Olexander Roytburd
Sub-creator Established Creator UA
Ukrainian painter, representative of the Ukrainian New Wave
About
«Painting is not a reflection of reality, but a way to claim it through irony and myth. I play with the classics to make them alive, not museum pieces. Art must be either a provocation or love; otherwise, it is just decoration. An artist is someone who can turn chaos into a brilliant performance».
Oleksandr Roitburd was a Ukrainian painter, public intellectual, and cultural figure. One of the key representatives of the Ukrainian New Wave, his work reinterpreted classical European painting through irony, historical quotation, and post-Soviet cultural critique.
Oleksandr Roitburd: A Postmodern Perspective on Ukrainian Art
Oleksandr Roitburd (1961–2021) was one of the key Ukrainian artists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries and a prominent representative of the Ukrainian New Wave and postmodern painting. His artistic practice emerged during the collapse of the Soviet cultural system and became an important means of rethinking historical memory, the classical canon, and ideological narratives.
Roitburd’s paintings actively engage with quotations from ancient, Renaissance, and Baroque art, combining them with irony, eroticism, and grotesque elements. Classical subjects lose their heroic status and turn into a field for critical reflection on power, corporeality, and mythology. His postmodern strategy is based not on rejecting tradition, but on its radical reinterpretation within a contemporary cultural context.
Alongside his artistic practice, Roitburd played a significant institutional role. From 2018 to 2021 he served as Director of the Odesa Art Museum, initiating managerial reforms, renewing exhibition programs, and strengthening public engagement. His legacy unites artistic reflection, intellectual agency, and responsibility for the development of cultural institutions in Ukraine.
Represented by
Credentials
Awards
- 2019 Order of the Kapitula of the independent cultural journal “Yi”, For Intellectual Courage — for dignity and courage in creating new visual and verbal meanings, Lviv, Ukraine
- 1990 Diploma of the USSR Academy of Arts (“Best Painting of the Year”) for the works “Seated Prophet” and “Movement Toward the Sea”.
Solo exhibitions
- 1985 Solo exhibition. M. H. Zharkova Gallery, Moscow, USSR. 1990 – Solo exhibition. Marat Gelman Gallery, Moscow, USSR. 1997 – “The Every Day Life in Pompeii”. Atelier Karas Gallery, Kyiv, Ukraine. 2001 – “Crucified Buddha”. Museum of Cultural Heritage, Kyiv, Ukraine. 2003 – “The Retrospective”. Bereznitsky Gallery (L-art Gallery), Kyiv, Ukraine. 2006 – “Male/Female Principle”. L-art Gallery, Kyiv, Ukraine. 2006 – “Self-Portraits”. Tsekh Gallery, Kyiv, Ukraine. 2006 – “Meat”. Tsekh Gallery, Kyiv, Uk…
Group exhibitions
- 1987 "Youth of the Country," Central House of Artists, Moscow, USSR 1988 — "All-Union Exhibition of Young Artists," Manege, Moscow 1989 — "After Modernism," Odesa Fine Arts Museum, Odesa 1990 — "Babylon," Palace of Youth, Moscow 1991 — "Classics and Contemporaries," CCA, Moscow 1992 — "Calm," Artists' Union Exhibition Hall, Kyiv 1993 — "Angels over Ukraine," Edinburgh, Great Britain 1993 — "Steppes of Europe," Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw, Poland 1994 — "Free Zone," Fine Art…
Media coverage
- 2024 mention on PinchukArtCentre website, “Oleksandr Roitburd. Power Theory”
- 2022 publication on Odessa Journal, “Oleksandr Roytburd through the Eyes of a Friend: An Interview with Feliks Pustynin”, an interview with Feliks Pustynin reflecting on Oleksandr Roytburd’s personality, artistic thinking, worldview, and his influence on contemporary Ukrainian art
International fairs
- 2024 "Byzantine Nostalgia," Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw, Poland
- 2022 "In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine," Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid, Spain
- 2018 "Permanent Revolution," Ludwig Museum, Budapest, Hungary
- 2015 "Just Art," Artvera’s Art Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland
- 2014 "Cosmoscow" International Art Fair, Moscow
- 2013 "Contemporary Ukrainian Artists," Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
- 2009 Phillips de Pury & Company Auction, London, UK
- 2007 FIAC International Art Fair, Paris, France
- 2006 Art Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- 2003 "Art Moscow" International Art Fair, Moscow
- 2002 "Kunst und Drogen," Rebellminds Gallery, Berlin, Germany
- 2001 "Plateau of Mankind," 49th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy
- 2001 "Screening," Spencer Brownstone Gallery, New York, USA
- 2001 Art Miami, Miami, USA
- 2000 "Open Ends," Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA
- 2000 "2000+," Moderna Galerija, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- 1999 "When Screens Get Thinner," Passage de Retz, Paris, France
- 1999 "Future is Now," Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb, Croatia
- 1995 "Configura 2," Erfurt, Germany
- 1993 "Steppes of Europe," Ujazdowski Castle CCA, Warsaw, Poland
- 1993 "Angels over Ukraine," Apostolic Church, Edinburgh, Scotland
- 1992 "Postanaestesia," Villa Stuck, Munich; Grassi Museum, Leipzig, Germany
Personal
- 2018 Director of Odesa Art Museum (2018–2021); appointed after winning an open competition in December 2017. Led the museum during a period of institutional conflict (“museum war”); the 2019 dismissal decision by the Odesa Regional Council was later overturned by Ukrainian courts as unlawful. Organized emergency roof repairs of the museum building in 2019 through public fundraising, stopping long-term water damage and protecting the collection. Introduced transparent financial reporting and public f…
Art and Life
Most popular
See all →
New works
All artworks
