Gallery Portal 11 presents the exhibition “Havrylo Pustoviit (1900 – 1947)”. 16.01. – 22.02.2026.
Havrylo Mykhailovych Pustoviit was one of the most prominent Ukrainian graphic artists, a student of Mykhailo Boychuk, a representative of the Ukrainian avant-garde, and a victim of repression under the Soviet regime. The artist’s creative legacy holds significant importance for the history of art. His life was short and tragic; however, despite living only 47 years, he left behind a substantial artistic heritage. Pustoviit worked in a wide range of techniques and media: he practiced easel graphics, created posters, designed books, and worked extensively on bookplates (ex libris).
Havrylo Mykhailovych was born on 13 (26) July 1900 in the village of Mezhyrich, Cherkasy region, into a large peasant family. In 1923, Havrylo Pustoviit entered the Kyiv Art Institute. During his first two years of study, he trained in the monumental painting workshop of Mykhailo Boychuk. Later, he developed a keen interest in graphic art and printing and transferred to the graphic department, where he mastered various techniques and shaped one of the key directions of his artistic practice. Already at that time, the artist collaborated with the Siaivo publishing house, for which he designed works by Jack London, Ivan Franco, Sholom Aleichem, Bridges, and others. Subsequently, he also worked with the publishing houses Rukh, the State Publishing House of Ukraine, Kultura, and others, creating book covers and designs, including children’s books, to which he devoted particular care and affection.
After graduating from the institute, Havrylo Pustoviit received an invitation to head the Art and Design Faculty of the Kharkiv Printing Institute. He moved to Kharkiv, then the capital of Ukraine, where he taught, worked as an artist at the Research Institute of Visual Statistics, and served as an editor at the Literature and Art publishing house. Eventually, however, he decided to dedicate himself fully to creative work. In 1938, Havrylo Pustoviit became one of the founders of the Union of Artists of Ukraine, served as its Deputy Chairman, and later, during the Second World War, temporarily headed the Union. After the outbreak of the war, Havrylo Mykhailovych immediately became actively involved in artistic work, creating posters and leaflets. At the same time, he continued to design publications and periodicals, producing numerous book designs during this period, including works by Andrii Malyshko, Maksym Rylskyi, and other authors. In 1944–1945, already severely ill with tuberculosis, he served as a staff artist.
Throughout his life, Havrylo Mykhailovych Pustoviit worked extensively in various techniques, including watercolor, pastel, pencil, lithography, and others. He even created designs for tapestries and, together with the sculptor I. Makohon, developed a medal design commemorating the 125th anniversary of Taras Shevchenko. Pustoviit participated in numerous exhibitions. His works were highly recognizable, despite the stylistic diversity of his artistic output.
The exhibition presents works from different periods of the artist’s career—from his early works of the early 1920s to some of his nearly final creations, produced at a time when, despite difficult circumstances and declining health, he continued to work creatively even as his strength waned. Notably, the exhibition includes both well-known works by the artist and pieces that have not previously been shown to a wide audience.
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