An exhibition of European painting from the 16th to the 19th centuries from Odesa will be on view at the Kurpfälzisches Museum Heidelberg from 16 October to 22 March 2026.
The port city of Odesa in southern Ukraine has been severely affected by the Russian war of aggression, placing its artistic heritage at risk. In September 2023, as part of a German-Ukrainian cooperation project, 74 works from the Museum of Western and Eastern Art in Odesa were moved to a safe location and subsequently transported to Germany. The exhibition resulting from this project was shown at the Gemäldegalerie Berlin until 22 June. Currently, 45 works from the Odesa museum have been transferred from Berlin to Heidelberg. Until 22 March 2026, they will be presented in the exhibition “Masterpieces from Odesa” together with selected paintings from the collection of the Kurpfälzisches Museum Heidelberg, before returning to Berlin at the end of March next year.
Treasures of European Painting from the 16th to the 19th Centuries
The exhibition presents around 50 selected works from the collection of the Museum of Western and Eastern Art in Odesa, including paintings by major European masters of the 16th to 19th centuries such as Francesco Granacci, Frans Hals, Cornelis de Heem, Roeland Savery, and Bernardo Strozzi. The exhibition illustrates the diversity of genres and themes in European painting—from landscapes and city views to biblical, mythological, and genre scenes, as well as portraits. A special focus is placed on portraits of historical figures, highlighting Odesa’s international character as a port city in the 18th and 19th centuries. Shared characteristics become clearly visible through the juxtaposition of works from Odesa and Heidelberg. Around ten such pairs of works emphasize their common European artistic identity.
The German-Ukrainian cooperation project was supported by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and is under the patronage of the Federal President. It reflects the close cultural ties between Germany and Ukraine.
Further information:
https://www.museum-heidelberg.de/Museum-Heidelberg/startseite/ausstellungen/meisterwerke+aus+odesa.html
By Nataliia Yermolenko
tun26020201