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Mostly Cloudy The art of Claudia Wiasigina, a Ukrainian refugee in Sea Cliff
Dozens of art-lovers and members of Sea Cliff’s Russian and Ukrainian community gathered in Glen Cove on Aug. 10 for a sale of one of the village’s most memorable artists, Claudia Wiasigina. A refugee from Ukraine during the World War II, Wiasigina was a classically trained painter who survived the war, exile and the loss of her family before ending up in Sea Cliff, where she spent many years living and painting.
Born in Kharkiv in Ukraine during the early days of the Russian Civil War, Wiasigina grew up in the city where she would study at the Kharkiv School of Fine Arts and later at the Fine Arts Institute. By the time World War II began, she was married with a daughter.
When the Nazis invaded Ukraine, Wiasigina was taken by the Wehrmacht (armed forces in Nazi Germany) and forced to work in German military hospitals in different countries across Europe, and she would never see her husband or her father again. When the war ended, she lived in Munich for several years before emigrating to the United States in 1951, eventually making her way to Sea Cliff.
Throughout her time in Germany and the rest of her life in America, Wiasigina would continue to paint, everything from portraits to landscapes to scenes from Ukrainian folklife. She participated in numerous group shows, including the Society of Artists of Long Island and the Association of American Artists, and of course with the Sea Cliff Civic Association.
Although Wiasigina died in 1978, her art has continued to be a part of the Russian and Ukrainian community in Sea Cliff. Dozens of pieces of her art were collected by Wladimir and Valentina Kowalenko of Glen Cove, and when they both died recently, they left her art to be sold, which led to dozens of people visiting the Kowalenko’s former home on Aug. 10.
Many elderly residents who attended the art sale reminisced about seeing the various paintings in the homes of family friends and relatives when they were growing up. Valentina Nedo, who knew Wiasigina, said it was great to see how popular her work was to this day in the community.
“I like art, and I loved her style of art, so of course we talked about it all the time,” Nedo said. “She was so very nice, and a wonderful artist.”
A quarter of all proceeds from the sales went to the Little Hearts International charity, which is dedicated to performing life-saving heart surgery for children. It is currently focusing its efforts in Ukraine. So far, roughly $3,000 has been raised for the organization through the art sale.
The sale is ongoing through Aug. 31. Those interested in viewing or purchasing Wiasigina’s art can reach out to Nicholas Sluchevsky at (516) 309-3798.
