SOMERSET, N.J. – Yukhym Mykhailiv (1885-1935) was one of the most idiosyncratic and poorly understood Ukrainian artists of the early 20th century. His Symbolist landscapes, musically swirling stars and waterfalls, incandescent flowers in moonbeams, and delicate still-lifes were completely out of step with the work of his contemporaries.
His refusal to conform to Socialist Realism led to his arrest, exile and untimely death in the Russian Arctic. Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of his widow, Hanna Mykhailiva, and his daughter and son-in-law, Tetiana and George Chaplenko, more than 80 of his drawings, watercolors, oils and pastels safely made the perilous voyage through wartime Europe and across the ocean to the United States.