Alla Horska

(1929-1970)

Alla is an outstanding Ukrainian avant-garde artist, but her works are at the same time filled with features of folk art, mainly due to bright colors. The artist was active in social activities and was a member of the club of creative youth “Suchasnyk”, whose members were engaged in the restoration of cultural heritage in Ukraine, held literary evenings. They found the burial place of thousands of victims of Stalinist repressions, people murdered by NKVD (Bykivnia, Lukyanivske and Vasylkivske cemeteries), which they announced to Kyiv City Council. But the authorities did not react in any way except with new repressions against the members of the club. Alla was killed under mysterious circumstances. Her name and work were banned for decades. In 2010, the artist’s son found documents from which the seal «top secretly» was removed, and which contain evidence that she was killed by the authorities.