Russia has deliberately burned to the ground the Ivankiv Museum north of Kyiv, which housed precious Ukrainian folk art, in what Ukrainian scholars call “an unfolding cultural catastrophe.”
At risk in Ukraine are millions of artworks and monuments, including monuments representing centuries of history from the Byzantine to the Baroque periods, as well as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The material cultural legacy of the world is our common heritage, the identity and inspiration for all humanity. Cultural heritage has the power to unite us and is critical for achieving peace. It is also too often the target of war, another way to destroy and overtake a society by erasing its memory.
What precious little remains in the world of our ancient heritage is already suffering from wanton destruction, looting, neglect, reckless overdevelopment, and climate change. To have even more lost to senseless war is unconscionable. Instead of destroying our common heritage, we should be celebrating its existence, working to enhance protections and strengthen our international laws, and moving toward a more textured understanding of the world’s cultures and their contributions to our shared experience.
The Getty Trust works to call attention to the loss of cultural heritage worldwide. We condemn the cultural atrocities being committed now in Ukraine, together with the unfathomable human and environmental losses. We stand in solidarity with our Ukrainian colleagues. Protecting and preserving our cultural heritage is a core value of civilized societies. What is taking place in Ukraine is a tragedy of monumental proportions.
