Standing ovation was one of the most moving moments of the evening celebrating Ivan Marchuk’s 90th birthday. On that day, the artist was surrounded not only by his own canvases, but also by people for whom encountering his art had long been a deeply personal experience. Marchuk himself admitted that he had never before celebrated a birthday in such an atmosphere.

The artistic evening “Along the Roads of Life” took place on 12 May 2026 at the Orangerie of Schönbrunn Palace. Organised by the Ivan Marchuk Non-profit Private Foundation to mark the artist’s 90th birthday, the event brought together more than five hundred guests. Representatives of the diplomatic and cultural communities, museum professionals, artists, friends of the master and numerous admirers of his work came to honour him on this special occasion.

The event was attended by many distinguished guests. Among them were Father Vitalii Danchak, a mitrophoric archpriest of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and Secretary for Public Relations of the Metropolitanate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, as well as representatives of the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine and the Museum of the History of Kyiv.

During the formal part of the evening, Ivan Marchuk received several prestigious honours. On behalf of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Father Vitalii Danchak presented the artist with the Order of the Holy Archangel Michael, First Class – the highest grade of this honorary ecclesiastical distinction. It is awarded for outstanding service to the Church, selfless dedication and a significant contribution to the development of Ukrainian society.

Representatives of the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine presented Marchuk with the Order of Arts, First Class, the Academy’s highest distinction for an exceptional contribution to the development of Ukrainian art. Representatives of the Museum of the History of Kyiv also presented him with the Mayor of Kyiv’s Badge of Honour, one of the highest municipal distinctions awarded by the Ukrainian capital.

For several hours, the historic setting of the Orangerie was transformed into a world of its own, where painting, music and the artist’s presence came together to form a harmonious artistic whole. The works on display traced the evolution of Marchuk’s creative explorations and revealed the extraordinary diversity of the artistic universe he has shaped over the course of many decades.

In comments published after the event, visitors described the powerful emotions they experienced in the presence of the paintings. Many guests observed that Marchuk’s canvases required no additional explanation: they spoke directly to the viewer, awakening personal memories, associations and feelings.

The musical programme lent the evening a particularly distinctive atmosphere. The artist’s daughter, Bohdana Pivnenko – a People’s Artist of Ukraine and an acclaimed violinist – performed for the audience. The programme also featured the vocal ensemble Pikkardiyska Tertsiya and the opera singer Susanna Chakhoyan. The music flowed naturally between the different parts of the evening, entering into a vivid dialogue with the exhibition space.

At the heart of the event was Ivan Marchuk’s address to the audience. He spoke about the forces that had shaped his life and continued to define it: his constant need to work, the new artistic ideas that never allow him to stand still, and his profound connection with Ukraine.

Even at the age of ninety, the artist maintains his familiar rhythm of life: the studio, new canvases, daily reflection, walks through Vienna’s Stadtpark, and then a return to work once again. There was no desire in his words to draw conclusions or sum up his life. On the contrary, his address sounded like a testament to a journey that is still unfolding.

Age has placed no limits on his creative work. Ivan Marchuk remains an artist for whom every new day offers an opportunity to begin another painting and discover an artistic solution he has not yet explored.

Following his address, the audience rose to their feet and applauded for a long time. Their response expressed gratitude not only for the paintings he had created, but also for the uncompromising integrity with which Marchuk had preserved his own artistic language over the decades, never adapting it to the expectations of his time or surroundings.

The same sentiment was echoed in the visitors’ comments. For many, the meeting at Schönbrunn was memorable above all for the rare opportunity to see the artist alongside his works, to hear him speak and to sense the magnitude of the personality behind every canvas. Marchuk was described as a man whose artistic legacy had become part of an entire era, and as a master who had preserved both his freedom of thought and his fidelity to himself.

The evening “Along the Roads of Life” was far more than a ceremonial celebration of a milestone birthday. The gathering at Schönbrunn once again demonstrated that Ivan Marchuk’s art continues to resonate deeply far beyond the borders of Ukraine, while remaining inseparably connected to its culture and spiritual experience.