LITHUANIA, VILNIUS, Jun. 30 — On Jun. 28, an unknown person stole a work by Boris Mikhailov, a Kharkiv photographer, from the art museum at Radvilas Palace. The work was featured in the exhibition “Ukrainian Dreamers: The Kharkiv School of Photography,” reported Delfi, an online news portal that covers the Baltic countries.

An unknown person stole Mikhailov’s work from the “Twilight” series — he created “Twilight” two years after Ukraine declared its independence.

The photo was stolen after lunch. Museum workers noticed its absence shortly after the incident, but by that time, the suspect had already left the museum. The incident was captured on video, and, after workers reported it, police opened an investigation. 

“We can only guess at the motives behind the crime for now. We hope the police will be able to solve the case and return the artwork. This is an emotional loss for the team of exhibition organizers and artists,” said Justina Augustite, museum director.

The Kharkiv School of Photography is a community of local photographers that originated in the late 1960s and formed around the regional photography club. It was created in opposition to the Soviet style of socialist realism, which prevailed from 1934 until the 1980s.

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