DIVE INTO THE IMAGINATIVE WORLD OF
O N N A R B U T
Heorhii Narbut was born in 1886 in Narbutivka near Hlukhiv, Ukraine. As a talented artist, he explored his artistic journey in St. Petersburg and Munich, returning to Kyiv in 1918, with the proclamation of the independent Ukrainian National Republic. Narbut and a new generation of modern Ukrainian graphic designers created a contemporary visual language and a brand for the newly independent Ukraine. In the two years before his passing, he designed Ukrainian currency, the country’s coat of arms, typefaces, stamps, and logotypes for ministries and institutions, including the stamp of the Ukrainian Academy of Art, which he helped to establish. Heorhii Narbut died of typhus in 1920 at age 34. He is noted as a brilliant graphic designer of Ukrainian modernism. His designs influenced all of 20th century graphic design and continue to influence graphic art in Ukraine to this day.
O N T H E A U T H O R
Dr. Myroslava M. Mudrak is Professor Emeritus of Art History at Ohio State University, specializing in Ukrainian and Russian avant-garde art of the 1910s and 1920s. Prof. Myroslava M. Mudrak has devoted her scholarly interests to the study of art in East Central Europe, Ukraine, and Russia. She concentrates mostly on the modernist period of the early 20th century, with expertise in Russian and Soviet avant-garde, modern art between the two World Wars, early 20th century abstraction and Soviet Realism, and art under totalitarianism. Professor Mudrak was born and raised in Cleveland’s Ukrainian immigrant community, which shaped her identity as a Ukrainian-American.
On November 7th, 2020, in collaboration with Rodovid Press and the support of Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, UIMA presented a very special event “Honoring Heorhii Narbut." Recognizing one of the most brilliant graphic artists of contemporary design, Heorhii Narbut. A name not well known to the general public because of the communist taboos of the Soviet era, but who in his short life created a new visual language and a brand for the newly independent Ukraine in 1918. Narbut’s timeless influence, courage and dynamism has imprinted on generations of Ukraine’s graphic artists and brand makers today. In observance of Covid-19 density guidelines and audience capacity limited, we filmed the events in order to share Narbut’s work and influence with the world.
O N T H E M O N O G R A P H
To mark the centenary of Heorhii Narbut’s death and his place as a highly regarded graphic design artist of Ukrainian Modernism, Professor Myroslava Mudrak was inspired to research and write her monograph, The Imaginative World of Heorhii Narbut and the Making of a Ukrainian Brand. As stated by Professor Mudrak, “ Narbut proved himself to be that instinctively cultivated figure who could pull the whole history of Ukrainian art into a stabilizing moment in order to lay the foundation for its further development.” Narbut took the symbols of centuries old images of culture and tradition and creatively instilled “those newfound iconic tropes of Ukraine’s heritage with a modern independent spirit.”
O N T H E F I L M
The premiere of the film Brendari [Brand Makers] directed by Nadia Parfan and produced by Illia Gladshtein. Brendari portrays Narbut’s influence and impact on a new generation of Ukrainian graphic designers as they explore a new branding style for post-Soviet, post-Maidan Ukraine. Through a series of interviews, contemporary Ukrainian designers and art historians reflect on the creativity of Heorhii Narbut, his branding of the newly independent Ukraine of 1918, and his influence on Ukrainian design of 20th and 21st centuries.
Брендарі/Brendari (Brand Makers)
Under His Influence…
This slideshow presentation shows how Narbut’s influence, courage, and dynamism has imprinted on generations of graphic artists and brand makers of today. Taking Narbut’s visual language, artists show their creativity from the perspective of a 21st century graphic designer.
O N T H E D A Y
On the 100th anniversary of Heorhii Narbut’s death, the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation (UCF) in Kyiv awarded a grant to RODOVID Press in partnership with the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art to honor the artist’s contribution to Ukraine. The grant supported the publication of two books published by RODOVID press: NARBUT, a reconstruction of the book of the artist’ works destroyed in 1933 by Soviet authorities, and the English monograph The Imaginative World of Heorhii Narbut and the Making of a Ukrainian Brand. The premiere of the film, Brendari [Brand Makers] was also supported by the UCF grant. It is imperative to improve Ukraine’s image and brand, which unfortunately is shaped by media disinformation. The objective of the project Narbut XXl is the exploration of Narbut’s work, his creative and cultural legacy, his impact on Ukraine’s current brand, and the promotion of the world’s perception of Ukraine. The support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation in this endeavor shows commitment to cultural diplomacy and further integration and promotion of Ukraine’s image and brand as a modern, spirited country to the world.
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EVENT PHOTOS
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A Special Thank You!
The support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation made this project possible.
A Special Thank You!
Visit their website for books on Ukrainian Modern Art and more information on the Narbut XXl project