On October 28, 2019, O.O.Osmerkin Art-Memorial Museum hosted a presentation of the themed exhibition “The Town of Artists. Dedicated to the memory of the architect Yakiv Pauchenko and the sculptor Viktor Frenchko”.
    “Bas-relief of the architect Yakiv Pauchenko” is exhibited for the first time. It was made by a talented sculptor Viktor Frenchko for the 150th anniversary of the architect and donated to the museum collection in 2017. The bas-relief profile of the architect in an imposing hat is made in the classical shape of a medallion. As envisioned by the author the bas-relief shows the image of a person-creator, full of artistic ideas, creative searches, unique artistic discoveries of the Art Nouveau period when Yakiv Pauchenko lived and created.
    Yakiv Vasyliovych Pauchenko (1866 – 1914) is one of the architects who created the architectural ensemble of the historical center of the modern Kropyvnytskyi. Graduate of the College of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture of Moscow Art Union (1896), the author of architectural projects of the numerous private and public buildings, and also religious buildings which currently are historical, town planning, and architectural monuments of the local and national significance of the late 19th – early 20th centuries. He lived a short life of 48 years, died on October 29, 1914. The architect was buried in Petropavlivsk cemetery that no longer exists, and his grave disappeared under the foundation of new buildings. But what is left is the town with a central street named after him.
    During the event, that took place in the hall with the photo exhibition “Architect Yakiv Pauchenko and his town” to the 265th anniversary of Kropyvnytskyi foundation, a film was demonstrated. It is a unique video record of a cultural and art event to Artist Day that was held by the museum and Viktor Frenchko in his studio on Dvortsova Street. The main goal of the event was the presentation of the catalog “By Language of plastic art. Viktor Frenchko on life and art” within the museum project “In Artist’s Studio”.
    Viktor Vasyliovych Frenchko (1949 - 2019) is a famous sculptor, a member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine, a laureate of the Regional Award in Fine Art and Study of Art named after Oleksandr Osmerkin in the nomination “national tradition” (2009), a first laureate of the Town Art Award named after Borys Vintenko (2018). Graduated with honor from Kyiv State Art Institute, the Department of Sculpture (1973). The author of many sculptural compositions, portrait sculptures, monuments, memorial signs, memorial plates to historical personalities, cultural and academic figures in Kropyvnytskyi and other towns in the Kirovohrad region. Viktor Frenchko after recently celebrating his 70th anniversary died on September 13, 2019.
    The architect Yakiv Pauchenko had a chance to create the architecture of the buildings of the historical center of our town, and the sculptor Viktor Frenchko – to eternalize the memory of outstanding people who lived and worked in these buildings.
    A themed exhibition “The Town of Artists” is dedicated to the memory of the artists of the past and modern who are connected by a creative work on the transformation of our town into the center of beauty and historical memory for the future.