During the 31st Lviv International BookForum, a high-profile theft occurred at the Lviv Palace of Arts - a work by Ukrainian artist Serhiy Yakutovych disappeared from the exhibition "Illustrations in Pencil." The incident was reported by Pavlo Gudimov's art center "Ya Gallery", which organized the exhibition together with the Palace of Arts.
The artist's family specially provided this painting for the exhibition within the BookForum. The missing work is an illustration to Lina Kostenko's poem "Berestechko". Gallery representatives appealed to visitors and Lviv residents to help in the search and return of the artwork. Contact number for information: (066) 411-96-17.
Witnesses say the painting was hanging in a wooden frame on the wall in the hall of the second floor of the Lviv Palace of Arts. According to art historian Diana Klochko, the work disappeared on the afternoon of October 3.
Serhiy Yakutovych is a prominent Ukrainian graphic artist and artist who has worked on over 160 book editions, as well as on iconic films, including “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors” by Serhiy Paradzhanov, “Prayer for Hetman Mazepa” by Yuriy Illenko, and “Taras Bulba” by Volodymyr Bortko. His works, created in a simple pencil technique, have entered the history of Ukrainian graphic art.
On October 4, the Lviv region police announced the opening of criminal proceedings into the alleged theft. Law enforcement officers inspected the scene and began an investigation under Part 4 of Article 185 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — theft committed on an especially large scale. The perpetrator faces up to eight years in prison.
