Maria Prymachenko
1909 – 1997
Maria Prymachenko was a Ukrainian artist who worked in the style of naive art. She created works in painting, embroidery, and ceramics.
In 1966, Maria Prymachenko received the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared 2009 the year of Prymachenko, and both a street in Kyiv and an asteroid were named after her.
During her lifetime, her works were displayed in exhibition halls across Paris, Warsaw, Sofia, Montreal, and Prague.
When Maria Prymachenko was 28, she was invited to the Central Experimental Workshops at the Kyiv Museum of Ukrainian Art. She was invited as an embroiderer, and it was only at the workshop that Maria picked up paper and paints for the first time and began to paint. Teachers who saw her drawings were so impressed by her talent and unique style that they deliberately refrained from interfering with her learning. They gave her space and freedom—creating the right conditions for Maria to develop her natural skills. This enabled her to perfect her talent. Maria Prymachenko attracted many followers, drawing painters, sculptors, and creative people toward her.
Maria Prymachenko is the heart and armor of Ukrainian art. During her lifetime, she opened a new chapter in the history of Ukraine's cultural heritage and laid the foundation for a better understanding of national identity for modern generations of Ukrainians.
On February 25, an enemy missile struck the History and Local History Museum in the village of Ivankiv, where paintings by Maria Prymachenko were kept. This became the first of Russia's numerous crimes against Ukrainian culture. Fortunately, as it turned out later, local residents managed to save these works.
Ultimately, an artist's strength is measured by the impact their work has on the people around them. Through her presence, she changed reality itself—and her art continues to do so to this day.
