October 27 would have marked the 90th anniversary of Vitalii Kulikov’s birth.

It has been almost ten years since his passing, yet his presence remains vivid in Kharkiv’s artistic life. Vitalii Mykolaiovych Kulikov was among the artists who helped define the local school of contemporary art in the second half of the twentieth century.

His practice combined the precision of drawing, the energy of color, and an inner discipline that never slipped into cold academicism. Kulikov was an experimenter within the classical tradition — constantly seeking new forms and fresh visual language. He worked across painting, drawing, book illustration, and poster design, leaving a distinct and recognizable mark in every medium. His line was confident and exact, his color pure and intentional, his compositions restrained yet charged with tension.

This ability to merge form and meaning made him one of the central figures in Kharkiv’s art scene of the time.

For the Kharkiv Municipal Gallery, Vitalii Kulikov is more than a historical name. From the gallery’s very opening, he exhibited new works here, took an active role in the artistic council, supported younger colleagues, and remained deeply involved in the city’s cultural process. A memorial plaque on the gallery’s facade now stands as a sign of our shared memory and gratitude.

In 2015, together with VOVATANYA Gallery, the gallery launched the program “Preserving Kulikov’s Legacy.” Its mission is to make the artist’s work more accessible, to safeguard his archive, and to sustain his presence within the cultural life of Kharkiv. As part of the program, a charity auction was held, and — together with his widow, Iryna Aleksandrova — a three-volume collection of his works was published: Painting, Drawing, and Printmaking.

Starting from October 27, and leading up to the date of his remembrance, we are holding the Days of Kulikov — a series of posts and stories celebrating his life, art, students, and contemporaries. This is our way of honoring an artist who profoundly shaped the Kharkiv art school, seamlessly blending mastery with the courage to seek the new.