Maryna Hrytsenko †
Maryna Hrytsenko (1986–2025) began working at the Galagan Art Museum in Chernihiv in 2008, after graduating with a Master’s degree in History and Pedagogy. In 2021 she became the museum’s chief custodian. Over fifteen years, she curated 40 exhibitions of Ukrainian and Western European art, organised four major educational events, published five scholarly articles and edited a catalogue on Decorative Arts in the Galagan Art Museum. The museum’s collection, formed in the 19th century by Hryhorii Galagan, includes Cossack artefacts banned under the Russian Empire, Ukrainian decorative arts later suppressed during the Soviet period, as well as Italian, Flemish and Dutch paintings that reflect the historic cultural links between Ukraine and wider Europe.
On 24 February 2022, the first day of the war, Hrytsenko moved into the museum with her 12-year-old daughter. Chernihiv was under siege and subject to heavy missile attacks. The building had no electricity, the alarm system was inactive and there was no security. With the assistance of remaining staff, mostly retired technical personnel, she dismantled the permanent exhibition and moved the valuable objects into the basement. When a missile struck close to the museum entrance, the shockwave damaged the artworks. Because packing materials were unavailable and supplies could not reach the city, she wrapped works in old clothes and textiles collected from friends and locals and concealed them in smaller underground storage rooms normally used for ventilation and household equipment.
She remained on the premises without electricity, heating or water and coordinated local residents to monitor the building at night until the region was de-occupied. She then invited specialists from the National Research Restoration Center in Kyiv to examine the damaged works. Restoration was completed by 2025. In total, more than 17,000 objects from the museum’s main and scientific auxiliary collections were safeguarded.
Even while the collection was hidden in the basement, Hrytsenko continued to work with the community. She organised lectures and art classes for children and teenagers, where she used reproductions and copies of the artworks. Until safety measures at the museum were completed and electricity restored, many of these activities took place outdoors. As a long-standing member of the Ukrainian Scout organisation Plast, she incorporated elements of survival skills and basic first aid into her classes.
In 2023, coming from a family of doctors, she joined the army as a paramedic, where she helped save hundreds of lives. In January 2025, she received the Order of Merit for personal courage in defence of Ukraine’s sovereignty. During the preparation of this nomination, she was killed while evacuating two wounded soldiers from the front line.
The Awards’ Jury stated: “Maryna Hrytsenko demonstrated exceptional dedication and professional responsibility in safeguarding the Galagan Art Museum’s collections during the siege of Chernihiv. Acting under extreme risk and without access to basic resources, she protected a museum collection of major Ukrainian and European significance. Her actions highlight the vulnerability of cultural memory in times of war and are a testimony to her extraordinary courage.”
Contact: Milena Chorna | Ukrainian Museum Association | museum.association.ua@gmail.com | www.facebook.com/Ukrainian.Museum.Association