Dmytro Didchenko
Dmytro Didchenko (also spelled Dmitro Didchenko, Dmitri Didchenko, Dydchenko, Didtschenko, Didtchenko, and Didczenko; 1893–1971) was a Ukrainian-born violin maker, restorer, and dealer active in Poland and later in New York City. He operated workshops in Poznań and Warsaw before emigrating to the United States, where he established himself on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Among his students was Zenon Wladimir Petesh (1906–1992), who became a founding member of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers and one of the most respected luthiers in 20th-century American violin making. Didchenko's instruments are documented in specialist auction archives and covered in The Strad, the leading international violin publication. He is also known historically for a widely reported fatal shooting at the American Museum of Natural History in February 1965.
Career
Europe
Didchenko worked as a violin maker and restorer in Poznań and Warsaw, Poland, prior to World War II.[1]
Between 1937 and 1940, Zenon Wladimir Petesh (1906–1992) — a Ukrainian-born luthier who became a founding member of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers — studied under Didchenko in Warsaw. According to a biographical entry by luthier historian John Dilworth, published by Amati Instruments, Petesh was "Pupil of Didtchenko in Warsaw, Poland 1937–1940" and subsequently "succeeded to the business and managed it until 1944."[2] Petesh later worked for Moennig in Philadelphia and for William Lewis and Kenneth Warren in Chicago, where he remained active until his death in 1992.[2]
New York
Didchenko emigrated to the United States and established himself as a violin maker, restorer, and dealer on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He was active primarily during the 1940s and 1950s. The New York Times identified him as a violin maker in its coverage of a 1965 incident, referring to him in a subsequent article as "Violin Maker."[3] A contemporaneous account in the New York Daily News described him as "a genius at violin manufacture and repair."[4]
A 1985 article in The Ukrainian Weekly documented Didchenko's standing in the Ukrainian-American community, referring to him as a master under whom craftsmen had trained and describing his circle's work as centered on "restoring, repairing and recreating violins."[5]
The Strad magazine covered Didchenko in an article titled "Murder in the Museum" by violin historian Philip Kass, published in its November 2011 issue.[6]
Instruments and auction record
Didchenko's instruments bear internal branded markings in the format "Dmytro Didchenko, [year], [number]" — for example, "Dmytro Didchenko, 1942, 261" — as well as the letter "D" branded onto the button of the instrument.[1][7] His documented output includes violins, violas, and cellos dated primarily from the early to late 1940s.
The Cozio Archive records 11 auction price results for instruments attributed to Didchenko, spanning sales at Tarisio, T2 Auctions, and Sotheby's between 2000 and 2025.[1] The complete documented auction record is as follows:
| Date | Type | Auction house | Sale price (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 6, 2000 | Violin | Sotheby's | $9,600 |
| Oct 18, 2009 | Viola | Tarisio | $2,520 |
| Apr 27, 2012 | Violin | Tarisio | $3,600 |
| May 9, 2014 | Violin | Tarisio | $4,200 |
| Aug 21, 2015 | Violin | Tarisio | $3,245 |
| Dec 13, 2019 | Violin | T2 Auctions | $1,180 |
| Jun 27, 2025 | Cello | New York | $12,320 |
| Nov 7, 2025 | Violin | New York | $11,400 |
The auction record for this maker is $12,320, achieved in June 2025 for a cello. The highest recorded violin result is $11,400, achieved in November 2025. The earliest recorded sale is a violin sold at Sotheby's in October 2000 for $9,600.[1]
In the specialist retail market, a violin by Didchenko dated 1947 has been offered by Frederick W. Oster Fine Violins of Philadelphia at approximately $16,000.[8]
1965 shooting and arrest
On February 7, 1965, Didchenko shot and killed his estranged wife, Gertrude Didchenko, 43, in the entrance hall of the American Museum of Natural History on Central Park West in Manhattan. He was arraigned on a homicide charge and sent to Bellevue Hospital for psychiatric tests.[9] Didchenko was 72 at the time.
The shooting was reported nationally via Associated Press wire service, with coverage appearing in newspapers across the United States on February 8, 1965.[10][11]
Approximately 30 visitors were present during the shooting, including the couple's young daughter. Attorney Bernard Tompkins, a former New York state senator who had been called to assist the child, collapsed and died of a heart attack at the police station that evening.[4]
The event was subsequently covered by violin historian Philip Kass in The Strad.[6]
Didchenko died in 1971.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Cozio Archive, Tarisio. "Dmytro Didtschenko," Maker ID 2146. https://tarisio.com/cozio-archive/browse-the-archive/makers/maker/?Maker_ID=2146 (subscription required). Accessed April 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 John Dilworth. "Zenon Wladimir Petesh." Amati Instruments Ltd., Makers Archive. https://amati.com/maker/petesh-zenon-wladimir/ Accessed April 2026.
- ↑ "Child of Tragedy Chooses a Home; Violin Maker's Daughter Prefers Life with Brooklyn Lawyer's Family." The New York Times, February 27, 1965. https://www.nytimes.com/1965/02/27/archives/child-of-tragedy-chooses-a-home-violin-makers-daughter-11-prefers.html
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 William Travers and Sidney Kline. "Murder Melee at Museum Violinmaker..." New York Daily News, February 8, 1965. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/418765561/
- ↑ The Ukrainian Weekly, Vol. LIII, No. 30, July 28, 1985, p. 11. https://archive.ukrweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/The_Ukrainian_Weekly_1985-30.pdf
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Philip Kass. "Murder in the Museum." The Strad, November 2011.
- ↑ Cozio Archive, Tarisio. "Dmitri Didchenko," Maker ID 5524. https://tarisio.com/cozio-archive/browse-the-archive/makers/maker/?Maker_ID=5524 (subscription required). Accessed April 2026.
- ↑ Frederick W. Oster Fine Violins. "Dmytro Didchenko, Violin, 1947, New York." https://www.osterviolins.com/product/dmytro-didchenko-violin-1947-new-york/ Accessed April 2026.
- ↑ "Slayers of Wife in Museum Sent to Bellevue for Tests." The New York Times, February 9, 1965. https://www.nytimes.com/1965/02/09/archives/slayers-of-wife-in-museum-sent-to-bellevue-for-tests.html
- ↑ Northwest Arkansas Times, February 8, 1965, p. 10. https://newspaperarchive.com/northwest-arkansas-times-feb-08-1965-p-3/
- ↑ San Mateo Times, February 8, 1965, p. 31. https://newspaperarchive.com/san-mateo-times-feb-08-1965-p-31/
External links
- Cozio Archive: Dmytro Didtschenko, Maker ID 2146 (subscription required)
- Cozio Archive: Dmitri Didchenko, Maker ID 5524 (subscription required)
- Amati Instruments: Zenon Wladimir Petesh — documents Didchenko apprenticeship
- New York Times, February 9, 1965
- New York Times, February 27, 1965
- Frederick W. Oster Fine Violins — 1947 violin listing
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