Odesa Fine Art Museum offers protection for artwork and Ukrainian people
With the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Odesa Fine Arts Museum served as a refuge for individuals throughout the war.
Nonetheless, it has previously served as a haven for both individuals and objects of art.
The catacombs under Odesa Museum of Fine Arts are long, sturdy, and broad. They were dug up during World War Two to serve as a defense against German bombardment.
Today Odesa people have taken shelter here from the bombardment of the Russian army. The warmth and humidity of the catacombs make them unsuitable for storing artwork, thus it is done elsewhere.
The Black Sea is beside the museum, which is at Potocki Palace. The rooms upstairs have bare walls. The artworks that graced them have been moved to a secure location. And they were prompted to carry out the evacuation by the Prado Museum's evacuation procedure during the Spanish Civil War.
Kirill Lipatov, the director of the scientific division of the Odesa Museum of Fine Art, maintains, "Eight years we are under occupation, I mean the museums of Crimea and the east of the country, large museums such as regional museums in Donetsk or Luhansk."
In order to prevent the loss of the stolen artwork, museums are compiling inventories and hastening the digitization process. International organizations and legal teams are collaborating to inform the public if they appear at sale anywhere in the world.
With more than 120 years of existence, the Odesa Museum of Fine Arts is still active.
The magnificent masterpieces have been replaced with paintings on the war by young Ukrainians because they do not want to close in spite of the war.
