution, Gritchenko became a professor at Moscow’s Free Art Studios (Svomas) and a member of the Commission for the Preservation of Historic Monuments. Although he was offered the directorship of the Tretyakov Gallery in 1919, he chose to leave Russia, travelling through Crimea to Constantinople and leaving all his works and possessions behind in Moscow.

In April 1921, he settled in Greece, where he lived for extended periods until October 1923, presenting two exhibitions in Athens: at the Philological Association “Parnassos” (1921) and at the Byzantine and Christian Museum (1922). These exhibitions offered a vision of Greece far removed from the classical ideal: ancient ruins, churches, and landscapes depicted with sharp cubist planes and explosive, spiritual colours.

From October 1923 onward, Gritchenko lived permanently in France, exhibiting in major galleries and travelling widely across Europe and the United States until his death in Vence, near Nice, in 1977.