The late American businessman Morgan Williams was deeply involved in promoting Ukrainian business while leading the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council. During his time in Ukraine, Mr. Williams collected artworks related to one of the darkest periods in Ukrainian history: the “Great Famine” (“Holodomor”). As reported by Voice of America correspondent Hanna Tverdokhlib, in the early 1930s, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin caused a man-made famine that resulted in the deaths of millions of people.
Daren Williams and Denise Ondrof are two of the four children of the late businessman Morgan Williams. He passed away in June after many years at the helm of the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council. It was only after his death that his children learned the significance he had for many Ukrainians.
“After the fall of the Iron Curtain in the late 1980s, my father began working on international agricultural development in the former Soviet republics. When he visited Ukraine, he fell in love with the country,” Daren Williams, Mr. Morgan Williams’ son, shared with Voice of America.
For years, Mr. Williams promoted business between the United States and Ukraine. He learned about the Holodomor, a man-made famine deliberately orchestrated by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in 1932, which caused the deaths of millions of Soviet citizens due to hunger. He began collecting artworks related to this tragedy, eventually amassing a collection of over 500 items.
“He fell in love with the people and learned about the Holodomor, and he wanted to share that story. He began collecting art in the mid-1990s. He would meet artists and encourage them to incorporate the Holodomor into their work to tell the world about this tragedy,” Daren Williams said.
The collection consists of about 300 paintings, hundreds of engravings, pamphlets, postage stamps, and other documents. His heirs say that Mr. Williams understood that people might hesitate to purchase artworks that commemorate suffering from hunger.
In collaboration with the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council, his children donated the collection to the National Museum of the Holodomor Genocide in Kyiv. The museum’s director plans to exhibit the collection to the public once the war is over.
“The museum has removed all items from display cases and has hidden those of higher value. It makes no sense to exhibit priceless items while Russia is bombing Ukraine daily. Any place could be hit at any time,” says Lesia Hasydzhak, the director of the National Museum of the Holodomor Genocide.
She adds that preserving this historic art has become even more important, as Russian troops in some occupied areas have destroyed monuments commemorating the Holodomor.
“They have destroyed such monuments in Mariupol, Luhansk, Melitopol, and Berdyansk…”
His daughter, Denise Ondrof, says one painting has stayed etched in her mind forever.
“One painting holds a special place for our entire family because the artist dedicated it to our father. The painting reflects the Tree of Life, but in reality, it is the Tree of Death, with people in the trunk of the tree extending their hands, like the leaves of the tree, which in fact takes the shape of Ukraine. To us, it represents our father’s passion for Ukraine and, especially, the absurdity of the country’s past, but also the emotions it evokes for all those affected, making it so powerful.”
A memorial ceremony was held in the U.S. capital to honor Mr. Morgan Williams’ work in support of Ukraine and the preservation of the history of that country.
/VOA
