gymnasium in Hlukhiv. In 1909-1910 Ernst studied at the philosophical faculty of Berlin University, and in 1910-1914 he studied art history at the University of Kyiv. During this time he worked at the library and art gallery of the Academy of Arts, and co-operated with a number of magazines, creating a paper on the architecture of Kyiv in the 17-18th centuries.

In Kyiv Ernst was close to the circle of