A landmark exhibition has opened in Kyiv at the House of the Metropolitan within the National Preserve Sophia Kyivska. Titled “У світлі Караваджо. Порятунок. Дослідження. Реставрація,” the project brings back into public view a painting directly linked to Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.
At the centre of the exhibition is “The Taking of Christ,” the only artwork in Ukraine associated with the Italian master.
A dramatic theft that shocked Ukraine
The painting’s recent history is among the most dramatic in Ukraine’s museum landscape. In 2008, criminals stole the work from the Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art, cutting the central section directly from its stretcher frame. The bold nature of the theft stunned the cultural community.
In 2010, the painting was discovered in Berlin and returned to Ukraine. However, for years, it remained inaccessible to the public. As material evidence in a criminal case, the canvas could neither be restored nor exhibited. Only in 2025 did the Podil District Court of Kyiv remove its evidentiary status, finally allowing the masterpiece to re-enter the exhibition space and paving the way for potential international loans.
A meticulous restoration
The restoration process became a major professional challenge for specialists at the National Scientific Research Restoration Center of Ukraine. Work began in 2018 and concluded in August 2021. Conservators effectively reassembled the painting from fragments, reconnecting the excised central portion with the remaining edges that had stayed beneath the frame.
The result is widely described as a masterclass in conservation, demonstrating the technical sophistication of Ukraine’s restoration school. The exhibition not only presents the restored canvas but also documents the circumstances of the theft and the complex stages of its physical rescue.
How Caravaggio reached Ukraine
The presence of the painting in Ukraine dates back to the mid-19th century, when diplomat Oleksandr Bazylevsky acquired it in Paris. Since 1924, the work has been closely associated with Odesa and has become one of the city’s cultural symbols.
While the best-known version of “The Taking of Christ” is housed in Dublin, Ukrainian researchers and restoration experts maintain that the Odesa painting represents an authorial version by Caravaggio himself rather than a later copy. The dramatic chiaroscuro, psychological intensity and dynamic composition are consistent with the artist’s mature style.
Exhibition details
“У світлі Караваджо” is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00 at 24 Volodymyrska Street, House of the Metropolitan, Kyiv. The exhibition not only reintroduces a Baroque masterpiece to audiences but also tells a story of loss, recovery and the resilience of cultural heritage.
