The exhibition brings together works by artists from the gallery of different periods and directions, for whom color was the most important means of artistic expression.
March 24th - June 20th, 2023
TRUE COLORS
The exhibition "True Colors" brings together the works of artists from the gallery. The leitmotif of the exposition is "color" as a fundamental means of artistic expression.
The exhibition features works by contemporary artists, both male and female, whose relationships with color go beyond conventional color representation. These artists either adhere to a personal mythology of expressionist thinking or base their work on various color theories. In English, there is an idiom "someone's true colors," which can be translated as "one's true self." Through their free interpretation of color, colorist artists define themselves, their "true selves," and their inner worlds, constructing a new reality and achieving the desired emotional register. The vivid color combinations become a fundamental means of artistic expression and an important tool for creating striking compositions.
At the same time, Michel Pastoureau, a French researcher and author of books on the historical semantics of color, notes that color is a complex cultural construct that resists any generalization, except for analysis.
For example, Natalia Turnova uses bright, saturated local colors in her monumental works to emphasize internal drama and tension. For Evgeny Muzalevsky, spontaneous and impulsive painting is essential, somewhat reminiscent of automatic writing practices; sometimes, during the process of creating a painting, he mixes paints directly on the canvas. For Viki Begalskaya, color is a powerful tool that transforms the canvas into a sharp statement. For minimalist Alexander Yulikov, color serves as the foundation for his reflexive experiments with form construction. Igor Shelkovsky often compensates for the austerity of chopped forms with a colorful palette drawn from the pure spectrum.
The exhibition also includes works from the gallery's collection, including pieces by French abstract artist Claude Bellegarde, who was called "one of the last colorists, but in the true, almost philosophical sense of the word," and Gerard Schneider, one of the main artists of French lyrical abstraction, whose relationship with color was emotional and intuitive.
The exhibition features works by Igor Сhelkovski, Mikhail Chernishov, Natalia Turnova, Vladimir Andreenkov, Igor Skaletsky, Evgeny Muzalevsky, Timofey Parshchikov, Viki Begalskaya, Vladimir Nemukhin, Alexander Yulikov, Viktor Vazareli, Gerard Schneider, and Claude Bellegarde.
The exhibition features works by contemporary artists, both male and female, whose relationships with color go beyond conventional color representation. These artists either adhere to a personal mythology of expressionist thinking or base their work on various color theories. In English, there is an idiom "someone's true colors," which can be translated as "one's true self." Through their free interpretation of color, colorist artists define themselves, their "true selves," and their inner worlds, constructing a new reality and achieving the desired emotional register. The vivid color combinations become a fundamental means of artistic expression and an important tool for creating striking compositions.
At the same time, Michel Pastoureau, a French researcher and author of books on the historical semantics of color, notes that color is a complex cultural construct that resists any generalization, except for analysis.
For example, Natalia Turnova uses bright, saturated local colors in her monumental works to emphasize internal drama and tension. For Evgeny Muzalevsky, spontaneous and impulsive painting is essential, somewhat reminiscent of automatic writing practices; sometimes, during the process of creating a painting, he mixes paints directly on the canvas. For Viki Begalskaya, color is a powerful tool that transforms the canvas into a sharp statement. For minimalist Alexander Yulikov, color serves as the foundation for his reflexive experiments with form construction. Igor Shelkovsky often compensates for the austerity of chopped forms with a colorful palette drawn from the pure spectrum.
The exhibition also includes works from the gallery's collection, including pieces by French abstract artist Claude Bellegarde, who was called "one of the last colorists, but in the true, almost philosophical sense of the word," and Gerard Schneider, one of the main artists of French lyrical abstraction, whose relationship with color was emotional and intuitive.
The exhibition features works by Igor Сhelkovski, Mikhail Chernishov, Natalia Turnova, Vladimir Andreenkov, Igor Skaletsky, Evgeny Muzalevsky, Timofey Parshchikov, Viki Begalskaya, Vladimir Nemukhin, Alexander Yulikov, Viktor Vazareli, Gerard Schneider, and Claude Bellegarde.
The exposition views
The selected works
From the series "Flowers," 2022
Canvas, oil
Canvas, oil
77 x 75 cm
Composition, 1989
Paper, pastel
81 x 89 cm
Paper, pastel
81 x 89 cm
From the series "Being Loves to Hide," 2012
Canvas, oil
190 x 150 cm
Canvas, oil
190 x 150 cm
"Corridor," 2022
Oil on canvas
110 × 100 cm
Oil on canvas
110 × 100 cm
Abstract composition, 2008
Canvas, oil
Canvas, oil
105 x 85 cm
Untitled, 2022
Canvas, oil
Canvas, oil
280 x 165 cm
Venice Burano из серии "Color Matrix. Unreal Venice", 2011
C-Print mounted to plexiglass, thin black aluminum frame.
Edition 6/7+ 2 A.P
120 х 180 см
C-Print mounted to plexiglass, thin black aluminum frame.
Edition 6/7+ 2 A.P
120 х 180 см
Woman-Tractor, as the final stage of the evolutionary development of the female body in a patriarchal society, 2008
Canvas, oil
127 x 160 cm
Canvas, oil
127 x 160 cm
Black Stripe, 2000
Canvas, oil
60 x 45 cm
Жизнь в телевизоре, 1972
Холст, масло
50 х 50 см
"Tree. Sculpture Sketch," 2002
Canvas, acrylic, graphite pencil, chalk
70 × 50 cm
Canvas, acrylic, graphite pencil, chalk
70 × 50 cm
Composition, 1970s
Canvas, oil
61.5 × 32 cm
Canvas, oil
61.5 × 32 cm
Armchair "Fat," 2022
Wood, paint
140 x 60 cm; seat height 60 cm
Wood, paint
140 x 60 cm; seat height 60 cm
Composition, 1967
Paper, gouache
Paper, gouache
48.5 x 63.5 cm
TD#1, 2020 (2022)
Steel
150 x 100 x 50 cm
Steel
150 x 100 x 50 cm
Composition, 1990
Paper, gouache
84.5 × 100.5 cm
Paper, gouache
84.5 × 100.5 cm
From the series "Diagnosis," 2009
Canvas, oil
100 x 90 cm
Canvas, oil
100 x 90 cm
Ingui-Niel, 1970s
Screen print
Edition 126/250
Screen print
Edition 126/250
61 x 77 cm
Igor Chelkovski
From the series "Flowers," 2022
Canvas, oil
77 x 75 cm
Igor Chelkovski is a non-conformist artist, sculptor, and publisher of the renowned magazine "A—Я" (1979-1986) on contemporary unofficial art, literature, and philosophy.
In 1976, the artist emigrated to Paris, and in 1985, he was deprived of Soviet citizenship "for actions incompatible with Soviet citizenship."
Chelkovski's works combine plastic expressiveness and imagery. The artist's creativity has remained relevant since the 1970s when his style was formed, thanks to experiments with color, form, and materials within his artistic manner.
Chelkovski is known for his sculptural "objects" that can be scaled up to enormous sizes. One of the recurring motifs in his work is the graphic silhouettes of people, enlarged in volume, which organically fit into the urban landscape. Chelkovski creates reliefs with schematic representations of forested areas or urban spaces, balancing between painting and sculpture.
In 2020, the artist received the First Moscow Art Award in the category of "Visual Arts and Architecture."
His works are part of collections at the Centre Pompidou, the Russian Museum, the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Ludwig Foundation Museum in Vienna, the Zimmerli Museum, and various other museums worldwide.
Mikhail Chernyshov
Composition, 1989
Paper, pastel
The Russian and American artist, who many art critics consider one of the most important figures on the Soviet art scene in the second half of the 20th century, simultaneously worked in the directions of pop art and geometric abstraction and was one of the pioneers of performance art in the USSR, is Michael Chernishov.
Chernishov's style and primary interests began to take shape in the late 1950s, distinct from other artists, groups, and schools. He consciously started pursuing art at the age of 15 after seeing the works of abstract expressionists at the American National Exhibition in Sokolniki in 1959.
In the 1960s, he was friends with artists Mikhail Roginsky and Vladimir Yakovlev. In 1962, Chernishov had his first apartment exhibition titled "Red Truck," which took place in the Mnevniki district of Moscow at Mikhail Roginsky's residence. Two years later, Roginsky and Chernishov organized a joint exhibition at the "Disk" cinema in Moscow.
In the early 1960s, Chernishov studied at the Zagorsk Art and Industrial Technical School for Toys, and later he enrolled in the Department of Art History at the Historical Faculty of Moscow State University. However, after two years, during the study of Byzantine art, he lost interest and was dismissed.
In 1974, he participated in the "Second Autumn Review of Paintings" in Izmaylovsky Park in Moscow, known as the Izmailovo Exhibition. In 1975, he conducted the happening "30th Anniversary of the United Nations" with a group of artists in Moscow, and in 1976, he collaborated with Boris Bech on the happening "Doubling I" in Vorontsov Park (Moscow). Two years later, in 1978, Michael Chernishov, Boris Bech, Konstantin Zvezdochotov, Vitaly Dlugy, and A. Vlamov organized the happening "Doubling II."
In 1978, a retrospective of his works from 1961 to 1978 was held at the Moscow Graphic Artists' Union (Gorkom of Graphic Artists). In 1980, he emigrated from the USSR. In 1987, he wrote a memoir, "Moscow 1961-67," about the early years of his artistic career. He currently lives and works in New York.
Composition, 1989
Paper, pastel
81 x 89 cm
The Russian and American artist, who many art critics consider one of the most important figures on the Soviet art scene in the second half of the 20th century, simultaneously worked in the directions of pop art and geometric abstraction and was one of the pioneers of performance art in the USSR, is Michael Chernishov.
Chernishov's style and primary interests began to take shape in the late 1950s, distinct from other artists, groups, and schools. He consciously started pursuing art at the age of 15 after seeing the works of abstract expressionists at the American National Exhibition in Sokolniki in 1959.
In the 1960s, he was friends with artists Mikhail Roginsky and Vladimir Yakovlev. In 1962, Chernishov had his first apartment exhibition titled "Red Truck," which took place in the Mnevniki district of Moscow at Mikhail Roginsky's residence. Two years later, Roginsky and Chernishov organized a joint exhibition at the "Disk" cinema in Moscow.
In the early 1960s, Chernishov studied at the Zagorsk Art and Industrial Technical School for Toys, and later he enrolled in the Department of Art History at the Historical Faculty of Moscow State University. However, after two years, during the study of Byzantine art, he lost interest and was dismissed.
In 1974, he participated in the "Second Autumn Review of Paintings" in Izmaylovsky Park in Moscow, known as the Izmailovo Exhibition. In 1975, he conducted the happening "30th Anniversary of the United Nations" with a group of artists in Moscow, and in 1976, he collaborated with Boris Bech on the happening "Doubling I" in Vorontsov Park (Moscow). Two years later, in 1978, Michael Chernishov, Boris Bech, Konstantin Zvezdochotov, Vitaly Dlugy, and A. Vlamov organized the happening "Doubling II."
In 1978, a retrospective of his works from 1961 to 1978 was held at the Moscow Graphic Artists' Union (Gorkom of Graphic Artists). In 1980, he emigrated from the USSR. In 1987, he wrote a memoir, "Moscow 1961-67," about the early years of his artistic career. He currently lives and works in New York.
Michael Chernishov's works can be found in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow), the Russian Museum (St. Petersburg), the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (Moscow), the Zimmerli Museum (New Jersey, USA), and other museums.
Natalia Turnova
From the series "Being Loves to Hide," 2012
Canvas, oil
190 x 150 cm
Natalia Turnova (born 1957) is an artist and sculptor who holds a special place in contemporary Russian art. She grew up in the East: she was born in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and at the age of five, she moved to Burma in Southeast Asia with her parents. Researchers of Turnova's work suggest that the vibrant, rich colors of the East greatly influenced the color palette of her paintings.
After graduating from the Moscow Higher Art and Industrial School (formerly Stroganov School) in 1983, she met Boris Orlov, an artist who recognized the affinity of her art with the unofficial art scene, which largely shaped her subsequent path. Since the 1990s, Natalia Turnova became one of the most sought-after artists. By that time, she had developed her own distinctive style: an expressionist manner, bright colors, large formats, and precise forms.
Turnova has always been true to her intuition, not seeking to belong to any specific art movements or groups. As a result, she became an original artist and philosopher for whom creativity is something that grows out of life. This is why any statement she makes, born from deep reflections and numerous trials and errors, is a declaration about existence and essence, made by a keen observer and researcher.
Natalia Turnova's works are held in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, the Far Eastern Art Museum, the Museum of Oklahoma (USA), the Museum of Modern Art in Lodz (Poland), and others.
Vladimir Andreenkov
Abstract composition, 2008
Canvas, oil
Vladimir Andreenkov is a Soviet and Russian painter, sculptor, and non-conformist graphic artist, and one of the pioneers of geometric abstraction in our country. He was born on August 23, 1930, in the city of Chausy in eastern Belarus. In 1944, he enrolled at the Moscow State Art School. In 1958, he graduated from the Surikov Institute. During that time, he participated in two significant exhibitions for his generation: the 4th Moscow Youth Exhibition at Kuznetsky Most, 11, and the All-Union Art Exhibition "40 Years of the Komsomol" at the Manege in Moscow, where he exhibited his work "Female Portrait." After defending his diploma, he made a living as an illustrator for various publishing houses. Starting in 1962, he became a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR, and from 1968, he worked at the Moscow Art Graphic Arts Combine, where he exhibited prints, including linocuts and lithographs.
From 1970 onwards, he exhibited abroad, primarily in Switzerland. In 1987, together with Y. Zlotnikov, D. Prigov, B. Orlov, and P. Malinovsky, he participated in the creation of the "First Creative Association." Relative success came to the artist during the years of the fall of the Iron Curtain and the dissolution of the USSR. After 1989, Andreenkov became in demand, and he was invited to participate in numerous exhibitions in Russia and abroad.
Audiences and critics have noted the musicality of the artist's work, as reflected in the combinations of contrasting, often very vibrant, spectrally pure colors, the clarity of proportions, the sharpness of boundaries between color planes, and the expressive linear rhythm. The titles of his works often directly reference musical themes, such as "Harmonies," "Concertos," "Variations," "Fugues" (Red, Blue, Green), "Trio" (Alto, Cello, Violin), "Rhythms," and more.
In 2001 and 2015, retrospective exhibitions of the artist were held in the exhibition hall of the Union of Artists on Kuznetsky Most. Andreenkov's works can be found in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery (GTG), the State Museum of Oriental Art (GRM), as well as in museums in Tula, Belgorod, Orel, Kemerovo, Vladivostok, Mogilev, and Padua.
Abstract composition, 2008
Canvas, oil
105 x 85 cm
Vladimir Andreenkov is a Soviet and Russian painter, sculptor, and non-conformist graphic artist, and one of the pioneers of geometric abstraction in our country. He was born on August 23, 1930, in the city of Chausy in eastern Belarus. In 1944, he enrolled at the Moscow State Art School. In 1958, he graduated from the Surikov Institute. During that time, he participated in two significant exhibitions for his generation: the 4th Moscow Youth Exhibition at Kuznetsky Most, 11, and the All-Union Art Exhibition "40 Years of the Komsomol" at the Manege in Moscow, where he exhibited his work "Female Portrait." After defending his diploma, he made a living as an illustrator for various publishing houses. Starting in 1962, he became a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR, and from 1968, he worked at the Moscow Art Graphic Arts Combine, where he exhibited prints, including linocuts and lithographs.
From 1970 onwards, he exhibited abroad, primarily in Switzerland. In 1987, together with Y. Zlotnikov, D. Prigov, B. Orlov, and P. Malinovsky, he participated in the creation of the "First Creative Association." Relative success came to the artist during the years of the fall of the Iron Curtain and the dissolution of the USSR. After 1989, Andreenkov became in demand, and he was invited to participate in numerous exhibitions in Russia and abroad.
Audiences and critics have noted the musicality of the artist's work, as reflected in the combinations of contrasting, often very vibrant, spectrally pure colors, the clarity of proportions, the sharpness of boundaries between color planes, and the expressive linear rhythm. The titles of his works often directly reference musical themes, such as "Harmonies," "Concertos," "Variations," "Fugues" (Red, Blue, Green), "Trio" (Alto, Cello, Violin), "Rhythms," and more.
In 2001 and 2015, retrospective exhibitions of the artist were held in the exhibition hall of the Union of Artists on Kuznetsky Most. Andreenkov's works can be found in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery (GTG), the State Museum of Oriental Art (GRM), as well as in museums in Tula, Belgorod, Orel, Kemerovo, Vladivostok, Mogilev, and Padua.
Igor Skaletsky
Corridor, 2022
Canvas, oil
A multidisciplinary artist who works and lives in Moscow, Tel Aviv, Berlin, and London. Born in 1978 in Voronezh, he immigrated to Israel with his parents at the age of 13. In 2006, Skaletsky participated in his first group project, the exhibition of young art called "Power," which took place at the Moscow Museum of Contemporary Art. Even then, the curators defined the goal of his work as "associative exploration based on emotional experience." A few years later, in 2008, Skaletsky earned his bachelor's degree in the workshop of Tatiana Nazarenko at the Surikov Moscow State Academic Art Institute.
In 2009, Skaletsky held his first small solo exhibition in Moscow's MEL space. In the following years, his works were featured in group and solo exhibitions in Moscow, Kaliningrad, Tel Aviv, Paris, Stockholm, and at art fairs around the world.
For many years, Skaletsky's preferred technique was digital collage with elements of painting, which immersed the viewer in a phantasmagorical world of grotesque images borrowed from global mass media and classical Western culture. The artist's method involved combining or juxtaposing seemingly incompatible visual elements from high and low culture, creating paradoxical, provocative, loud, and often on the edge of vulgarity and kitsch images.
Recently, exclusively working with Alina Pinsky Gallery, he has turned to painting in which grotesque is combined with expressive vibrant colors and surrealistic composition.
Corridor, 2022
Canvas, oil
110 x 100 cm
A multidisciplinary artist who works and lives in Moscow, Tel Aviv, Berlin, and London. Born in 1978 in Voronezh, he immigrated to Israel with his parents at the age of 13. In 2006, Skaletsky participated in his first group project, the exhibition of young art called "Power," which took place at the Moscow Museum of Contemporary Art. Even then, the curators defined the goal of his work as "associative exploration based on emotional experience." A few years later, in 2008, Skaletsky earned his bachelor's degree in the workshop of Tatiana Nazarenko at the Surikov Moscow State Academic Art Institute.
In 2009, Skaletsky held his first small solo exhibition in Moscow's MEL space. In the following years, his works were featured in group and solo exhibitions in Moscow, Kaliningrad, Tel Aviv, Paris, Stockholm, and at art fairs around the world.
For many years, Skaletsky's preferred technique was digital collage with elements of painting, which immersed the viewer in a phantasmagorical world of grotesque images borrowed from global mass media and classical Western culture. The artist's method involved combining or juxtaposing seemingly incompatible visual elements from high and low culture, creating paradoxical, provocative, loud, and often on the edge of vulgarity and kitsch images.
Recently, exclusively working with Alina Pinsky Gallery, he has turned to painting in which grotesque is combined with expressive vibrant colors and surrealistic composition.
Tim Parchikov
Venice Burano 2011. Из серии «Color Matrix. Unreal Venice»
C-Print mounted to plexiglass, thin black
aluminum frame. Edition 6/7+ 2 A.P.
120/180 cм
The laureate of the Kandinsky Prize and the Moscow Art Prize, Tim Parchikov (born 1983), is one of the few Russian artists long represented by European and Asian galleries.
Parchikov works with photography. His works stand out due to the influence of his education in the cinematography department at VGIK, cinematic elements, and a cinephile aesthetic. Tim Parchikov's solo exhibitions have been held in Rome, Madrid, Paris, Cologne, St. Petersburg, and Moscow.
He participated in the Venice Biennale (2011), the Thessaloniki Photo Biennale (2014), and the Lianzhou Photo Festival (2016). His works are regularly exhibited at prestigious art fairs such as Art Basel, Frieze, and ARCO.
Vika Begalska
Woman-Tractor, as the final stage of the evolutionary development of the female body in a patriarchal society, 2008
Canvas, oil
Vika Begalskaia (*1975) was born in Dnipro, Ukraine. She graduated from the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts. In 2001, she moved to Moscow and began collaborating with the pop/off/art gallery, where she had several solo exhibitions. In addition to her main medium, painting, she also works with video and performance art. In 2013, she co-founded the art platform "Feminist Kitchen" in Moscow with Oksana Sarkisyan and Vladislav Chizhenkov. Since 2014, she has been working with Alexander Vilkin. In 2014, together with Alexander Vilkin and Diana Portland, she founded the creative union of sex workers and artists called "Teresa" in St. Petersburg.
Since 2014, the creative union has implemented several art projects, including two puppet shows: "Aphrodite's Belt" and "Military Boots Ask for Tenderness."
In 2015, "Aphrodite's Belt" was nominated for the "Innovation" award in the category of "Main Visual Project of the Year." In 2016, the project became part of the collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Antwerp (MHKA).
Among her group exhibitions are "Gender Troubles" (special project of the 1st Moscow International Biennale of Contemporary Art, MMOMA, 2005); "ArtDigital: Borderline State" (special project of the 2nd Moscow International Biennale of Contemporary Art, Mars Gallery, 2007); "Free Spaces" (special project of the 4th Moscow International Biennale of Contemporary Art, Moscow, 2011); "Cinema Program of the 5th Moscow International Biennale of Contemporary Art" (Central Exhibition Hall "Manege," 2013); "Generation XXI. The Gift of Vladimir Smirnov and Konstantin Sorokin" (Tretyakov Gallery, 2020), and more.
Woman-Tractor, as the final stage of the evolutionary development of the female body in a patriarchal society, 2008
Canvas, oil
127 x 160 cm
Vika Begalskaia (*1975) was born in Dnipro, Ukraine. She graduated from the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts. In 2001, she moved to Moscow and began collaborating with the pop/off/art gallery, where she had several solo exhibitions. In addition to her main medium, painting, she also works with video and performance art. In 2013, she co-founded the art platform "Feminist Kitchen" in Moscow with Oksana Sarkisyan and Vladislav Chizhenkov. Since 2014, she has been working with Alexander Vilkin. In 2014, together with Alexander Vilkin and Diana Portland, she founded the creative union of sex workers and artists called "Teresa" in St. Petersburg.
Since 2014, the creative union has implemented several art projects, including two puppet shows: "Aphrodite's Belt" and "Military Boots Ask for Tenderness."
In 2015, "Aphrodite's Belt" was nominated for the "Innovation" award in the category of "Main Visual Project of the Year." In 2016, the project became part of the collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Antwerp (MHKA).
Among her group exhibitions are "Gender Troubles" (special project of the 1st Moscow International Biennale of Contemporary Art, MMOMA, 2005); "ArtDigital: Borderline State" (special project of the 2nd Moscow International Biennale of Contemporary Art, Mars Gallery, 2007); "Free Spaces" (special project of the 4th Moscow International Biennale of Contemporary Art, Moscow, 2011); "Cinema Program of the 5th Moscow International Biennale of Contemporary Art" (Central Exhibition Hall "Manege," 2013); "Generation XXI. The Gift of Vladimir Smirnov and Konstantin Sorokin" (Tretyakov Gallery, 2020), and more.
Vika Begalskaia's works are part of the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery, MMOMA, the Museum of Contemporary Art M KHA (Antwerp, Belgium), the State Center for Contemporary Art, and the Center for Contemporary Art "Zarya" (Vladivostok).
Evgeny Muzalevsky
Untitled, 2022
Canvas, oil
A graduate of Sergey Bratkov's workshop at the Rodchenko School in Moscow, Evgeny is currently continuing his education under the guidance of the German conceptualist Heiner Blum at the University of Art and Design in Offenbach, Germany. He lives and works in Moscow and Frankfurt.
Muzalevsky began his artistic exploration with photography and transitioned to painting through graphics. He also works with sculpture and various media. His works created in Russia are wild, intense, and nervous, while his German works tend to be more technical and reflective.
Muzalevsky's painting is emotional and direct: personal experiences are transformed into expressive lines and images on the canvas. Non-academic thinking in his art goes hand in hand with self-sufficiency.
The year 2021 was a significant one for the artist: he had a solo exhibition at Alina Pinsky Gallery, and his work "And Forgive Us Our Debts, As We Forgive Our Debtors" received the first prize in the Zverev Prize. Art historian Andrey Sarabyanov notes the continuity of avant-garde, post-avant-garde, and the art of the sixties in Muzalevsky's work.
Untitled, 2022
Canvas, oil
280 x 165 cm
A graduate of Sergey Bratkov's workshop at the Rodchenko School in Moscow, Evgeny is currently continuing his education under the guidance of the German conceptualist Heiner Blum at the University of Art and Design in Offenbach, Germany. He lives and works in Moscow and Frankfurt.
Muzalevsky began his artistic exploration with photography and transitioned to painting through graphics. He also works with sculpture and various media. His works created in Russia are wild, intense, and nervous, while his German works tend to be more technical and reflective.
Muzalevsky's painting is emotional and direct: personal experiences are transformed into expressive lines and images on the canvas. Non-academic thinking in his art goes hand in hand with self-sufficiency.
The year 2021 was a significant one for the artist: he had a solo exhibition at Alina Pinsky Gallery, and his work "And Forgive Us Our Debts, As We Forgive Our Debtors" received the first prize in the Zverev Prize. Art historian Andrey Sarabyanov notes the continuity of avant-garde, post-avant-garde, and the art of the sixties in Muzalevsky's work.
Gerard Schneider
Composition, 1967
Paper, gouache
Gérard Schneider
1896 - 1986
One of the early and prominent artists of French lyrical abstraction, Gérard Schneider was born in Switzerland in a family of an antique dealer. He spent his childhood in Neuchâtel. At the age of 20, he entered the National School of Decorative Arts (École nationale des arts décoratifs) in Paris and later transferred to the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts, where he studied under Fernand Cormon, a patriarch of French academic painting and a teacher of Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec. Since 1922, he has been living permanently in Paris. In 1926, he exhibited for the first time at the Salon d'Automne.
The 1920s were a period of extended self-discovery for Gérard Schneider. He worked as a restorer of paintings, studied art history, experimented with techniques, and was involved in the literary group of surrealists. By 1932, influenced by Kandinsky and the surrealists, Schneider gradually moved away from representational art. He began defining his painting as lyrical abstraction. In 1936, he exhibited five of his works at the Salon des Indépendants, followed by one in 1937 and three abstract works with the same title "Composition" in 1938.
During the war, Gérard Schneider lived in occupied Paris. He continued creating abstract paintings, which from 1945 onwards he named "Opus" followed by a numerical identifier. One of his later works titled "Composition" from 1945 became one of the first acquisitions of the National Museum of Modern Art.
In 1946, he participated in the first Salon des Réalités Nouvelles, the main recurring exhibition of abstract art in Paris (Schneider also participated in subsequent editions in 1949, 1956, and 1958). In 1947, Schneider's works were featured in a group exhibition titled "Abstract Painting" at the Denise René Gallery. The same year, his solo exhibition took place at the Lydia Conti Gallery.
In the 1950s, Gérard Schneider enjoyed the peak of his fame. Alongside his friends Hans Hartung and Pierre Soulages, he was considered a key figure in the abstract art movement. His paintings were frequently included in comprehensive exhibitions of French art across various countries. Sometimes, he participated in up to ten exhibitions simultaneously.
Starting from 1949, Schneider exhibited regularly at the Salon de Mai and became a member of its organizing committee in 1956. He participated in the touring exhibition "Wanderausstellung Französischer Abstrakter Malerei" in West Germany in 1948-49, exhibited in the USA in 1949 and 1951 at the Betty Parsons Gallery, and later in the "Advancing French Art" exhibition across different cities in the United States. From 1955 to 1961, the renowned Samuel Kootz Gallery in New York exclusively represented Gérard Schneider in the USA. In 1950, the Phillips Gallery purchased Opus 445, and in 1955, MoMA acquired Opus 95.
In 1953, Schneider's first retrospective was held in Brussels. The second took place in 1962 at Kunstverein in Düsseldorf. He exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1948, 1954, and 1966, at the São Paulo Biennale in 1951, 1953, and 1961, and at Documenta in Kassel in 1955 and 1959. His solo exhibition at the French Pavilion during the 1966 Venice Biennale was a highlight. In 1970, another retrospective of Schneider's work was held at the City Gallery of Modern Art in Turin, followed by a showing at the "Earth of Men" pavilion in Montreal. The preface to its catalogue was written by Eugène Ionesco.
In 1950, when Gérard Schneider participated in a collective exhibition in Japan, he received the Tokyo Governor's Prize. In 1957, he was awarded the Prix Lissone, and in 1975, he received the Grand Prix National des Arts.
Gérard Schneider's abstract painting is emotional and intuitive. He viewed it as a reflection of the artist's inner world. Schneider was also a connoisseur of music and saw many parallels between painting and musical structure.
Composition, 1967
Paper, gouache
48.5 x 63.5 cm
Gérard Schneider
1896 - 1986
One of the early and prominent artists of French lyrical abstraction, Gérard Schneider was born in Switzerland in a family of an antique dealer. He spent his childhood in Neuchâtel. At the age of 20, he entered the National School of Decorative Arts (École nationale des arts décoratifs) in Paris and later transferred to the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts, where he studied under Fernand Cormon, a patriarch of French academic painting and a teacher of Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec. Since 1922, he has been living permanently in Paris. In 1926, he exhibited for the first time at the Salon d'Automne.
The 1920s were a period of extended self-discovery for Gérard Schneider. He worked as a restorer of paintings, studied art history, experimented with techniques, and was involved in the literary group of surrealists. By 1932, influenced by Kandinsky and the surrealists, Schneider gradually moved away from representational art. He began defining his painting as lyrical abstraction. In 1936, he exhibited five of his works at the Salon des Indépendants, followed by one in 1937 and three abstract works with the same title "Composition" in 1938.
During the war, Gérard Schneider lived in occupied Paris. He continued creating abstract paintings, which from 1945 onwards he named "Opus" followed by a numerical identifier. One of his later works titled "Composition" from 1945 became one of the first acquisitions of the National Museum of Modern Art.
In 1946, he participated in the first Salon des Réalités Nouvelles, the main recurring exhibition of abstract art in Paris (Schneider also participated in subsequent editions in 1949, 1956, and 1958). In 1947, Schneider's works were featured in a group exhibition titled "Abstract Painting" at the Denise René Gallery. The same year, his solo exhibition took place at the Lydia Conti Gallery.
In the 1950s, Gérard Schneider enjoyed the peak of his fame. Alongside his friends Hans Hartung and Pierre Soulages, he was considered a key figure in the abstract art movement. His paintings were frequently included in comprehensive exhibitions of French art across various countries. Sometimes, he participated in up to ten exhibitions simultaneously.
Starting from 1949, Schneider exhibited regularly at the Salon de Mai and became a member of its organizing committee in 1956. He participated in the touring exhibition "Wanderausstellung Französischer Abstrakter Malerei" in West Germany in 1948-49, exhibited in the USA in 1949 and 1951 at the Betty Parsons Gallery, and later in the "Advancing French Art" exhibition across different cities in the United States. From 1955 to 1961, the renowned Samuel Kootz Gallery in New York exclusively represented Gérard Schneider in the USA. In 1950, the Phillips Gallery purchased Opus 445, and in 1955, MoMA acquired Opus 95.
In 1953, Schneider's first retrospective was held in Brussels. The second took place in 1962 at Kunstverein in Düsseldorf. He exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1948, 1954, and 1966, at the São Paulo Biennale in 1951, 1953, and 1961, and at Documenta in Kassel in 1955 and 1959. His solo exhibition at the French Pavilion during the 1966 Venice Biennale was a highlight. In 1970, another retrospective of Schneider's work was held at the City Gallery of Modern Art in Turin, followed by a showing at the "Earth of Men" pavilion in Montreal. The preface to its catalogue was written by Eugène Ionesco.
In 1950, when Gérard Schneider participated in a collective exhibition in Japan, he received the Tokyo Governor's Prize. In 1957, he was awarded the Prix Lissone, and in 1975, he received the Grand Prix National des Arts.
Gérard Schneider's abstract painting is emotional and intuitive. He viewed it as a reflection of the artist's inner world. Schneider was also a connoisseur of music and saw many parallels between painting and musical structure.
Works by Gérard Schneider are held in prestigious institutions including the Pompidou Centre and the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, MoMA, the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, the Gallery of Modern Art in Rome, the Phillips Collection in Washington, the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal, the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, the Museum of Modern Art in Brussels, the Fine Arts Museum in Nantes, the Museum of Fine Arts in Phoenix, Yale University in New Haven, Princeton University, the University of California in Los Angeles, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, the Fine Arts Center in Colorado Springs, the Jakarta Museum, the Art Museum in Seoul, the State Museum in Kamakura, the Soni Heni Foundation, and the Onstad Foundation in Oslo, the City Gallery of Modern Art in Turin, the Worcester Art Museum in the USA, Kunsthaus Zurich, and the Art and History Museum in Neuchâtel. Schneider's mosaic is also located in the building of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in Paris.
Claude Bellegarde
"Life in the Television," 1972
Canvas, oil
Claude Bellegarde
1927 – 2019
French abstract artist. In his youth, he studied painting and sculpture at a private workshop in Paris.
Towards the end of World War II, he encountered Lanza del Vasto, a famous advocate of nonviolent protest, poet, writer, and spiritual leader of the "Community of the Ark." Claude Bellegarde became an active participant in this community and began to engage in sculpture.
Inspired by Rorschach tests and the paintings of abstract expressionists, Bellegarde gradually turned towards Tachism ("painting by spots").
Starting from 1951, he entered a period of monochromatic painting called the "White Period." Bellegarde created a series of works under the title "Achromatism" - textured monochromatic abstract canvases. It was during this period that Bellegarde became recognized and a full-fledged member of the community of post-war French artists. He joined the avant-garde group "Dessins," which focused on action painting - an artistic technique involving the pouring, splattering, and other non-traditional methods of applying paint. Later, he became closer to abstract expressionism. Interestingly, in 1955, his "White" works were exhibited at the Facchetti gallery, the same gallery where Jackson Pollock, the most famous representative of abstract expressionism, was first introduced to the French public.
After receiving high praise from the art critic and theorist Pierre Restany, Bellegarde began to exhibit abroad: in Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Italy, where his works enjoyed special success. In Milan, his work was acquired by the renowned artist Lucio Fontana. During this period, his works started to be acquired by French museums and centers of contemporary art, including the National Center for Arts and Culture Georges Pompidou.
In the 1960s, Bellegarde reintroduced color into his paintings. He spent some time in America, participating in various artistic symposiums that explored color theory. In 1964, his works were exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Returning to France, he continued to study color. He was offered to decorate a room for chromotherapy at the clinic of Dr. A. Tomatis, which was prompted by research into the influence of color on the psychological state of anxious patients. These studies were published in the book "Human Nature," and his symbolic work of this period, "History of the Eye," was acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon.
Bellegarde represented France at the 1965 São Paulo Biennial. In the same year, he was awarded a prize at the Biennial of San Marino, Italy. In 1971, a retrospective exhibition of his works took place at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris.
In 1983, Bellegarde received a doctorate from the Sorbonne, after which he actively participated in various conferences and worked on architectural, musical, and cinematic projects. In 1986, the French Ministry of Culture awarded him the Order of Arts and Literature.
"Life in the Television," 1972
Canvas, oil
50 × 50 cm
Claude Bellegarde
1927 – 2019
French abstract artist. In his youth, he studied painting and sculpture at a private workshop in Paris.
Towards the end of World War II, he encountered Lanza del Vasto, a famous advocate of nonviolent protest, poet, writer, and spiritual leader of the "Community of the Ark." Claude Bellegarde became an active participant in this community and began to engage in sculpture.
Inspired by Rorschach tests and the paintings of abstract expressionists, Bellegarde gradually turned towards Tachism ("painting by spots").
Starting from 1951, he entered a period of monochromatic painting called the "White Period." Bellegarde created a series of works under the title "Achromatism" - textured monochromatic abstract canvases. It was during this period that Bellegarde became recognized and a full-fledged member of the community of post-war French artists. He joined the avant-garde group "Dessins," which focused on action painting - an artistic technique involving the pouring, splattering, and other non-traditional methods of applying paint. Later, he became closer to abstract expressionism. Interestingly, in 1955, his "White" works were exhibited at the Facchetti gallery, the same gallery where Jackson Pollock, the most famous representative of abstract expressionism, was first introduced to the French public.
After receiving high praise from the art critic and theorist Pierre Restany, Bellegarde began to exhibit abroad: in Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Italy, where his works enjoyed special success. In Milan, his work was acquired by the renowned artist Lucio Fontana. During this period, his works started to be acquired by French museums and centers of contemporary art, including the National Center for Arts and Culture Georges Pompidou.
In the 1960s, Bellegarde reintroduced color into his paintings. He spent some time in America, participating in various artistic symposiums that explored color theory. In 1964, his works were exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Returning to France, he continued to study color. He was offered to decorate a room for chromotherapy at the clinic of Dr. A. Tomatis, which was prompted by research into the influence of color on the psychological state of anxious patients. These studies were published in the book "Human Nature," and his symbolic work of this period, "History of the Eye," was acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon.
Bellegarde represented France at the 1965 São Paulo Biennial. In the same year, he was awarded a prize at the Biennial of San Marino, Italy. In 1971, a retrospective exhibition of his works took place at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris.
In 1983, Bellegarde received a doctorate from the Sorbonne, after which he actively participated in various conferences and worked on architectural, musical, and cinematic projects. In 1986, the French Ministry of Culture awarded him the Order of Arts and Literature.
His works are held in the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, the Pompidou Center, the Cantini Museum in Marseille, the Museum of Fine Arts in Lille, the Tate Gallery, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Tokyo Museum of Contemporary Art, and others.
Maria Serebryakova
TD#1, 2020 (2022)
Steel
150 x 100 x 50 cm
Maria Serebriakova (born 1965) was born in Moscow. In 1983, she graduated from the Moscow Secondary Art School (MSAS) at the Surikov Moscow State Academic Art Institute. In 1984–1985, she attended classes at the Surikov Moscow State Academic Art Institute as an auditor. In 1986, along with Ilya Piganov, Vladislav Efimov, and Leonid Bazhanov, she was among the founders of the amateur association "Ermitazh," whose exhibitions took place in Belyaevo and at 100 Profsoyuznaya Street.
She participated in documenta IX (Kassel, Germany), the New Berlin Art Festival, the IV Triennial of Small Sculpture Forms in Stuttgart, the "Art and Idea" exhibition in Mexico, the 1st and 2nd Moscow International Biennale of Contemporary Art, as well as exhibitions at MoMA PS1 in New York, the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Oslo, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and more.
Since 1998, Maria Serebriakova has lived and worked in Berlin, Rügen, and Moscow. Today, her style is characterized by restraint, monochromatism, and landscape themes. Serebriakova works in both graphic art and sculpture, creating minimalist compositions or installations with simple forms.
Her works are held in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMOMA), MoMA (New York, USA), the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University (New Brunswick, USA), and others.
TD#1, 2020 (2022)
Steel
150 x 100 x 50 cm
Maria Serebriakova (born 1965) was born in Moscow. In 1983, she graduated from the Moscow Secondary Art School (MSAS) at the Surikov Moscow State Academic Art Institute. In 1984–1985, she attended classes at the Surikov Moscow State Academic Art Institute as an auditor. In 1986, along with Ilya Piganov, Vladislav Efimov, and Leonid Bazhanov, she was among the founders of the amateur association "Ermitazh," whose exhibitions took place in Belyaevo and at 100 Profsoyuznaya Street.
She participated in documenta IX (Kassel, Germany), the New Berlin Art Festival, the IV Triennial of Small Sculpture Forms in Stuttgart, the "Art and Idea" exhibition in Mexico, the 1st and 2nd Moscow International Biennale of Contemporary Art, as well as exhibitions at MoMA PS1 in New York, the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Oslo, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and more.
Since 1998, Maria Serebriakova has lived and worked in Berlin, Rügen, and Moscow. Today, her style is characterized by restraint, monochromatism, and landscape themes. Serebriakova works in both graphic art and sculpture, creating minimalist compositions or installations with simple forms.
Her works are held in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMOMA), MoMA (New York, USA), the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University (New Brunswick, USA), and others.
Mikhail Chernyshov
Composition, 1990
Paper, gouache
Mikhail Chernishov is a Russian and American artist who is considered one of the most important figures in the Soviet art scene of the second half of the 20th century by many art critics. He worked simultaneously in the fields of pop art and geometric abstraction and was one of the pioneers of performance art in the USSR.
Chernishov's style and main areas of interest began to take shape in the late 1950s, independently of other artists, groups, and schools. He consciously started pursuing art at the age of 15 after seeing the works of abstract expressionists at the American National Exhibition in Sokolniki in 1959.
In the 1960s, he befriended artists Mikhail Roginsky and Vladimir Yakovlev. In 1962, Chernishov held his first apartment exhibition titled "Red Truck" at Mikhail Roginsky's residence in the Mnevniki district of Moscow. Two years later, Roginsky and Chernishov organized a joint exhibition at the "Disk" cinema in Moscow.
In the early 1960s, Chernishov studied at the Zagorsk Art and Industrial Toy Technicum and later enrolled in the Department of Art History at the Historical Faculty of Moscow State University. However, he lost interest during the study of Byzantine art and was expelled. In 1974, he participated in the "Second Autumn Review of Paintings" in Izmailovsky Park in Moscow, known as the Izmailovo Exhibition. In 1975, he organized a happening titled "30th Anniversary of the United Nations" in Moscow, and in 1976, he collaborated with Boris Bich on the happening "Doubling I" in Vorontsov Park (Moscow). Two years later, in 1978, Mikhail Chernishov, Boris Bich, Konstantin Zvezdochotov, Vitaly Dlugy, and A. Vlamov held the happening "Doubling II."
In 1978, a retrospective of his works from 1961 to 1978 was held at the Gorky House of Graphic Arts. In 1980, Chernishov emigrated from the USSR. In 1987, he wrote a memoir titled "Moscow 1961–67" about the early years of his artistic career. He currently lives and works in New York.
Mikhail Chernishov's works are held in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow), the Russian Museum (St. Petersburg), the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (Moscow), the Zimmerli Art Museum (New Jersey, USA), and other museums.
Composition, 1990
Paper, gouache
84.5 × 100.5 cm
Mikhail Chernishov is a Russian and American artist who is considered one of the most important figures in the Soviet art scene of the second half of the 20th century by many art critics. He worked simultaneously in the fields of pop art and geometric abstraction and was one of the pioneers of performance art in the USSR.
Chernishov's style and main areas of interest began to take shape in the late 1950s, independently of other artists, groups, and schools. He consciously started pursuing art at the age of 15 after seeing the works of abstract expressionists at the American National Exhibition in Sokolniki in 1959.
In the 1960s, he befriended artists Mikhail Roginsky and Vladimir Yakovlev. In 1962, Chernishov held his first apartment exhibition titled "Red Truck" at Mikhail Roginsky's residence in the Mnevniki district of Moscow. Two years later, Roginsky and Chernishov organized a joint exhibition at the "Disk" cinema in Moscow.
In the early 1960s, Chernishov studied at the Zagorsk Art and Industrial Toy Technicum and later enrolled in the Department of Art History at the Historical Faculty of Moscow State University. However, he lost interest during the study of Byzantine art and was expelled. In 1974, he participated in the "Second Autumn Review of Paintings" in Izmailovsky Park in Moscow, known as the Izmailovo Exhibition. In 1975, he organized a happening titled "30th Anniversary of the United Nations" in Moscow, and in 1976, he collaborated with Boris Bich on the happening "Doubling I" in Vorontsov Park (Moscow). Two years later, in 1978, Mikhail Chernishov, Boris Bich, Konstantin Zvezdochotov, Vitaly Dlugy, and A. Vlamov held the happening "Doubling II."
In 1978, a retrospective of his works from 1961 to 1978 was held at the Gorky House of Graphic Arts. In 1980, Chernishov emigrated from the USSR. In 1987, he wrote a memoir titled "Moscow 1961–67" about the early years of his artistic career. He currently lives and works in New York.
Mikhail Chernishov's works are held in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow), the Russian Museum (St. Petersburg), the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (Moscow), the Zimmerli Art Museum (New Jersey, USA), and other museums.
Natalia Turnova
From the series "Diagnosis," 2009
Canvas, oil
Natalia Turnova (born 1957) is an artist and sculptor who holds a special place in contemporary Russian art. She grew up in the East: she was born in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and at the age of five, she moved to Burma in Southeast Asia with her parents. Researchers of Turnova's work suggest that the vibrant, rich colors of the East greatly influenced the color palette of her paintings.
After graduating from the Moscow Higher Art and Industrial School (formerly Stroganov School) in 1983, she met Boris Orlov, an artist who recognized the affinity of her art with the unofficial art scene, which largely shaped her subsequent path. Since the 1990s, Natalia Turnova became one of the most sought-after artists. By that time, she had developed her own distinctive style: an expressionist manner, bright colors, large formats, and precise forms.
Turnova has always been true to her intuition, not seeking to belong to any specific art movements or groups. As a result, she became an original artist and philosopher for whom creativity is something that grows out of life. This is why any statement she makes, born from deep reflections and numerous trials and errors, is a declaration about existence and essence, made by a keen observer and researcher.
Natalia Turnova's works are held in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, the Far Eastern Art Museum, the Museum of Oklahoma (USA), the Museum of Modern Art in Lodz (Poland), and others.
From the series "Diagnosis," 2009
Canvas, oil
100 x 90 cm
Natalia Turnova (born 1957) is an artist and sculptor who holds a special place in contemporary Russian art. She grew up in the East: she was born in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and at the age of five, she moved to Burma in Southeast Asia with her parents. Researchers of Turnova's work suggest that the vibrant, rich colors of the East greatly influenced the color palette of her paintings.
After graduating from the Moscow Higher Art and Industrial School (formerly Stroganov School) in 1983, she met Boris Orlov, an artist who recognized the affinity of her art with the unofficial art scene, which largely shaped her subsequent path. Since the 1990s, Natalia Turnova became one of the most sought-after artists. By that time, she had developed her own distinctive style: an expressionist manner, bright colors, large formats, and precise forms.
Turnova has always been true to her intuition, not seeking to belong to any specific art movements or groups. As a result, she became an original artist and philosopher for whom creativity is something that grows out of life. This is why any statement she makes, born from deep reflections and numerous trials and errors, is a declaration about existence and essence, made by a keen observer and researcher.
Natalia Turnova's works are held in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, the Far Eastern Art Museum, the Museum of Oklahoma (USA), the Museum of Modern Art in Lodz (Poland), and others.
Victor Vasarely
Ingui-Niel, 1970s
Screen print
Edition 126/250
Victor Vasarely
1906 – 1997
One of the primary artists of the second half of the 20th century, a key representative and theorist of Op Art and Kinetic Art.
Victor Vasarely (Hungarian: Vásárhelyi Viktor) was born in the city of Pécs, Hungary. He studied medicine at the University of Loránd Eötvös in Budapest. In 1927, he abandoned a medical career and entered the private art academy of Podolini and Folkman. A year later, he joined the "Mühely" – the private school of avant-garde artist Sándor Bortnyik, a former Bauhaus instructor who had recently returned to Budapest.
In 1930, Victor Vasarely married Claire Spinner, another student of Bortnyik, and moved to Paris with her. In France, he worked as a graphic designer, creating advertising posters for agencies like Havas, Draeger, and Devambez. He intended to develop the artistic education methodology of Sándor Bortnyik and open his own school, but he never did. In the 1930s, Vasarely created graphic series featuring zebras, tigers, harlequins, often employing optical effects.
From 1942 to 1944, he lived in Saint-Céré. After the war, his studio was located in Arcueil, a suburb of Paris. In 1961, he moved to Annet-sur-Marne.
Only from 1944 did Vasarely systematically engage in painting. Since that year, he regularly exhibited at the Denise René gallery in Paris. Initially, he chaotically explored the avant-garde painting of the time, imitating surrealists, cubists, and expressionists. From 1947, he began to create abstract paintings, and at that time, he started referring to his art as "optical."
From the late 1940s, Vasarely created series of works in each of which he systematically developed a single plastic motif: "Danfer" (named after the Danfer-Rochereau metro station in Paris, with the motif based on the mosaic decoration of that station), "Bel-Ille" with the motif of pebbles from the Bel-Ille beach, "Gord/Crystal" – featuring cubic structures resembling buildings from the town of Gordes in southern France (where Vasarely spent summers from 1948). There were other cycles as well, including "Homage to Malevich."
From 1951, he engaged in Kinetic Art. Alongside artists like Marcel Duchamp, Alexander Calder, Man Ray, Jesus Rafael Soto, and Jean Tinguely, he participated in the major exhibition "Le Mouvement" ("The Movement") at the Denise René gallery in Paris in 1955. This exhibition was accompanied by the publication of the "Yellow Manifesto" (Le Manifeste Jaune), which Victor Vasarely co-authored with Pontus Hultén and Roger Bordier. Thanks to this manifesto and several others written later, Vasarely became the main theorist and promoter of Op Art and Kinetic Art.
The works of Victor Vasarely during this period were black and white. It wasn't until 1960 that he reintroduced color into his works.
In addition to the annual exhibitions at the Denise René gallery and international exhibitions often organized by the same gallery, Vasarely regularly showcased his works at the Salon des Nouvelles Réalités, Salon des Surindépendants, and the May Salon. From 1958, he also collaborated with Ivaral, the son of Victor Vasarely, in partnership with the René gallery.
The ideas expressed in Vasarely's manifestos, particularly the notion that a work of art exists solely in the viewer's imagination, who perceives the same set of optical signals differently in various situations, led to the inspiration of artists among the Groupe de Recherche d'Art Visuel (GRAV, active from 1960-68). Following Vasarely's thoughts on the obsolescence of authorship, they worked collectively and didn't disclose their names.
Vasarely himself followed a different path. Similar to Malevich, Mondrian, and the artists of the Bauhaus, who viewed abstract painting as a systematic, almost scientific endeavor to develop universal compositional principles that could and should be used to reconstruct the entire material environment surrounding humans, he worked on developing his version of a universal plastic language (or plastic alphabet, as he referred to it) from the late 1950s.
Vasarely limited and organized a set of elements he worked with: three circles, two squares, three diamonds, two elongated rectangles, one triangle, and so on; as well as two or three shades of spectral and achromatic colors. He gradually expanded his "vocabulary," numbering each element. The creation of "artworks" theoretically boiled down to free combinations of a limited number of elements, but in practice, this system was so extensive that it left infinite space for creativity. The result of this work was the 1963 album "Planetary Folklore" (Folklore planétaire). Vasarely believed that his developed set of rules, clear, consistent, and scientific, should become a new universal language for design and architecture.
As a result, he often collaborated with architects. His first joint work was the monumental panel "Homage to Malevich" in the university town of Caracas in 1954 (designed by architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva). Additionally, Vasarely was involved in designing the Montparnasse railway station in Paris, the R.T.L. residential building in Paris, the Faculty of Philology in Montpellier, the Museum of Jerusalem, the French pavilion at the 1967 World Expo in Montreal, and an ice rink in Grenoble. He also created an ornament for the Suomi Timo Sarpaneva service for Rosenthal (1976).
From 1964 to 1976, he worked on the series "Hommage à l'Hexagone." He referred to the next period as the "Gestalt period."
In 1970, the Victor Vasarely Museum opened in Gordes (closed in 1997). In 1975, the second and main Victor Vasarely Museum opened in Aix-en-Provence in a building designed with the artist's involvement. This museum was one of the major cultural projects of Georges Pompidou, although he did not live to see its opening. In 1976, Victor Vasarely installed a large kinetic artwork called "Georges Pompidou" in the center named after Pompidou in Paris. Also in 1976, the third museum opened in Pécs, the artist's hometown. In 1987, the fourth museum opened in Budapest.
Victor Vasarely's art received numerous awards. In 1955, after the publication of the Yellow Manifesto, he received the Critics' Prize in Brussels, the Gold Medal at the Milan Triennale, international awards in Valencia and Venezuela. In 1964, he received the Guggenheim Prize. In 1965, he won the Grand Prix at the 6th International Graphic Exhibition in Ljubljana, the Grand Prix at the 8th São Paulo Biennial, and the Gold Medal from the Society for the Encouragement of Arts and Industry (France). In 1966, he received the prize at the 1st Graphic Biennial in Krakow and the Gold Medal at the 2nd International Symposium of Aesthetics in Rimini. In 1967, he received the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan prize at the 9th Tokyo Biennial and the Carnegie Institute Prize. In 1968, he won the 1st prize at the 2nd Graphic Biennial in Krakow, and in 1969, he received the "Golden Palette" prize at the International Painting Festival in Cannes.
He was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture in 1965 and a Knight of the Legion of Honour in 1970. He became a professor at the Budapest College of Applied Arts in 1969.
Victor Vasarely's works even made it to space: in 1982, a French cosmonaut Jean-Loup Chrétien took an album of his engravings on board the "Salut-7" spacecraft. Later, these engravings were sold at a charity auction in support of UNESCO.
Apart from the Victor Vasarely Foundation Museum in Aix and his two museums in Hungary, Vasarely's works are housed in various institutions, including the Centre Pompidou, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, MoMA and Guggenheim Museum in New York, LACMA, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Cranbrook Art Museum, National Museum of Fine Arts and Latin American Art Museum in Buenos Aires, National Museum of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro, EMMA in Espoo, Museum of Modern Art in Antwerp, Israel Museum in Jerusalem, and many more.
Ingui-Niel, 1970s
Screen print
Edition 126/250
61 x 77 cm
Victor Vasarely
1906 – 1997
One of the primary artists of the second half of the 20th century, a key representative and theorist of Op Art and Kinetic Art.
Victor Vasarely (Hungarian: Vásárhelyi Viktor) was born in the city of Pécs, Hungary. He studied medicine at the University of Loránd Eötvös in Budapest. In 1927, he abandoned a medical career and entered the private art academy of Podolini and Folkman. A year later, he joined the "Mühely" – the private school of avant-garde artist Sándor Bortnyik, a former Bauhaus instructor who had recently returned to Budapest.
In 1930, Victor Vasarely married Claire Spinner, another student of Bortnyik, and moved to Paris with her. In France, he worked as a graphic designer, creating advertising posters for agencies like Havas, Draeger, and Devambez. He intended to develop the artistic education methodology of Sándor Bortnyik and open his own school, but he never did. In the 1930s, Vasarely created graphic series featuring zebras, tigers, harlequins, often employing optical effects.
From 1942 to 1944, he lived in Saint-Céré. After the war, his studio was located in Arcueil, a suburb of Paris. In 1961, he moved to Annet-sur-Marne.
Only from 1944 did Vasarely systematically engage in painting. Since that year, he regularly exhibited at the Denise René gallery in Paris. Initially, he chaotically explored the avant-garde painting of the time, imitating surrealists, cubists, and expressionists. From 1947, he began to create abstract paintings, and at that time, he started referring to his art as "optical."
From the late 1940s, Vasarely created series of works in each of which he systematically developed a single plastic motif: "Danfer" (named after the Danfer-Rochereau metro station in Paris, with the motif based on the mosaic decoration of that station), "Bel-Ille" with the motif of pebbles from the Bel-Ille beach, "Gord/Crystal" – featuring cubic structures resembling buildings from the town of Gordes in southern France (where Vasarely spent summers from 1948). There were other cycles as well, including "Homage to Malevich."
From 1951, he engaged in Kinetic Art. Alongside artists like Marcel Duchamp, Alexander Calder, Man Ray, Jesus Rafael Soto, and Jean Tinguely, he participated in the major exhibition "Le Mouvement" ("The Movement") at the Denise René gallery in Paris in 1955. This exhibition was accompanied by the publication of the "Yellow Manifesto" (Le Manifeste Jaune), which Victor Vasarely co-authored with Pontus Hultén and Roger Bordier. Thanks to this manifesto and several others written later, Vasarely became the main theorist and promoter of Op Art and Kinetic Art.
The works of Victor Vasarely during this period were black and white. It wasn't until 1960 that he reintroduced color into his works.
In addition to the annual exhibitions at the Denise René gallery and international exhibitions often organized by the same gallery, Vasarely regularly showcased his works at the Salon des Nouvelles Réalités, Salon des Surindépendants, and the May Salon. From 1958, he also collaborated with Ivaral, the son of Victor Vasarely, in partnership with the René gallery.
The ideas expressed in Vasarely's manifestos, particularly the notion that a work of art exists solely in the viewer's imagination, who perceives the same set of optical signals differently in various situations, led to the inspiration of artists among the Groupe de Recherche d'Art Visuel (GRAV, active from 1960-68). Following Vasarely's thoughts on the obsolescence of authorship, they worked collectively and didn't disclose their names.
Vasarely himself followed a different path. Similar to Malevich, Mondrian, and the artists of the Bauhaus, who viewed abstract painting as a systematic, almost scientific endeavor to develop universal compositional principles that could and should be used to reconstruct the entire material environment surrounding humans, he worked on developing his version of a universal plastic language (or plastic alphabet, as he referred to it) from the late 1950s.
Vasarely limited and organized a set of elements he worked with: three circles, two squares, three diamonds, two elongated rectangles, one triangle, and so on; as well as two or three shades of spectral and achromatic colors. He gradually expanded his "vocabulary," numbering each element. The creation of "artworks" theoretically boiled down to free combinations of a limited number of elements, but in practice, this system was so extensive that it left infinite space for creativity. The result of this work was the 1963 album "Planetary Folklore" (Folklore planétaire). Vasarely believed that his developed set of rules, clear, consistent, and scientific, should become a new universal language for design and architecture.
As a result, he often collaborated with architects. His first joint work was the monumental panel "Homage to Malevich" in the university town of Caracas in 1954 (designed by architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva). Additionally, Vasarely was involved in designing the Montparnasse railway station in Paris, the R.T.L. residential building in Paris, the Faculty of Philology in Montpellier, the Museum of Jerusalem, the French pavilion at the 1967 World Expo in Montreal, and an ice rink in Grenoble. He also created an ornament for the Suomi Timo Sarpaneva service for Rosenthal (1976).
From 1964 to 1976, he worked on the series "Hommage à l'Hexagone." He referred to the next period as the "Gestalt period."
In 1970, the Victor Vasarely Museum opened in Gordes (closed in 1997). In 1975, the second and main Victor Vasarely Museum opened in Aix-en-Provence in a building designed with the artist's involvement. This museum was one of the major cultural projects of Georges Pompidou, although he did not live to see its opening. In 1976, Victor Vasarely installed a large kinetic artwork called "Georges Pompidou" in the center named after Pompidou in Paris. Also in 1976, the third museum opened in Pécs, the artist's hometown. In 1987, the fourth museum opened in Budapest.
Victor Vasarely's art received numerous awards. In 1955, after the publication of the Yellow Manifesto, he received the Critics' Prize in Brussels, the Gold Medal at the Milan Triennale, international awards in Valencia and Venezuela. In 1964, he received the Guggenheim Prize. In 1965, he won the Grand Prix at the 6th International Graphic Exhibition in Ljubljana, the Grand Prix at the 8th São Paulo Biennial, and the Gold Medal from the Society for the Encouragement of Arts and Industry (France). In 1966, he received the prize at the 1st Graphic Biennial in Krakow and the Gold Medal at the 2nd International Symposium of Aesthetics in Rimini. In 1967, he received the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan prize at the 9th Tokyo Biennial and the Carnegie Institute Prize. In 1968, he won the 1st prize at the 2nd Graphic Biennial in Krakow, and in 1969, he received the "Golden Palette" prize at the International Painting Festival in Cannes.
He was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture in 1965 and a Knight of the Legion of Honour in 1970. He became a professor at the Budapest College of Applied Arts in 1969.
Victor Vasarely's works even made it to space: in 1982, a French cosmonaut Jean-Loup Chrétien took an album of his engravings on board the "Salut-7" spacecraft. Later, these engravings were sold at a charity auction in support of UNESCO.
Apart from the Victor Vasarely Foundation Museum in Aix and his two museums in Hungary, Vasarely's works are housed in various institutions, including the Centre Pompidou, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, MoMA and Guggenheim Museum in New York, LACMA, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Cranbrook Art Museum, National Museum of Fine Arts and Latin American Art Museum in Buenos Aires, National Museum of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro, EMMA in Espoo, Museum of Modern Art in Antwerp, Israel Museum in Jerusalem, and many more.
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