The National Museum of Ukrainian Folk Decorative Art is one of the largest art museums of Ukraine. Its collection comprises of over 80 thousand items of the traditional folk and professional decorative art of Ukraine since 15 till early 21 century.

     The history of the museum collection started in 1899, when the first public museum – the City Museum of ancientries and arts. It was located in a specially built premise on the Oleksandrovska street (today it is 6, Grushevska street).

     During the next decades the museum several times changed its name. It was Kyiv art - industrial and scientific museum named after the Russian Tsar Mykola Oleksandrovych, the First state museum, the All-Ukrainian Historical Museum named after Taras Shevchenko, Kyiv state museum of Ukrainian arts. In 1936 its historical and archeological collection was served as the basis of the State historical museum (today it is the National museum of the history of Ukraine). In 1954 the collection of folk art and artistic craft became an independent segment and was housed as a branch on the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra in the metropolite chambers and adjacent home church of Annunciation (historic landmark of 18 – early 20 century).

     In 1964 the branch was turned into the independent institution named as the State museum of the Ukrainian decorative art. In 2010 the museum was granted the National status.

     The museum collection represents all types of traditional folk art of Ukraine – carpet weaving, fabric weaving, vybiyka (folk decorative printing on fabric), embroidery, pottery, wood carving and painting, artistic leather, bone and metal working, art glass, porcelain, glazed pottery, enamel, decorative painting, vytynanka (delicate ornament paper patterns), batik, painted Easter eggs, folk painting and icon painting.

     The museum collected diverse in material, form, décor and meaning items of family life that have been transformed by the talented craftsmen into highly artistic work of art. All of them demonstrate highly expressive national and regional peculiarities.

     The museum possesses a significant collection of art works created by the professional artists of Ukrainian decorative art that trace the folk traditions and tendencies to complex spatial compositions of the image bearing associative content.

     The collection of carpets that encompasses over a thousand works of art since 18 till early 21 century is an ample evidence of the high-level and original artistic culture of the Ukrainian people which enables to trace the process of formation of a single national style, demonstrates the diversity of the carpet ornamentation from different centers. The rarities of the collection include the carpets from the Volyn (1782), Poltava (1831), Podillya (1871) regions, and carpet dated back to the 18 century from the sepulture of hetman Danylo Apostle.

     Over seven thousand items form the collection of artistic clothes (18-early 21 century). Beautiful in pattern and color the fabric samples (ritual towels, tablecloths, bench decorative cloths, linen, vereta (interior decorative fabric), etc.) decorated tables, benches, chests, beds and icon shelves. Different fabric items were used as the elements of the folk garments. The set of silk belts embroidered with golden threads that served as an accessory for the overclothes of rich petty bourgeois and Cossack top-ranking officials is one of the most valuable parts of the collection.

     The pottery – over 14 thousand items from 15 till early 21 century- occupies the significant place in the museum collection. One can enjoy different it form, décor and purpose household articles, figured vessels in the shape of wild and domestic animals, birds, toys, etc. The terracotta tiles since 15 till 17 centuries decorated with raised ornament are unique articles of art. The 20th century pottery encompasses works of leading pottery plants and works of authorship created by professional pottery artists of Ukraine.

     Over six thousand works are assembled in the collection of wood carving and painting, bone, leather and metal working. The wood was the most available material in the everyday life of Ukrainian people in recent times. It was used for making carts and sledges, cases of windows and doors, pieces of furniture (tables, benches, chests, plate shelves), shelves for icons, toys, etc. The wooden carved set in silver cross (1576) from the Volyn region is the earliest dated museum article. The collection of horn and bone Cossacks’ gun-powder flasks (late 17 – 19 centuries) with engraved ornament is one of the largest in Ukraine.

     The unique collection of porcelain and glazed pottery comprises of more than six thousand works of art dated to 18 – 20th centuries. They present the most beautiful products of all Ukrainian porcelain and ceramic works. The museum possesses the rare samples from the Koretsky porcelain factory (1784-1831), that trace the classicism-style features. The Baranivka porcelain factory (founded in 1803) products are considered to be the best samples of the Empire style. The majority of products manufactured at the Volokytyn porcelain works (1839-1861) are marked with the “second rococo” trend that was very popular in the middle of 19 century.

     The museum is proud of the biggest in Ukraine collection of Kyiv – Mezhygirya porcelain factory (1798-1876). The wide assortment, high technical level and peculiar style of décor are typical to its products.

     The art glass collection (16-20th centuries) contains over four thousand items and the most interesting samples of the so called Gutne glass. The “guta” meant a small artisan workshop that produced glass and manufactured different vessels like shtoffs, carafe, kegs, goblets, cups, vases, etc. decorated by moldings, engravings, enamel paintings.

     The glass figure vessels in the shape of bears, lambs, geese, ducks, birds that have been very popular among the people attract attention of visitors. The glass engraved goblet designed in 1731 for the prince Mykhaylo Servatsiy Korybut Vishnevetsky is considered to be the unique work of art.

     The collection presents beautiful works of artists from the second half of 20 century that worked at the leading glass works of Ukraine – Kyiv and Lviv art glass plants with their peculiar deep understanding of ancient traditions and search for new forms of artistic expressiveness.

     The collection of painted Easter eggs encompasses more than four thousand units since 19 till early 21 century. The painted Easter egg or pysanka is a peculiar phenomenon of Ukrainian culture that revealed the high spirituality of the people and its philosophic understanding of life in the most pronounced way. The museum houses the collection of painted Easter eggs from all regions of Ukraine with peculiar pattern and colour features.

     The collection of decorative painting, folk art, icon paintings, vytynanka (delicate ornament paper patterns), - over six thousand articles since 18 till early 21 century is rich and diverse. The decorative ornament compositions on paper developed from the wall paintings of dwellings that were very popular in some localities of Ukraine, especially in Dnipropetrovsk area. It was nowhere but here, especially in the village of Petrykivka the folk painting art got the peculiar development and became known as “Petrykivka painting”. G. Sobachko-Shostak, T. Pata, P. Vlasenko, M. Tymchenko were unsurpassed artists of the decorative genre.

     The museum possesses the largest in Ukraine collection of works painted by the People’s painter of Ukraine Maria Pryimachenko (1909 – 1997) that encompasses more than six hundred fantastic and fairy tale compositions. Maria Prymachenko is among Top-10 primitive artists of the world.

     Thirty seven canvases of the People’s painter of Ukraine Kateryna Bilokur (1900 – 1961) whose artistic heritage by rights belongs to the treasury of the world art are considered to be the pearl of the museum collection.