The edition is devoted to one of the best Ukrainian grafic artists, a graduate from Kiev Art Institute (1930), a student of M. Boychuk, S. Nalepinska-Boychuk, I. Pleshinsky, V. Kassyan, one of foundators of the Union of Artists in Ukraine (1938). In 1942 the artist was arrested and was accused of nationalism and anti-soviet activity. His stay in jail resulted in fatal illness, from which he died at the peak of his creative powers. The name of the artist had been deleted for decades from the history of Ukrainian art. A creative heritage of Gavrylo Pustoviyt was highly estimated by the contemporaries. He had worked much in a book graphics genre, illustrating the books of Ukrainian, Russian and foreign authors: cycles of graphic drawing to the poem “The Hireling” by T. Shevchenko (this cycle can be referred to the best, created in Ukrainian graphics on the subjects), to the stories by M. Kotsubinsky, to the story “Zakchar Berkut” by I. Franko, to the novel “Oblomov” by I. Goncharov, to the first editions: “Danylo Galitsky” by M. Bazhan, “The Light Weapon” by M. Rilsky, “My Ukraine” by A. Malyshko etc. The artist created a number of book covers for the publishing houses “Sayvo “, “Rukch”, “Knygospilka”, “Derzhvydav Ukrainy” etc. In 1937 the artist created the well known series “Dnieper Industrial”, “Moldova Collective”, series of graphic drawings in 1939-1941 were devoted to Western Ukraine: historical, architectural and art monuments of Lviv, portraits of the relatives and one-peasants of I. Franko, the gutsuls pictures, keeping uniqueness of their appearance and lifestyle, the picturesque Carpathian landscapes. One of the best creative achievements is the portraits gallery of outstanding figures in Ukrainian culture (1942).

The catalogue is the first edition, which depicts the creative life of the artist that was terminated violently. The catalogue includes a part of the artist’s correspondence with outstanding figures of Ukrainian culture (O. Dovzhenko, M. Deregus, V. Kassyan, A. Sereda, A. Chegodaev), the memoirs of the artist s wife and children, the memoirs of M. Deregus, the national painter of Ukraine. The catalogue holds a list of expositions which demonstrated the works of G. Pustoviyt. The catalogue is organized to cover different genres in the artist activities: book graphics, easel graphics, drawing, water-colour painting etc. A big number of drawings and sketches, preserved in the artist’s albums requires further research. Returning the name of an artist to the Ukrainian culture is the main purpose of this edition which is aimed at the audience concerned with national culture history.