Asters Law Firm acted as a pro bono advisor in connection with donation of the unique private collection of Igor Dychenko (famous Ukrainian art critic, artist and collector) to the state-owned Mystetskyi Arsenal ("Art Arsenal") museum complex. The donation ceremony with the participation of Valeria Virsca, Mr. Dychenko's widow and sole heiress, and Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine, was held on October 12, 2015. Owning to the noble decision of Valeria Virsca, who had fulfilled the will of her husband, the priceless artistic heritage of the world class, consisting of 509 pieces of painting, graphic and applied arts, became a part of the Museum Fund of Ukraine.

"We are happy to take part in an unprecedented event in the cultural life of Ukraine: donation of a priceless art collection to the Ukrainian state. From our side, Asters' lawyers did everything possible in order to fulfill the last will of Ihor Dychenko and to ensure the bequeathing of his legacy to future generations of Ukrainians", – says Oleksiy Didkovskiy, Managing Partner at Asters.

Asters' lawyers advised on the preparation of all the necessary documents in order to ensure the integrity and inviolability of the collection in public ownership. In particular, according to the donation agreement the Ukrainian state guarantees the full preservation of the art collection, its entirety and prevention from pledge, denationalization or privatization. Asters' inheritance law team was represented by associate Olga Lepikhina under the lead of Asters Managing Partner Oleksiy Didkovskiy.

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The mission of the Art Arsenal is to envision a united concept encompassing the breadth of Ukrainian cultural achievement and initiative, and to promote that concept embodied in Ukrainian art, culture, and history, ensuring its place in the broader heritage of the world culture. In four years over two million visitors have crossed Arsenal's thresholds for 45 major, and scores of small-scale projects, organized by the team of the Mystetskyi Arsenal.

The exhibition "Open collection. Igor Dychenko and Valeria Virska – to the Ukrainian people" will be opened on October 29, 2015 at the Art Arsenal. Within this project the unique artworks from the private collection of a famous art critic Igor Dychenko will be exhibited. The collection has been donated to the Art Arsenal by Dychenko's widow Valeria Virska. In response to the noble gift the Art Arsenal introduces a free admission to the "Open collection" exhibition on October 29 – November 5, 2015.

Asters provides a full range of services in the area of family and inheritance law to Ukrainian and foreign clients, including legal counseling, drafting of various contracts concerning family matters and inheritance. Asters' lawyers assist in negotiations and alternative dispute resolution, including mediation, and represent clients before courts and government authorities. Our lawyers are always conscious of the unique nature of this practice, parties' significant emotional involvement into the process as well as profound impact of legal decisions on the client's life. That is why they approach each client and each situation individually and offer the most efficient solution. As a full-service law firm Asters is in a position to offer its clients vast expertise of its lawyers from other practices, including corporate, tax and real estate law, to solve complex family law problems. This allows us to comprehensively analyze each case and find a holistic solution. Furthermore, for the benefit of our clients, we closely cooperate with foreign law firms to create seamless cross-border experience for our clients.