The Ivan Kavaleridze Museum will host an exhibition of oil paintings by Michael Willard from May 15 to 25.   The exhibition’s invitation-only gala opening will be held on Tuesday, May 19 at 7 p.m.

The exhibition, “A Colorful Life,” will be Willard’s third one-man show.  It will include more than 30 canvases, some of which are in private collections and have been loaned to the artist for the exhibition.

Willard, the chairman and CEO of Willard, an advertising and public relations agency with offices in Kyiv, Moscow and Istanbul, began painting at age 49 while living in Washington, D.C.   Almost 13 years and more than 400 paintings later, he is still experimenting with colors and the rich natural palette that surrounds him in Kyiv. 

“To me, the mixture of oil paint and linseed oil is the stuff of perfume,” Willard said, adding that “over the years, I have never been comfortable calling myself an artist. Painter will do.”

Willard is also the accomplished author of several business books, including “The Flak: A PR Journey” and the soon-to-be-released “Optimistic Alien.”

The Ivan Kavaleridze Museum is located at 21 Andriyivsky Uzviz.