Oleksandr Shvets, the founder and editor-in-chief of the “Facts” publication, has been collecting porcelain sculptures brought from different parts of the world for more than 30 years.
Oleksandr Shvets says that the largest collections of porcelain, which are displayed today in famous museums, were created over hundreds of years. Usually, powerful monarchs or influential aristocrats who lived in different historical times stood near their origins. Even later, after their death, the state, in particular Germany, France, Spain or Austria, took care of preservation.
The collector considers it his cherished dream to open the first private porcelain museum in Kyiv, which has no analogues in the world. Oleksandr Shvets worked for a long time on its implementation, but due to the full-scale war of Russia against Ukraine, it has not yet been possible to open the museum fully for visitors.
However, in order to introduce the citizens of Kyiv and the city’s guests to the beautiful works of porcelain art, the collector hospitably opened the doors of the Shvets Museum to tell the story of his unique collection. I managed to get to the museum and talk with its owner “Evening Kyiv”.
At the beginning, Oleksandr Shvets talked about how he became interested in collecting Spanish Lladro porcelain, which he, without exaggeration, considers to be the best in the world.
“It all started with a small statuette of Spanish porcelain that I bought with my wife Galina on the island of Mallorca,” says Mr. Oleksandr, pointing to a small figurine of a girl holding a basket of flowers.
According to him, they liked this rather simple, but extremely refined work so much that he and his wife began collecting other figurines of Spanish Lladro porcelain.
Today, it is one of the youngest porcelain manufactories, founded in 1953. Today, the masterpieces of this brand adorn the collections of many European museums, including: the Royal Museum of Art and History in Brussels, the International Museum of Ceramics in Florence, the National Museum of Ceramics in Valencia and many others.
Despite this, Lladro porcelain sculptures are distinguished by accurate historical details, perfect proportions of the depicted figures and incredibly fine workmanship.
Traveling to different countries and continents, Oleksandr and Halyna supplemented their collection with other sculptures. They were most attracted to plot compositions, especially where there are many actors.
According to the collector, it is precisely such compositions that make the collection alive and expressive. And some of their details can be examined endlessly, and at the same time find something new in them.
In the first hall of the Shvets Museum, you can see Lladro porcelain compositions created in a manufactory in the city of Valencia in Spain. The exposition presents works from different years, in particular, rare limited products of the best Spanish masters. Among them: “The Queen of the Nile”, “The Arrival of Cinderella”, “The Carriage of the 18th Century” and “The Great Journey”.
The central figure of the first hall is also the mythical Phoenix Bird, which can revive itself from the ashes. According to the owner, for him personally this composition is a symbol of Ukraine and its revival.
Listening to the collector’s story, it is impossible not to notice with what trepidation he relates to each of his works, remembers where, from whom and how he bought it… You want to linger near each work to look at the infinite number of details embodied by masters of high artistic talent.
Every detail of the decoration, every detail of the clothes of the heroes of this composition corresponds to the time from which a certain plot was taken.
It is worth noting that when porcelain is fired at a temperature of 1250-1300 degrees, the material shrinks by 15%, changes shape, can sag, twist, crumble. Therefore, while working on each detail and sculpture, the master has to make many calculations to achieve perfect images from portraits, as well as details of clothes or accessories.
The process of creating unique creations of the Lladro manufactory can take up to 5 years. The highest quality, careful processing of sculpture details and constant innovations in technology make their products truly unique.
“Before the appearance of Spanish porcelain, the most beautiful flowers in the world were considered to be the flowers of the German factory Meissen: the first in Europe, and the flowers of Capodimonte: Naples, Italy. When Spanish flowers appeared, it became obvious to everyone that these are real flowers that look like they are alive…”, Oleksandr Shvets continues.
In order to demonstrate to everyone why Spanish porcelain is the best, the collector decided to supplement his collection with products from other world-famous manufactories. He traveled to a dozen countries — from the United States and Argentina to New Zealand and Singapore.
Today, these works can be seen in the expositions of the Eastern Hall of the museum, where porcelain works from China, Japan and Thailand and other countries of the East are presented. Also, in the third hall of the museum, you can see unique works of art from masters of Germany, Austria, England, Italy and other countries of the world.
The collector did not ignore the porcelain created by famous Ukrainian craftsmen from Korosten, Baranivka, Horodnytsia, and other cities.
With special warmth, the collector remembers the outstanding Ukrainian sculptor Vladyslav Shcherbina, one of the leading sculptors of Ukrainian porcelain of the second half of the 20th century, who in his time created a huge number of sculptures of various themes: from biblical and mythical characters to famous characters of world literature.
Oleksandr Shvets also draws attention to porcelain, created by leading masters of the Kyiv Experimental Ceramics and Art Factory. The plant was unique in that, in the 1940s of the last century, the use of Petrikov painting on porcelain was first widely introduced.
Unique vases and plates with folk motifs and petri dish patterns were a kind of business card of our city, they were willingly exported to many countries of the former USSR, as well as to Great Britain, Poland, France, Czechoslovakia, Canada and Italy.
Unfortunately, the company ceased operations due to bankruptcy in 2007.
“Also, other well-known factories and workshops specializing in porcelain products have been closed today. It is very sad that the long-standing traditions of our glorious masters are gradually disappearing,” Oleksandr Shvets sighs sadly.
The last hall of the museum is called “Divine”. It contains a unique collection of sculptures devoted to philosophical reflections and religious themes.
In the exhibition, you can see masterful porcelain copies of Michelangelo’s famous sculpture “Pieta”, the Black Madonna from the Montserrat Monastery near Barcelona and other original sacred compositions from the life of the Savior.
Special attention in this hall is given to sculptures that personify family peace, motherhood happiness and coziness.
The unique atmosphere is also complemented by the picturesque views of Vozdvizhenka, St. Andrew’s Church and Podol, which can be seen from the windows of the museum.
“What makes this place unique? The fact that it is surrounded by temples belonging to different religions. And this is the symbolism of this place and the symbolism of that hall of the museum, which I called “divine”. St. Andrew’s Church. On the left, you can see below the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross, where Mykhailo Ivanovich Bulgakov was baptized as a child,” says Oleksandr Shvets.
The collector also noted that he chose the location of the museum, which is located on the Voznesensky Uzvoz, not by chance:
“Nearby is a place where I spent a lot of time over the years. It was a shelter for orphans, where everyone had their own difficult fate. At that time, I could not even imagine that my dream of becoming a journalist would come true. And I will be able not only to visit almost a hundred countries of the world, but also to bring to mind this incredible beauty…”, says Oleksandr Shvets.
It is not for nothing that the collector calls his institution a clinic for the restoration of souls affected by tragedies.
It was created under the wail of air-raid sirens and the explosions of cruise missiles that landed nearby in Lukyanivka and Podol.
However, despite the difficult wartime, the collector believes that one day the porcelain museum “Shvets Museum” created by him will be accessible to everyone who wants to enter the world of exquisite porcelain, which is a symbol of perfection, beauty and high art.
Tatyana ASADCHEVA“Evening Kyiv”
