There is very a large number of contemporary Russian artists, whose activities are known only in certain circles - the broad masses are often far from contemporary art and by inertia they are content with knowledge only about the works of Russian classics. We want to correct this situation, so we will further tell you what a Russian contemporary artist is like using the example of the following five authors.
Ilya Kabakov
This contemporary artist is one of the most significant Russian painters of his time, who personifies modern art, in particular, the soul of Moscow conceptualism. One of the paintings, “Beetle,” painted in 1982, was sold in 2008 at an auction in London for almost six million dollars and was included in the list of the most expensive paintings created by Russian artists. Modern paintings by Kabakov are now exhibited in many museums around the world: in New York's Pace Gallery, Moscow's Multimedia Art Museum and others.
I don’t know how others resisted this terrible complex: “You are already 25 years old, and you are not Raphael yet!” But for me this is one of the most terrible stimulating moments. ( Ilya Kabakov)
Another one iconic work the artist, “Holidays No. 6,” depicts a typical Soviet illustration, decorated with candy wrappers on top - they seem to mask the picture and thus represent feigned optimism that hides the dreary reality behind it. In general, the work of Ilya Kabakov is characterized by the concept of escapism - escape from surrounding reality and immersion in art.
Sergey Volkov
Many of their own modern paintings Sergei Volkov wrote under the impression of a trip to Germany, where he had to go on a creative business trip. A whole series of paintings is dedicated to German architectural Gothic and folklore and is covered in a certain symbolism. After a series of “German” paintings, the modern artist wrote a series on themes dedicated to North American Indians and presenting portraits of freedom-loving Indian leaders.
And today the main theme of the painter’s work is the beauty of Moscow landscapes: “Taganka”, “Stankevich Street”, “Kadashevskaya Embankment”. Contemporary painting Volkova is an impressionistic image of a simple, everyday capital, such as it is, but at the same time in bright colors, which manifest themselves in sunlight, traffic lights and colorful trams.
Grigory Bruskin
Grigory, or Grisha Bruskin, as his artistic name sounds, admired the profession of an artist since childhood. Studying in art school, he drew inspiration from the works of French Renaissance painters.
I can call myself happy man as long as I can work. ( Grigory Bruskin)
In the 80s, when Bruskin was in exile, his work acquired a certain structure, with the help of which he was able to organize various symbols, signs and social myths. According to this approach, the modern artist combined his works into entire series or collages, where he depicted objects and inscriptions that were an allegory of some concept. One of these paintings, “Fundamental Lexicon,” subsequently brought him fame when it was purchased by Milos Forman himself, an Oscar-winning Czech and American director, at one of the auctions.
Semyon Faibisovich
Another famous Russian artist working in the popular style of photorealism. The author combines his modern paintings in a series: for example, “Roam”, “Obviousness”, “At the Station”. The latest cycle of works includes the artist’s most expensive painting, “Soldier,” which was auctioned at Phillips de Pury for as much as 311 thousand pounds.
As the artist himself says, earlier in his works he wondered what exactly we see around us, drawing situations from everyday life: here is a person waiting for the arrival of an electric train, here he is riding in a trolleybus... Now Faibisovich is more interested in how we see: to convey the desired effect, the modern artist films future scenes using an old mobile phone, and then transfers it to the canvas.
Valery Koshlyakov
Contemporary artist Valery Koshlyakov is one of the most famous Russian painters, who has repeatedly represented the country at various world biennales. The Louvre, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Pompidou Center, the Russian Museum - you will find his works everywhere. The most famous painting The author was the painting “Versailles”, sold in 2008 for 72.5 thousand pounds at the famous Sotheby's auction.
I am modern only in the sense that I am your contemporary, and not in the sense that I make contemporary art. ( Valery Koshlyakov)
Monuments of past eras are the artist’s favorite subject of painting. Koshlyakov’s modern painting has its own peculiarity, namely, a predilection for using not the most traditional materials for creativity: cardboard, fabric, packaging boxes, etc., although in last years the painter often returns to the canvas. In trying to achieve a matte surface, the Russian artist avoids oil paints, giving preference to acrylic and tempera.
Rate the palette of Russian visual arts modernity can also be seen by watching the following video report from one of the exhibitions of the Manege Museum:
Take it for yourself and tell your friends!
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Contemporary art seems pretentious and empty to many, but this does not change the fact that many 21st century artists receive fabulous sums for their paintings. Find out which contemporary artist has managed to earn the most from his work and who is just a little behind him in our article.
It is not true that all good things have already been created, all songs have been sung, all topics have been covered in books. And it is also not true that new artists are not appearing in the world who may eventually become great. We decided to conduct a short review of the works of some contemporary Russian artists so that you can get an idea of their talent and understand whether their works can be considered art.
First artist Alexander Milyukov tries himself in several genres, including nature painting, seascapes, still lifes, although he is considered a marine painter. The collections of this artist can be found in galleries and private collections not only in Russia, but also abroad. Miliukov, by the way, draws almost professionally, that is, he fueled his natural talent with practical knowledge in art school, which he graduated in 2000.
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The second artist from Kostroma, her name is Marina Zakharova. She also honed her skills at an art school, studying in the city of Yaroslavl. Her works are presented at several exhibitions abroad and in Russia. At one time, Zakharova received an award from the president of the country for creative achievements. Her paintings are distinguished by a subtle combination of color shades and delicate strokes.
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Artist from Voronezh – Ruslan Smorodinov, devoted almost his entire life to the study of painting, and will even be able to teach anyone this type of art. Starting from schooling at Children's home creativity, continued to study at the Buturlinovsky Art and Graphic School. And then he even received an education at the Institute of Painting and received the qualification of a drawing teacher. Restoration courses also did not become unnecessary for the artist. His works are presented on international exhibitions in Europe, America and South Africa. He paints not only landscapes, but also nude portraits and still lifes.
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Alexey Menshchikov is a street art artist who is also talented in the art of photography. He sees the world from a side that is not available to everyone, so he opens people's eyes and shows them the world with his own eyes, working in several European cities, including Moscow, Penza, and even Paris. The artist transforms cracks in houses, drainpipes, and other street objects into works of art. The main goal of his work is simply to make people happy, and we can say that he has plenty of work to do on Russian roads.
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Elena Kishkurno from Kharkov, Ukraine - an artist who masters several genres of painting. Among her works you can find portraits, landscapes, still lifes, as well as orthodox icons. Having the appropriate education, Kiskurno is also involved in the restoration of interiors and works of art. Elena is a member of the Union of Artists of Ukraine.
Vadim Dolinsky- expressionist artist from Tomsk. He has participated in many exhibitions, received awards for his original style, is a participant in international plein air in Montenegro, and has organized personal exhibitions. The international Swiss publishing house “Hubners Who is Who” included a biography of this artist in its encyclopedia. Dolinsky calls himself a free artist and believes that he can redraw a painting by any famous artist, and that it will turn out even better than the original.
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Vyacheslav Palachev- a young artist who paints in the finite style and is engaged in decorative and applied arts, and also creates works in technology oil painting. The artist paints city landscapes, for example Rostov and Yaroslavl, still lifes, flowers. Palachev began painting seriously at the age of 17; his works show attention to detail, accuracy in conveying nature, and bright colors.
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Maria Kaminskaya- artist from Rostov-on-Don. In addition to her talent as an artist, decorator and printing designer, she is also a professional editor, proofreader and translator. In her LiveJournal blog, Kaminskaya also positions herself as a tattoo artist. Her paintings are very original, depicting unreal world, where fictional characters, as well as cartoon characters, exist perfectly.
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Pyotr Lukyanenko- artist from Belarus. He works in several genres easel painting, while considering any classification by genre as a convention. Lukyanenko displays the main historical and universal events in pictures, social processes era. He has his own perception of the world, which he conveys in his paintings, trying to involve the viewer in order to encourage him to think about human life. The artist paints portraits, landscapes and still lifes, which vary in technique.
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Sergey Fedotov- avant-garde artist, including those working in the genre of abstract expressionism. Except directly creative activity on painting, he also records video lessons for those who want to learn how to paint. People buy his works famous personalities, they are presented at many international exhibitions and are present in private collections.
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All the examples of artists’ work presented above are diverse in genres, strokes, colors and the author’s vision, and you can form your own impression of their works. Which of them would you buy a painting from to hang in your home?
The Art Newspaper Russia presents the rating: the most dear artists Russia from the living. If you are still sure that there were no Russian artists in the Western scene, we are ready to argue with that. The language of numbers.
The conditions were simple: each living artist could be represented by only one, his most expensive work. When compiling the rating, not only the results of public auctions were taken into account, but also the most high-profile private sales. The authors of the rating were guided by the principle “if something sells loudly, then someone needs it,” and therefore appreciated the work of marketers and press managers of artists who brought record private sales to the public. Important note: the rating is based solely on financial indicators; if it were based on the exhibition activity of artists, it would look somewhat different. External sources for analytics were resources Artnet.com, Artprice.com, Skatepress.com And Artinvestment.ru.
The US dollar was chosen as the currency for the world ranking; the British pound sterling was taken as the equivalent of sales of Russian artists (since 90% of domestic sales took place in London in this currency). The remaining 10% of works sold in US dollars and euros were recalculated at the exchange rate at the time of the transaction, as a result of which some positions changed places. In addition to the actual cost of the work, data was collected on the total capitalization of artists (the number of top works sold at auction over all years), on the place of a contemporary artist in the ranking of artists of all times, on the place of the participant’s most expensive work among all works sold by other authors, and also about nationality and country of residence. Statistics on repeat sales of each artist also contain important information as an objective indicator of investment
attractiveness.
Last year, 2013, significantly changed the position of contemporary artists in the international sales rankings. From the top 50 most expensive works art, 16 contemporary pieces were sold last season - record number(For comparison, 17 works were sold from 2010 to 2012, with only one sale in the 20th century). The demand for living artists is partly identical to the demand for all contemporary art, partly to the cynical understanding that the capitalization of assets after their death will invariably increase.
Among Russian participants the brothers turned out to be the most respectable Sergey And Alexey Tkachev(b. 1922 and 1925), the youngest - Anatoly Osmolovsky(b. 1969). The question is who will be new Jean-Michel Basquiat, while open. In the sales of our artists, clear classes of buyers are visible: the leaders are bought by foreign collectors and Russian oligarchs, places from 10th to 30th are provided by emigrant collectors, and the conditional bottom of the top 50 is our future, young collectors who have entered the market with “new » money.
1. Ilya Kabakov
It seems that in general he is the main Russian artist (which does not prevent Kabakov, who was born in Dnepropetrovsk, from describing himself as Ukrainian), the founding father of Moscow conceptualism (one of), the author of the term and practice of “total installation”. Since 1988 he has lived and worked in New York. He works in collaboration with his wife, Emilia Kabakova, which is why the title should look like “Ilya and Emilia Kabakov,” but since Ilya Iosifovich became known earlier than Ilya and Emilia, then let it remain so. The works are in the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Hermitage, MoMA, Kolodzei Art Foundation(USA), etc.
Year of birth: 1933
Work: "Beetle". 1982
Date of sale: 02/28/2008
Price (GBP)1: 2,932,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 10,686,000
Place: 1
Average Job Cost (GBP): 117,429
Number of repeat sales: 12
2. Erik Bulatov
Using techniques that would later be called social art, he combined figurative painting with text in his works. IN Soviet time successful children's book illustrator. Since 1989 he has lived and worked in New York, and since 1992 in Paris. The first Russian artist with a personal exhibition at the Pompidou Center. The works are kept in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Pompidou Center, the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, etc., and are included in the collections of the Foundation Dina Verni, Viktor Bondarenko, Vyacheslav Kantor, Ekaterina and Vladimir Semenikhin, Igor Tsukanov.
Year of birth: 1933
Work: “Glory to the CPSU.” 1975
Date of sale: 02/28/2008
Price (GBP)1: 1,084,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 8,802,000
Place: 2
Average job cost (GBP): 163,000
Number of repeat sales: 11
3. Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid
The creators of Sots Art - an ironic movement in unofficial art that parodies the symbolism and techniques of officialdom. Since 1978 they have lived in New York. Until the mid-2000s they worked in pairs. A “sale of souls” was organized as an art project famous artists through auction (soul Andy Warhol since then it has been owned by a Moscow artist Alena Kirtsova). Works are in the collections of MoMA, the Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre, and in the collections Shalva Breus, Daria Zhukova And Roman Abramovich and etc.
Year of birth: 1943, 1945
Work: “Meeting of Solzhenitsyn and Böll at Rostropovich’s dacha.” 1972
Date of sale: 04/23/2010
Price (GBP)1: 657,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 3,014,000
Place: 7
Average job cost (GBP): 75,350
Number of repeat sales: 3
former comar&melamid artstudio archive
4. Semyon Faibisovich
A photorealist artist who remains the most precise realist even now, when Semyon Natanovich is less interested in painting than in journalism. He exhibited on Malaya Gruzinskaya, where in 1985 he was noticed by New York dealers and collectors. Since 1987, regularly exhibited in the USA and Western Europe. An active supporter of the repeal of the law on the promotion of homosexuality in Russia. Lives and works in Moscow. Works are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Moscow House of Photography, museums in Germany, Poland, the USA, and are included in the collections Daria Zhukova And Roman Abramovich, Igor Markin, Igor
Tsukanova.
Year of birth: 1949
Work: “Soldiers” (from the “Station Stations” series). 1989
Date of sale: 10/13/2007
Price (GBP)1: 311,200
Total capitalization (GBP): 3,093,000
Place: 6
Average Job Cost (GBP): 106,655
Number of repeat sales: 7
5. Grigory (Grisha) Bruskin
The main character of the first and last Soviet auction Sotheby's in 1988, where his work Fundamental Lexicon became the top lot (£220 thousand). At the invitation of the German government, he created a monumental triptych for the reconstructed Reichstag in Berlin. Winner of the Kandinsky Prize in the “Project of the Year” nomination for the exhibition Time H at the Multimedia Art Museum. Lives and works in New York and Moscow. The works are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, and the Pushkin Museum. A. S. Pushkin, the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, MoMA, the Museum of Jewish Culture (New York), etc., are included in the collections of the Queen of Spain Sofia, Peter Aven, Shalva Breus, Vladimir and Ekaterina Semenikhin, Milos Forman.
Year of birth: 1945
Work: “Logies. Part 1". 1987
Date of sale: 07.11.2000
Price (GBP)1: 424,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 720,000
Place: 15
Average job cost (GBP): 24,828
Number of repeat sales: 5
6. Oleg Tselkov
One of the most famous sixties artists, who in the 1960s began and still continues a series of paintings depicting rough, as if sculpted from clay, human faces(or figures) painted with bright aniline colors. Since 1977 he has lived in Paris. The works are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Hermitage, the Zimmerli Museum of Rutgers University, etc., and are included in the collections Mikhail Baryshnikov, Arthur Miller, Igor Tsukanov. The largest private collection of Tselkov's works in Russia belongs to Evgeniy Yevtushenko.
Year of birth: 1934
Work: "Boy with balloons" 1957
Date of sale: 11/26/2008
Price (GBP)1: 238,406
Total capitalization (GBP): 4,232,000
Place: 5
Average job cost (GBP): 53,570
Number of repeat sales: 14
7. Oscar Rabin
Leader of the “Lianozov group” (Moscow nonconformist artists of the 1950s-1960s), organizer of the scandalous Bulldozer exhibition 1974. He was the first in the Soviet Union to sell works privately. In 1978 he was deprived of Soviet citizenship. Lives and works in Paris. In 2006 he became a laureate of the Innovation Prize for his contribution to art. The works are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, the Zimmerli Museum of Rutgers University, and are included in the collections of Alexander Glezer, Vyacheslav Kantor, Alexander Kronik, Iveta and Tamaz Manasherov, Evgeniy Nutovich, Aslan Chekhoev.
Year of birth: 1928
Work: “The City and the Moon (Socialist
city)". 1959
Date of sale: 04/15/2008
Price (GBP)1: 171,939
Total capitalization (GBP): 5,397,000
Place: 3
Average job cost (GBP): 27,964
Number of repeat sales: 45
8. Zurab Tsereteli
Largest representative already monumental art. Author of the monument to Peter I in Moscow and the monument Good conquers Evil in front of the UN building in New York. Founder of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, President Russian Academy arts, creator of the Zurab Tsereteli Art Gallery, which works at the above-mentioned academy. Sculptures of Zurab Tsereteli, in addition to Russia, adorn Brazil, Great Britain, Georgia, Spain, Lithuania, USA, France and Japan.
Year of birth: 1934
Work: “Dream of Athos”
Date of sale: 12/01/2009
Price (GBP)1: 151,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 498,000
Place: 19
Average job cost (GBP): 27,667
Number of repeat sales: 4
9. Viktor Pivovarov
One of the founders of Moscow conceptualism. Like Kabakov, the inventor of the concept album genre; like Kabakov, Bulatov and Oleg Vasiliev - a successful illustrator of children's books who collaborated with the magazines "Murzilka" and " Funny pictures" Since 1982 he has lived and worked in Prague. The works are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, and the Pushkin Museum. A. S. Pushkina, Kolodzei Art Foundation(USA), in the collections of Vladimir and Ekaterina Semenikhin, Igor Tsukanov.
Year of birth: 1937
Work: “Triptych with a snake.” 2000
Date of sale: 10/18/2008
Price (GBP)1: 145,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 482,000
Place: 20
Average job cost (GBP): 17,852
Number of repeat sales: 6
10. Alexander Melamid
Half of the creative tandem Komar - Melamid, which broke up in 2003. Together with Vitaly Komar, participant Bulldozer exhibition(where they died Double self-portrait, a seminal work of Sots Art). Since 1978 he has lived and worked in New York. There is no information about which famous collections contain Melamid’s works, created by him independently.
Year of birth: 1945
Work: “Cardinal José Saraiva Martins.” 2007
Date of sale: 10/18/2008
Price (GBP)1: 145,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 145,000
Place: 36
Average job cost (GBP): 145,000
Number of repeat sales: —
11. Francisco Infante-Arana
The owner of perhaps the heaviest list of exhibitions among Russian artists. Member of the kinetic group "Movement", in the 1970s he found his own version of photo performance, or “artifact” - geometric forms integrated into the natural landscape.
Year of birth: 1943
Work: “Building a sign.” 1984
Date of sale: 05/31/2006
Price (GBP)1: 142,400
Total capitalization (GBP): 572,000
Place: 17
Average job cost (GBP): 22,000
Number of repeat sales: —
12. Vladimir Nemukhin
Metaphysician. A classic of the second wave of Russian avant-garde, a member of the “Lianozov group”, one of the participants in the Bulldozer exhibition, curator (or initiator) of important exhibitions of the 1980s, when the unofficial Soviet
art was just becoming aware of itself.
Year of birth: 1925
Work: “Unfinished Solitaire.” 1966
Date of sale: 04/26/2006
Price (GBP)1: 240,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 4,338,000
Place: 4
Average Job Cost (GBP): 36,454
Number of repeat sales: 26
13. Vladimir Yankilevsky
Surrealist, one of the main names of post-war Moscow unofficial art, creator of monumental philosophical polyptychs.
Year of birth: 1938
Work: “Triptych No. 10. Anatomy of the soul. II." 1970
Date of sale: 04/23/2010
Price (GBP)1: 133,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 754,000
Place: 14
Average job cost (GBP): 12,780
Number of repeat sales: 7
14. Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky
Scenic project Paintings to order, which they began in the hopeless 1990s for painting, received what it deserved in the 2000s. The duet became popular with collectors, and one painting ended up in the collection of the Pompidou Center.
Year of birth: 1963, 1964
Work: "Night Fitness". 2004
Date of sale: 06/22/2007
Price (GBP)1: 132,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 1,378,000
Place: 11
Average job cost (GBP): 26,500
Number of repeat sales: 4
15. Sergey Volkov
One of the heroes of perestroika art, known for his expressive paintings with thoughtful statements. Soviet auction participant Sotheby's in 1988.
Year of birth: 1956
Work: “Double Vision.
Triptych"
Date of sale: 05/31/2007
Price (GBP)1: 132,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 777,000
Place: 12
Average job cost (GBP): 38,850
Number of repeat sales: 4
16. AES + F (Tatyana Arzamasova, Lev Evzovich, Evgeniy Svyatsky, Vladimir Fridkes)
AES projects were distinguished by their good presentation in the slack 1990s, which is why they were remembered. Now they are making large animated murals that are broadcast on dozens of screens.
Year of birth: 1955, 1958, 1957, 1956
Work: “Warrior No. 4”
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 120,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 305,000
Place: 27
Average job cost (GBP): 30,500
Number of repeat sales: —
17. Lev Tabenkin
A sculptor and painter with a sculptural vision, as if sculpting his heroes from clay.
Year of birth: 1952
Work: "Jazz Orchestra". 2004
Date of sale: 06/30/2008
Price (GBP)1: 117,650
Total capitalization (GBP): 263,000
Place: 28
Average job cost (GBP): 26,300
Number of repeat sales: 7
18. Mikhail (Misha Shaevich) Brusilovsky
Sverdlovsk surrealist, author of meaningful allegories.
Year of birth: 1931
Work: "Football". 1965
Date of sale: 11/28/2006
Price (GBP)1: 108,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 133,000
Place: 38
Average job cost (GBP): 22,167
Number of repeat sales: —
19. Olga Bulgakova
One of the main figures of the intelligentsia “carnival” painting of the Brezhnev era. Corresponding Member
Russian Academy of Arts.
Year of birth: 1951
Work: “Dream of Red
bird." 1988
Date of sale: 11/22/2010
Price (GBP)1: 100,876
Total capitalization (GBP): 219,000
Place: 31
Average job cost (GBP): 36,500
Number of repeat sales: —
20. Alexander Ivanov
An abstract artist who is known primarily as a businessman, collector and creator of the Faberge Museum in Baden-Baden (Germany).
Year of birth: 1962
Work: "Love". 1996
Date of sale: 06/05/2013
Price (GBP)1: 97,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 201,000
Place: 33
Average Job Cost (GBP): 50,250
Number of repeat sales: —
21. Ivan Chuikov
An independent wing of Moscow pictorial conceptualism. Author of a series of paintings-objects Windows. Somehow in the 1960s he burned everything paintings, which is why gallery owners are still sad.
Year of birth: 1935
Work: "Untitled". 1986
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 96,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 1,545,000
Place: 10
Average Job Cost (GBP): 36,786
Number of repeat sales: 8
22. Konstantin Zvezdochetov
In his youth, he was a member of the group "Mukhomor", which called themselves "fathers" new wave" in Soviet Union" -
with good reason; with the onset of creative maturity, participant of the Venice Biennale and Kassel
documenta. Researcher and connoisseur of the visual in Soviet grassroots culture.
Year of birth: 1958
Product: "Perdo-K-62M"
Date of sale: 06/13/2008
Price (GBP)1: 92,446
Total capitalization (GBP): 430,000
Place: 22
Average job cost (GBP): 22,632
Number of repeat sales: 2
23. Natalya Nesterova
One of the main art stars of the Brezhnev stagnation. Loved by collectors for its textured, painterly style.
Year of birth: 1944
Work: “The Miller and His
son". 1969
Date of sale: 06/15/2007
Price (GBP)1: 92,388
Total capitalization (GBP): 1,950,000
Place: 9
Average job cost (GBP): 20,526
Number of repeat sales: 15
24. Maxim Kantor
An expressionist painter who performed in the Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 1997 - as well as a publicist and writer, author of a philosophical and satirical novel Drawing tutorial about the ins and outs of the Russian art world.
Year of birth: 1957
Work: “The Structure of Democracy.” 2003
Date of sale: 10/18/2008
Price (GBP)1: 87,650
Total capitalization (GBP): 441,000
Place: 21
Average job cost (GBP): 44,100
Number of repeat sales: 2
25. Andrey Sidersky
Creates paintings in the style of psy-art he invented. Translated works of Carlos Castaneda and Richard Bach into Russian.
Year of birth: 1960
Work: “Triptych”
Date of sale: 12/04/2009
Price (GBP)1: 90,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 102,000
Place: 42
Average job cost (GBP): 51,000
Number of repeat sales: —
26. Valery Koshlyakov
Known for paintings with architectural motifs. The largest representative of the “South Russian wave”. Often uses cardboard boxes, bags, and tape. The first exhibition with his participation was held in a public toilet in Rostov-on-Don in 1988.
Year of birth: 1962
Work: "Versailles". 1993
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 72,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 346,000
Place: 26
Average job cost (GBP): 21,625
Number of repeat sales: 8
27. Alexey Sundukov
Laconic, leaden in color paintings about “ lead abominations» everyday Russian life.
Year of birth: 1952
Work: “The Essence of Being.” 1988
Date of sale: 04/23/2010
Price (GBP)1: 67,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 255,000
Place: 29
Average job cost (GBP): 25,500
Number of repeat sales: 1
28. Igor Novikov
Belongs to the generation of Moscow nonconformist artists of the late 1980s.
Year of birth: 1961
Work: “The Kremlin Breakfast, or Moscow for Sale.” 2009
Date of sale: 03.12.2010
Price (GBP)1: 62,092
Total capitalization (GBP): 397,000
Place: 24
Average job cost (GBP): 15,880
Number of repeat sales: 3
29. Vadim Zakharov
Archivist of Moscow conceptualism. The author of spectacular installations on profound topics, represented Russia at the Venice
biennial
Year of birth: 1959
Work: "Baroque". 1986-1994
Date of sale: 10/18/2008
Price (GBP)1: 61,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 243,000
Place: 30
Average job cost (GBP): 20,250
Number of repeat sales: —
30. Yuri Krasny
Author of art programs for children with special needs.
Year of birth: 1925
Work: “The Smoker”
Date of sale: 04/04/2008Price (GBP)1: 59,055
Total capitalization (GBP): 89,000
Place: 44
Average job cost (GBP): 11,125
Number of repeat sales: 8
31. Sergey and Alexey Tkachev
Classics of late Soviet impressionism, students of Arkady Plastov, famous for their paintings from the life of the Russian village.
Year of birth: 1922, 1925
Work: “In the Field.” 1954
Date of sale: 01.12.2010
Price (GBP)1: 58,813
Total capitalization (GBP): 428,000
Place: 23
Average job cost (GBP): 22,526
Number of repeat sales: 4
32. Svetlana Kopystyanskaya
Known for installations from paintings. After the Moscow auction Sotheby's in 1988 he works abroad.
Year of birth: 1950
Work: “Seascape”
Date of sale: 10/13/2007
Price (GBP)1: 57,600
Total capitalization (GBP): 202,000
Place: 32
Average job cost (GBP): 22,444
Number of repeat sales: 2
33. Boris Orlov
A sculptor close to social art. He is famous for his works in the ironic “imperial” style and his masterful craftsmanship of bronze busts and bouquets.
Year of birth: 1941
Work: "Sailor". 1976
Date of sale: 10/17/2013
Price (GBP)1: 55,085
Total capitalization (GBP): 174,000
Place: 34
Average job cost (GBP): 17,400
Number of repeat sales: 1
34. Vyacheslav Kalinin
The author of expressive paintings from the life of the urban lower classes and drinking bohemia.
Year of birth: 1939
Artwork: “Self-portrait with a hang glider”
Date of sale: 11/25/2012
Price (GBP)1: 54,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 766,000
Place: 13
Average job cost (GBP): 12,767
Number of repeat sales: 24
35. Evgeny Semenov
Known for his photo series with Down's disease patients playing the roles of gospel characters.
Year of birth: 1960
Work: "Heart". 2009
Date of sale: 06/29/2009
Price (GBP)1: 49,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 49,000
Place: 48
Average job cost (GBP): 49,000
Number of repeat sales: —
36. Yuri Cooper
He became famous for his nostalgic canvases with old household items. Author of the play Twelve paintings from the life of the artist, staged at the Moscow Art Theater. A.P. Chekhov.
Year of birth: 1940
Work: “Window. Dassa Street, 56." 1978
Date of sale: 06/09/2010
Price (GBP)1: 49,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 157,000
Place: 35
Average job cost (GBP): 2,754
Number of repeat sales: 14
37. Alexander Kosolapov
A socialist artist whose work has become a target for all sorts of attacks. During the Art Moscow 2005 fair, one of his works was destroyed by a religious fanatic with a hammer.
Year of birth: 1943
Work: "Marlboro Malevich." 1987
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 48,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 510,000
Place: 18
Average job cost (GBP): 15,938
Number of repeat sales: 1
38. Leonid Sokov
A leading sculptor of Sots Art who combined folklore with politics. Among famous works Device for determining nationality by nose shape.
Year of birth: 1941
Work: “A bear hitting a sickle with a hammer.” 1996
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 48,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 352,000
Place: 25
Average job cost (GBP): 13,538
Number of repeat sales: 7
39. Vladimir Ovchinnikov
One of the patriarchs of unofficial art in Leningrad. Orthodox version of Fernando Botero.
Year of birth: 1941
Work: “Angels and Railway Tracks.” 1977
Date of sale: 04/17/2007
Price (GBP)1: 47,846
Total capitalization (GBP): 675,000
Place: 16
Average job cost (GBP): 15,341
Number of repeat sales: —
40. Konstantin Khudyakov
Author of paintings on religious subjects. Currently working in digital art technology.
Year of birth: 1945
Work: " last supper" 2007
Date of sale: 02/18/2011
Price (GBP)1: 46,850
Total capitalization (GBP): 97,000
Place: 43
Average job cost (GBP): 32,333
Number of repeat sales: —
41. Ernst Neizvestny
An icon of Soviet nonconformism - since he openly objected to Secretary General Nikita Khrushchev at the vernissage legendary exhibition to the 30th anniversary of the Moscow Union of Artists. After that, he made a monument at Khrushchev’s grave and a monument in front of the UN European headquarters.
Year of birth: 1925
Work: “Untitled”
Date of sale: 06/08/2010
Price (GBP)1: 46,850
Total capitalization (GBP): 2,931,000
Place: 8
Average job cost (GBP): 24,839
Number of repeat sales: 13
42. Anatoly Osmolovsky
One of the main figures of Moscow actionism of the 1990s, art theorist, curator, publisher and head of the Baza Institute research and educational program, laureate of the first Kandinsky Prize.
Year of birth: 1969
Work: “Bread” (from the “Pagans” series). 2009
Date of sale: 04/23/2010
Price (GBP)1: 46,850
Total capitalization (GBP): 83,000
Place: 46
Average job cost (GBP): 11,857
Number of repeat sales: —
43. Dmitry Vrubel
Photorealist painter, known mainly for his painting of Brezhnev and Honecker kissing (more precisely, thanks to the author’s reproduction on the Berlin Wall).
Year of birth: 1960
Work: “Fraternal kiss (triptych).” 1990
Date of sale: 11/25/2013
Price (GBP)1: 45,000
Place: 40
Average job cost (GBP): 16,429
Number of repeat sales: 2
44. Leonid Lamm
The author of installations that combine motifs of the Russian avant-garde and scenes of Soviet prison life. Lives in America. In the 1970s, he spent three years in prisons and camps on false charges.
Year of birth: 1928
Work: “Apple II” (from the “Seventh Heaven” series). 1974-1986
Date of sale: 12/16/2009
Price (GBP)1: 43,910
Total capitalization (GBP): 115,000
Place: 41
Average job cost (GBP): 14,375
Number of repeat sales: —
Irina Nakhova’s picturesque installations of the 1980s in her apartment can claim authorship in the “total” genre.
45. Irina Nakhova
Muse of Moscow conceptualism. Winner of the 2013 Kandinsky Prize for “Project of the Year”. In 2015 at the 56th Venice Biennale
will represent Russia.
Year of birth: 1955
Work: "Triptych". 1983
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 38,900
Total capitalization (GBP): 85,000
Place: 45
Average job cost (GBP): 17,000
Number of repeat sales: 1
46. Katya Filippova
Avant-garde clothing designer who became famous during perestroika. She decorated the windows of the Parisian department store Galeries Lafayette, and was friends with Pierre Cardin.
Year of birth: 1958
“Work: Marina Ladynina” (from the “Russian Hollywood” series)
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 38,900
Total capitalization (GBP): 39,000
Place: 49
Average job cost (GBP): 39,000
Number of repeat sales: —
47. Boris Zaborov
theater artist, book illustrator. In 1980 he emigrated to Paris and worked on costumes for the Comedy Française.
Year of birth: 1935
Work: “Participant”. 1981
Date of sale: 10/30/2006
Price (GBP)1: 36,356
Total capitalization (GBP): 67,000
Place: 47
Average job cost (GBP): 13,400
Number of repeat sales: 2
48. Rostislav Lebedev
Classic socialist artist, colleague (and workshop neighbor) of Boris Orlov and Dmitry Prigov. Creatively transformed visual propaganda from Soviet times.
Year of birth: 1946
Work: “Russian Fairy Tale”. 1949
Date of sale: 06/03/2008
Price (GBP)1: 34,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 122,000
Place: 39
Average job cost (GBP): 24,400
Number of repeat sales: 2
49. Andrey Filippov
Belongs to the Moscow conceptual school. The author of paintings and installations united by the theme “Moscow - the Third Rome”. Since 2009, together with Yuri Albert and Victor Skersis, he has been a member of the Cupid group.
Year of birth: 1959
Work: "Seven Feet Under the Keel." 1988
Date of sale: 05/31/2006
Price (GBP)1: 33,600
Total capitalization (GBP): 137,000
Place: 37
Average job cost (GBP): 12,455
Number of repeat sales: 3
50. Vladimir Shinkarev
Founder and ideologist of the Leningrad art group“Mitki”, in whose novel Mitki this term was first heard. The novel was written out of boredom while working in the boiler room.
Year of birth: 1954
Work: “Lenin Square I”. 1999
Date of sale: 06/30/2008
Price (GBP)1: 32,450
Total capitalization (GBP): 33,000
Place: 50
Average job cost (GBP): 16,500
Number of repeat sales: —
Sales vs exhibitions
Market recognition and professional community recognition seem to many different things, however, the division into “commercial” and “non-commercial” artists is very arbitrary. Thus, of the Russian artists who have exhibited at the Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art over the past ten years (and this is the pinnacle of their professional career), seven (if counting by person, then 11 people) are included in our rating. And the top 10 artists from the rating either exhibited at the Venice Biennale before, or had personal exhibitions in major museums. As for those wonderful artists who were not included in the rating, their absence or not very outstanding sales can be explained simply and banally. Collectors are conservative and even from the most avant-garde creators they prefer to buy paintings (paintings, objects similar to paintings or photographs) or sculpture (or objects similar to sculpture). There are no record-breaking performances or giant installations in our rating (installations are usually bought by museums, but the prices are museum-quality, at a discount). That is why such stars as Andrey Monastyrsky, Oleg Kulik, Pavel Pepperstein(until recently I mainly did graphics, and graphics are a priori cheaper than painting) or, for example, Nikolay Polissky, whose grandiose designs have not yet found any understanding collectors.
In addition, the market is also conservative because recognition comes slowly - note that in the top 10 all artists were born in 1950 or older. That is, promising participants of the biennale still have everything ahead of them.
Levitan, Shishkin, Aivazovsky and many other names are familiar to every educated person in our country and abroad. This is our pride. There are many talented artists today. It’s just that their names are not yet so widely known to everyone.Bright Side collected 10 contemporary Russian artists (we are sure there are many more) who will undoubtedly write their name in the classics of 21st century painting. Find out about them today.
Alexey Chernigin
Most of Alexey Chernigin's oil paintings on canvas capture beauty, romance and moments of true feelings. Alexey Chernigin inherited his talent and passion for art from his father, the famous Russian artist Alexander Chernigin. Every year they organize a joint exhibition in their native Nizhny Novgorod.Konstantin Lupanov
A young and incredibly talented artist from Krasnodar calls his painting “fun, irresponsible daub.” Konstantin Lupanov writes what he loves. The main characters of his paintings are friends, acquaintances, relatives and his beloved cat Philip. The simpler the plot, the artist says, the more truthful the picture turns out.
Stanislav Plutenko
Stanislav Plutenko’s creative motto: “See the unusual and do the unusual.” Moscow artist works in unique technology mixing tempera, acrylic, watercolor and the finest AirBrash glaze. Stanislav Plutenko is included in the catalog of 1000 surrealists of all times and peoples.Nikolay Blokhin
Discover a modern Russian artist who, without a doubt, centuries later will stand on a par with the world classics of painting. Nikolai Blokhin is known primarily as a portrait painter, although he also paints landscapes, still lifes, genre paintings. But it is in the portrait that one of the most important aspects of his talent is most clearly demonstrated.Dmitry Annenkov
Looking at the hyper-realistic still lifes of this Russian artist, you just want to reach out and take from the canvas or touch what is drawn there. They are so alive and with soul. Artist Dmitry Annenkov lives in Moscow and works in different genres. And he is extremely talented in everything.Vasily Shulzhenko
The work of artist Vasily Shulzhenko leaves no one indifferent. He is either loved or hated, praised for his understanding of the Russian soul and accused of hating it. His paintings depict harsh Russia, without cuts and grotesque comparisons, alcohol, debauchery and stagnation.Arush Votsmush
Hiding under the pseudonym Arush Votsmush most talented artist from Sevastopol Alexander Shumtsov. “There is a word called “conflict”: when you see something amazing that makes your inner wheels turn in right side. A good conflict, “with goosebumps” - it’s interesting. And goosebumps can come from anything: from cold water, from the holiday, from the fact that I suddenly felt something like in childhood - when I was surprised for the first time and it started playing inside you... I’m not trying to prove anything to anyone with my works. First of all, I enjoy it. This is a pure drug of creativity. Or a clean life - without doping. Just a miracle."Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky
Vinogradov and Dubossarsky are the main hooligans and obscenities of modern Russian painting. The creative duo formed in the mid-90s of the twentieth century. And today he has already gained worldwide fame. It is no coincidence that the writer Viktor Pelevin designed one of his novels with illustrations from ready-made works by Dubossarsky and Vinogradov.Mikhail Golubev
Young Russian artist Mikhail Golubev lives and works in St. Petersburg. His works are thought-paintings, fantasy-paintings and philosophical reflections. Very interesting artist with his own, but very familiar to many, view of this world.Sergey Marshennikov
Art is constantly evolving, like the whole world around us. Contemporary artists The 21st century and their paintings are not at all similar to those that existed in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. New names, materials, genres, and ways of expressing talents appear. In this rating we will meet ten innovative artists of our time.
Pedro Campos
10. Pedro Campos. In tenth place is a Spaniard, whose brush can easily compete with a camera, he paints such realistic canvases. For the most part, he creates still lifes, but it is not so much the themes of his paintings that inspire amazing admiration, but the masterful execution. Textures, highlights, depth, perspective, volume - Pedro Campos subordinated all this to his brush, so that reality, and not fiction, looked at the viewer from the canvas. Without embellishment, without romanticism, only reality, this is precisely the meaning of the photorealism genre. By the way, the artist acquired his attention to detail and scrupulousness while working as a restorer.
Richard Estes 9. Richard Estes. Another fan of the photorealism genre, Richard Estes, started with ordinary painting, but later went into painting city landscapes. Today's artists and their creations do not need to adapt to anyone, and this is wonderful, everyone can express themselves the way they want in what they want. As in the case of Pedro Campos, the work of this master can easily be confused with photographs, the city from them is so similar to the real one. You rarely see people in Estes’s paintings, but there are almost always reflections, highlights, parallel lines and perfect, ideal composition. Thus, he does not just sketch the city landscape, but finds perfection in it and tries to show it.
Kevin Sloan 8. Kevin Sloan. There are an incredible number of contemporary artists of the 21st century and their paintings, but not every one of them is worth attention. American Kevin Sloan stands, because his works seem to transport the viewer to another dimension, a world full of allegories, hidden meanings, metaphorical riddles. The artist likes to paint animals, because, in his opinion, this way he gets more freedom than with people to convey the story. Sloan has been creating her “reality with a catch” in oils for almost 40 years. Very often a clock appears on canvases: either an elephant or an octopus is looking at it; this image can be interpreted as time passing or as the limitations of life. Each of Sloane’s paintings amazes the imagination; you want to figure out what the author wanted to convey to her.
Laurent Parselier 7. Laurent Parselier. This painter is one of those contemporary artists of the 21st century whose paintings received recognition early, even during their studies. Laurent's talent manifested itself in published albums under common name « Strange world" He paints in oils, his style is light and tends toward realism. Characteristic feature The artist’s works are characterized by an abundance of light, which seems to be pouring from the canvases. As a rule, he depicts landscapes and some recognizable places. All works are unusually light and airy, filled with sun, freshness, and breath.
Jeremy Mann 6. Jeremy Mann. The San Francisco native loved his city and most often depicted it in his paintings. Modern artists of the 21st century can find inspiration for their paintings anywhere: in the rain, wet sidewalks, neon signs, city lamps. Jeremy Mann imbues simple landscapes with mood, history, and experiments with techniques and color choices. The main material of Manna is oil.
Hans Rudolf Giger 5. Hans Rudolf Giger. In fifth place is the inimitable, unique Hans Giger, the creator of Alien from the film of the same name. Today's artists and their works are diverse, but each is brilliant in its own way. This gloomy Swiss does not paint nature and animals; he prefers “biomechanical” painting, in which he excels. Some compare the artist to Bosch in the gloom and fantasy of his paintings. Even though Giger’s paintings smell of something otherworldly and dangerous, you can’t deny his technique and skill: he is attentive to details, competently selects shades, thinks through everything to the smallest detail.
Will Barnett 4. Will Barnett. This artist has his own unique author’s style, which is why his works are readily accepted by the great museums of the world: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, British Museum, Ashmolean Museum, Vatican Museum. Contemporary artists of the 21st century and their works, in order to be recognized, must somehow stand out from the rest of the masses. And Will Barnett can do it. His works are graphic and contrasting; he often depicts cats, birds, and women. At first glance, Barnett's paintings are simple, but upon further examination you realize that their genius lies in this simplicity.
Neil Simon 3. Neil Simon. This is one of the contemporary artists of the 21st century, whose works are not as simple as they seem at first glance. It’s as if the boundaries between Neil Simon’s subjects and works are blurred; they flow from one to another, dragging the viewer along with them, drawing them into the illusory world of the artist. Simon's creations are characterized by bright, rich colors, which gives them energy and strength and evokes an emotional response. The master loves to play with perspective, the size of objects, with unusual combinations and unexpected shapes. There is a lot of geometry in the artist’s works, which is combined with natural landscapes, as if bursting inside, but not destroying, but harmoniously complementing. 
2. Igor Morski. Today's 21st century artist and his paintings are often compared to the great genius Salvador Dali. The works of the Polish master are unpredictable, mysterious, exciting, evoke a strong emotional response, and are sometimes crazy. Like any other surrealist, he does not strive to show reality as it is, but shows facets that we will never see in life. More often, main character Morski’s work is a man with all his fears, passions, and shortcomings. Also, metaphors in the works of this surrealist often concern power. Of course, this is not an artist whose work you would hang above your bed, but one whose exhibition is definitely worth going to.
Yayoi Kusama 1. Yayoi Kusama. So, in first place in our ranking is a Japanese artist who has achieved incredible success all over the world, despite the fact that she has some mental illnesses. The artist’s main feature is polka dots. She covers in circles various forms and the sizes of everything that he sees, calling it all networks of infinity. Kusama’s interactive exhibitions and installations are a success, because everyone sometimes wants (even if he doesn’t admit it) to be inside the psychedelic world of hallucinations, childish spontaneity, fantasies and colorful circles. Among contemporary artists of the 21st century and their paintings, Yayoi Kusama is the best-selling.