Irina Klimova (born January 19, 1952, Kyiv) is a Soviet and Ukrainian artist, art historian, and museum professional. Since 2008, she has served as Director of the Sholem Aleichem Museum at the Kyiv History Museum. Klimova is the author of numerous articles on fine art and Jewish artists of Ukraine and has participated in many Soviet, Ukrainian, and international exhibitions.
Since 1976, she has worked in the field of industrial graphics and has been actively involved in cultural and educational initiatives. She directed the “Aggadah” program at the Institute of Jewish Studies, developed the concept for the exposition of the Museum of Jewish and Israeli History and Culture in the Galician Synagogue in Kyiv, and led the educational program “Pages of Jewish History and Culture.” Klimova taught a course on “Jewish Fine Art” for students from universities across the CIS and created designs for a series of posters for the exhibition Holodomor, Holocaust, Gulag – three tragedies on Ukrainian soil. She also produced several series of Jewish art calendars and consulted on the documentary film Spell Your Name.
Her solo exhibitions include:
1991 — Hasidic Museum of Art, New York, USA
1991 — Republican Center “Ukrainian House”, Kyiv
1996 — Kyiv Union of Artists
2002 — Gallery “Tadzio”, Kyiv
2002 — Jewish Cultural Center “Kinor”, Kyiv
2007 — Gallery 36, Kyiv
She has also participated in numerous group exhibitions in Ukraine, the USA, Great Britain, and Israel. Her works are held in the National Art Museum of Ukraine, galleries in Kyiv, and museums in the United States, including the Hasidic Museum of Art (New York) and Gallery “Butterfly” (New Jersey).
