This new book (Lviv: Apriori, 2018) presents the pinnacle of religious art created by the Ukrainian-Canadian artist William Kurelek. His "Passion of Christ" series comprises 160 large-format gouache paintings that illustrate the verses which describe the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. The book is published in four languages (English, Ukrainian, French, and Spanish) and is divided into separate text and illustration parts. The text presents a brief biography of Kurelek, describes his artistic studies and training, discusses his motivation to create the series, and provides a professional review. It is the first monograph about William Kurelek to be published in Ukraine.
CIUS Kolasky Fellow Khrystyna Beregovska is currently completing her PhD in art history, focusing on William Kurelek and his influence in the world of art. She teaches art history at the Lviv National Academy of Arts and the Lviv Polytechnic National University. In 2015-17 she was the director of the Department of Culture, Nationalities, and Religions of the Lviv Oblast State Administration. Ms. Beregovska has done extensive research on William Kurelek, and has authored over 20 articles on the artist and his works.