“Rainy Autumn”

KHYMYCH YURII, born on April 12, 1928 in Kamenets-Podolsk, died in 2003 – an outstanding master of architectural landscape, a classic of ukrainian art of the 20th century, graphic artist, teacher. Merited Artist and Architect of Ukraine, Merited Artist of the USSR (1990). Member of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine (since 1955) and the National Union of Artists of Ukraine (since 1962). In the late 1950s he became famous among art critics for being one of the best at watercolor paintings in the USSR at that time. In 1945, at the age of 17 he showed a series of his watercolors to a famous Soviet painter, Oleksii Shovkhunenko (1884-1974), following his advice Khymych joined the faculty of Architecture at Kyiv National University of Construction (currently Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture). While Khymych was studying in the Institute (1945–1950), Michael Steinberg became his favorite teacher and mentor. Between 1957-1964 he had become a senior artist of the department of ukrainian art history of the Academy of construction and architecture of the USSR. Between 1964-1985  Khymych taught at the Kyiv Institute of Civil Engineering (since 1971 – Professor) and later a Professor of the drawing and painting department. Since 1984 — teacher, and since 1991 — Professor of the Kyiv National Art Institute (currently The National Academy of Visual Arts and Architecture), where he developed his own program and scientific guide on the specifics of teaching to draw and paint in the faculty of architecture. Since the 1950s personal exhibitions of Yuri Khymych have had success in Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Lithuania, Hungary, USA and Finland. His works are kept in the National Art Museum of Ukraine, Kyiv History Museum, Art Museums in Russia, the Baltic States, Poland and other countries, as well as in private collections of diplomats William Green Miller (U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine from 1993 to 1998) and Carlos Pascual (U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine in 2000-2003), His Beatitude, Metropolitan Vladimir (Sabodana),  businessman Vadim Novinsky (Ukraine), President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko (2005-2010), Natalia Yaresko (Ukraine), Khristina Matsiv (Canada), Monica Frank (Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine in 2001-2005) and others. Yuri Khymych’s works are reproduced in numerous catalogues, calendars, thematic postcards, postage stamps. Khymych’s Triptych “Independence Day” adorns the building of the US Congress in Washington.