Between 1969 and 1972, renowned monumental artists Mykola Storozhenko, Ivan Marchuk, Anatolii Haidamaka, and Larysa Mishchenko worked on the artistic design of the Bogolyubov Institute for Theoretical Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Today, seven monumental and decorative art pieces adorn and stand as the pride of the institution. Among them is an abstract fresco painting by Ivan Marchuk, symbolizing the terrestrial and underwater worlds. The painting once adorned the meeting room on the second floor. Over time, part of the wall with the artwork was demolished to create windows. Later, the room suffered damage from flooding, which severely affected the remaining fragments of the piece. In the 1990s, the new management of the Institute took conservation measures to preserve what was left of the painting.
The Institute for Theoretical Physics of the NAS of Ukraine and the building’s decorative design have been granted the status of a newly identified cultural heritage site (history, art).
Text and photo by T. Miachkova.