Tag: Maryna Baydyuk

Bonhams’ auction of Zhenya Gershman’s compelling oil painting to raise money for United Help UkraineMariupol Diary (2022) by Zhenya Gershman. Los Angeles – Internationally recognized artist, Zhenya Gershman, debuts a new painting of a family devastated by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, hiding underground during the Russian siege of Mariupol, where residents suffered one of the worst attacks of the war. The painting has been donated to United Help Ukraine and will be offered at an estimate of $80,000 – 120,000, through an online auction at Bonhams from October 7-14. With bidding starting at $100, the auction will raise money for humanitarian welfare for Ukrainian civilians who have been displaced and affected by Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Los Angeles-based artist with Ukrainian roots, has been recognized for her emotional portraits of war that have continued to raise awareness to the ongoing suffering in Ukraine and funded campaigns to help the people she captures so powerfully.Arguably one of her best works yet, Gershman’s large oil painting captures the emotional condition and harrowing story of a mother, Elena Kravtsova, with her two children, an 8-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter. All three suffered severe wounds after a massive attack on Mariupol by Russian forces, that resulted in the loss of their grandfather and their home. Forced to relocate, without any belongings, Elena’s family sought shelter with her uncle Evgeny Sosnovsky, an amateur photographer who documented their experiences and what remained of their city. For two weeks, the family lived underground in the darkness, with wounds that made traveling impossible and survived off scarce amounts of food and water. Their story gripped the world when Evgeny shared his photographs and the diary of Elena’s son Igor, who documented experiences that no child should go through with illustrations and writings such as “my city has died”.When Gershman saw the photograph – released after Elena and her children