Few people do not know Leonardo da Vinci, Picasso or Aivazovsky. Great artists! And who in the world contemporary art received recognition? World famous art master - Nikolai Stepanovich Safronov. His paintings are always on trend, they are not cheap, but they are in great demand.
What interests those whose idol is Nikas Safronov? Biography, children, family photos, creative achievements, gossip. Read about all this in this article.
From birth to the beginning of a creative journey
In the city of Ulyanovsk, a son was born into the family of a retired military man on April 8, 1956. The boy was named Kolenka.
Safronov Sr., Stepan Grigorievich, came from among hereditary Orthodox church ministers. Safronova Anna Fedorovna, the mother of the family, is half-Lithuanian-half-Finnish by origin, originally from the Lithuanian town of Panevezys.
Father, mother, six children lived modestly but amicably.
Nikolai began drawing as a child. He redrew illustrations from books. He was mainly interested in marine topics, because he dreamed of becoming a pirate.
After finishing the 8th grade, he went to Odessa, where he entered the naval school. A year later, he left him and went to Rostov-on-Don, where from 1973 to 1975 he studied painting at art school them. M.B. Grekova. Due to poverty, the student had to unload carriages, sweep streets, guard cafes and arrange scenery at the local theater.
Nikolai did not manage to finish his studies, as he was mobilized into the army. He does not like to remember his service in the missile forces in Estonia.
Creative takeoff
After demobilization, Nikolai Safronov went to his mother’s homeland in the city of Panevezys. It is from here that the biography of Nikas Safronov as an artist began.
The first steps were working in a theater as a graphic designer and at a flax mill as a fabric designer. At the same time, he actively paints paintings and puts them up for sale. The canvases began to be in demand.
Next important step was made in 1978. Nikas Safronov, whose biography was unknown to anyone in those years, organized the first personal exhibition of his works, which was a success with visitors and received positive reviews from critics. He was called a talented portrait painter, surrealist and experimenter.
Winged high hopes, the young art master left for Vilnius. Here he entered the Lithuanian State Art Institute at the Faculty of Design.
In 1983, the artist moved to Moscow, and the biography of Nikas Safronov was rapidly filled with new bright events:
- 1985 - participation in International exhibition in Tokyo (Japan).
- 1986 - participation in the International Exhibition in Milan (Italy).
- 1987 - exhibition in France.
- 1988 - exhibition in Canada.
To date, Nikas exhibitions have been held in many major cities Russia and on the periphery, abroad.
The famous artist is the winner of many awards and titles.
Personal life
Nikas Safronov, an artist whose biography attracts the attention of not only Russians, but also foreign fans of his work, was officially married twice.
Safronov first tied the knot in 1984 with the Frenchwoman Dragana, a student at the Sorbonne’s philological department. But life together was very short - only 20 days.
In 1990, Nikas married Italian Francesca Vendramin. They lived together for 13 years. The couple had a son, Stefano, in 1992, of whom his father is very proud. Today the ex-wife and her son live in London. The boy is an excellent student at one of the prestigious schools in the capital, and receives a special scholarship for his excellent academic achievements.
Now he lives in a civil marriage with a “big and kind” girl, Maria.
The artist maintains warm relations with his brothers and sisters and helps them financially.
Women and illegitimate children of Safronov
The entire biography of Nikas Safronov is connected with women. From early youth he began to have affairs and is still active. Because of unhappy love, he cut his wrists, met beautiful girl and made love to her right on the street, 29 children claim paternity of the famous artist.
In total, Nikas Safronov recognized three:
- son Dmitry born in 1985, lives in Lithuania;
- son Luka, born in 1990, lives in Moscow, a talented and famous pianist;
- son Landin, born in 1999, lives in Australia.
Nikas Safronov - philanthropist
Famous He can afford shoes for $900, a 15-room 4-level apartment in the center of Moscow overlooking the Kremlin, it is known that the art master owns ancient castle in Scotland. But Nikas Safronov, whose biography is described in the article, does a lot of charity work. He built a church and a chapel in his hometown of Ulyanovsk and dedicated them to his mother, and now he is helping to build there Orthodox church John the Baptist. He takes care of 2 Ulyanovsk schools and provides a lot of targeted assistance to those in need.
Scandals and gossip
The biggest scandal that tarnished the biography of Nikas Safronov broke out in 2002. Former Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia A.F. Dunaev noticed that the portrait of Putin, for which he paid $2,000, is not a real painting, but just a colored photograph of the president! Afterwards, similar accusations began to pour in from other owners of the portraits. Safronov accused his producer Gaisin A. of fraud, who publicly announced that he was selling counterfeits with the permission of Nikas himself, and even provided evidence in favor of this statement.
In 2006, Nikas Safronov announced that 3 of his works were purchased by the Hermitage. In 2008, the director of the famous museum denied this claim.
A number of well-known Russian art critics negatively evaluate Safronov's work. But this does not prevent him from receiving orders from such famous personalities as Putin, Gorbachov, Kuchma, Sophia Loren, Jean-Paul Belmando, Diana Ross, Nikita Mikhalkov, Mike Tyson, Elton John and others.
Already more than 700 paintings by Nikas have settled in the private collections of the rich. People buy his paintings famous museums peace.
There is also an opinion that Nikas Safronov, a biography whose personal life seems open in full view, is actually connected with the KGB.
Artist Nikas Safronov is an ambiguous person. Some people give negative assessments, others - enthusiastic ones. In any case, the painter doesn’t have to borrow from anyone’s imagination.
A little about the artist
He was born in 1956. After the 8th grade, Nikas went to the “seafarer” in Odessa, but did not find himself there. A year later he leaves for Rostov-on-Don, where he studies at an art school for two years. At this time, the young man goes to the Youth Theater and works as a prop artist, and also works part-time, without hesitation to pick up a broom, as a janitor, watchman, loader. Then he is drafted into the army, after which he goes to Vilnius to study and studies at art institute.
Nikas is looking for his own style. After an exhibition in 1978 in Panevezys, a small Lithuanian city, he is considered a surrealist, portrait painter, and innovator. Of course, Nikas Safronov’s paintings impress with their freshness, novelty, brightness and catchiness.
Now he is very famous both in our country and abroad. And he achieved everything on his own. Nikas is wealthy enough to raise four sons. The second son has already become a pianist.
Safronov's paintings
The area of his artistic interests is very varied. It includes icon painting (my father came from a believing Orthodox family), cubism, symbolism, and portraits. Let's look at some paintings by Nikas Safronov.
Generalized portrait - “Peak of Beauty”
This is a song modern woman, before which the artist is ready to kneel. Before us is a face of a regular oval shape with classic proportions. The high, clear forehead is not covered by hair thrown back. Above large almond-shaped dark eyes, eyebrows splay.
The eyes are framed by fluffy eyelashes. They are clouded with pearlescent tints in such a way that part of the hair is hidden. This haze blends into the background of the portrait. The gaze passes through the viewer. The girl is separated from us by an invisible curtain. The finest blush covers the cheekbones. Parted lips do not smile. There are bluish highlights on dark hair. These are reflections of the blue background that surrounds them. If you look closely at it, you can see a lilac peak - a peak. The entire portrait is executed in gentle pastel colors. This is perfection itself, as the artist understands it. And who knows what the viewer will say. Nikas Safronov's paintings evoke polar opinions.
"Royal family"
Also very decorative work. In the foreground is a formidable knight in armor - a lion with a magnificent lush mane. He is strict and dignified. Nearby is his wife in a tiara decorated with precious stones. A scarlet cloak is thrown over her, which matches her red color in tone. This formidable creature behaves timidly only around its spouse.
And so - fear her, everyone who meets her on the way. A couple of lion cubs frolic in the distance. In the background, behind a green meadow and a lake, the outlines of a castle emerge against the backdrop of mountains. Unusual work done with great imagination. In some ways it resembles just a still life for eye candy. Someone might take a deeper look at the paintings of Nikas Safronov. They are very difficult.
"In memory of Alexander the Great"
You can look at the paintings of Nikas Safronov for a long time and hesitate for just as long: what should you present to the reader? Let's dwell on the ancient plot.
On a hot afternoon blue sky There is a fierce battle going on in the distance. In the foreground is Alexander himself. One defeated enemy lies at his feet. The second one fell to his knees behind the hero’s back. The third fights back, covering himself with a shield. The weapon has fallen from his hands, and all he can do to save his life is to quickly run away. Battle scene not bloody. Fight is a celebration, excitement, a game.
Personal exhibition of paintings by Nikas Safronov
Any of his exhibitions immediately attracts attention. In Moscow, three business centers invite art lovers to permanent exhibitions:
- "Center T".
- "Golden Ring".
- RIVER SIDE.
Plunging into the world of an artist who sees his surroundings differently than everyone else is always interesting.
A more successful and popular artist than Nikas Safronov, modern Russia does not know. His name has not left the pages of gossip columns of glossy magazines for decades. The legends about the “death grip” of the outstanding businessman, about the enchanting energy, about the remarkable ingenuity that made Nikas famous and revered in record time are simply stunning.
Popularity, even if scandalous, came to Nikas in the early 90s of the last century, when he began working on a series of portraits of domestic and foreign famous people. Subsequently, this series was called “River of Time.”
Idealizing and embellishing the familiar but popular faces of his contemporaries, the artist developed his own romantic style, echoing Flemish school Renaissance painting. Using modern technologies, the painter masterfully managed to fill his paintings with the spirit of history. Famous personalities, “frozen” on canvas in unusual images, appear before the viewer as heroes of the plots antique paintings in costumes from bygone eras.
On paintings Presidents and high-ranking officials of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, America, ruling monarchs, celebrities of the cinema and music world are captured.
The bulk of the artist’s paintings are kept in museums around the world and private collections in Russia and abroad among political and cultural stars such as Sophia Loren, Pierre Cardin, Alain Delon, Madonna, Alla Pugacheva, Montserrat Caballe, Philip Kirkorov, Leonardo DiCaprio, Nikita Mikhalkov and many others.
Amazing psychological portraits built on symbols, metaphors, subtle associations, interweavings historical eras, immerse the viewer in a fantastic space of feelings and emotional experiences.
The provocative works of Nikas Safronov - half people, half cats, half dogs - are completely in the spirit of the current time, and in the spirit of the work of the most extraordinary master. His life and his work are one continuous web of contradictions.
“He has enormous imagination and unearthly creative energy. I think that his soul was amazed by the existence of the twentieth century, combining the search for God and blasphemy, faith and unbelief, romanticism and a tough look at fashion.”“This is how one of the most famous Russian artists Ilya Glazunov once spoke about Nikas Safronov.
From the series of portraits "cat people". | Photo: fishki.net
Despite the polar opinions of critics, Nikas Safronov’s works are in great demand. His paintings have occupied a worthy place at major domestic and foreign exhibitions for more than 30 years; about 800 paintings have been purchased by collectors and stored in museums and private collections. Is this confirmation that Nikas is one of the most famous artists modernity, who earned worldwide recognition during his lifetime.
Sometimes even about the most famous artists you discover something new for yourself. On our website there is a story about the unknown Ivanp Shishkin -.
"Artist" scammer Safronov makes paintings in Photoshop
The fraudulent scheme is taken from "Kings and Cabbages" by O. Henry
I am alone famous friend painted a portrait, he made postcards from it and once went to Israel. There a girl came up to him for an autograph and saw who the author of the portrait was. “So we study Safronov like a classic at school.” He asks her: “Which other Russian are you studying?” She says: "Picasso and Dali." I was pleased to hear this. It’s good, of course, when you are Safin’s daughter, your name is Alsou and they help you in your creativity. I didn't have that. My path is thorny. (From an interview with Nikas Safronov.)
Sadalsky has a funny article on his blog (not like himself, as I understand it) about the formation and creative path phenomenon called Nikas Safronov. Actually, it doesn’t say anything particularly new - and it’s been known for so long what this “artist” is like. [with famous "moral principles"- Ruspres] and how he climbed into all sorts of holes of the powerful of this world without soap.
By the way, as far as I remember, Luzhkov’s brethren greatly welcomed this vulgar fellow. Well, every Shantsev loved it when they, big-faced ones, were depicted as illustrious princes or brilliant courtiers.
And I have one knowledgeable person said that Safronov was almost the first to bring a printer that prints on canvas to Moscow. At one time, such a thing cost several tens of thousands of dollars. But it paid off quickly for him: Nikas took paintings by old masters in Photoshop, sculpted some mug in place of a face Abramovich, printed it out - and the “portrait” is ready. He handed these portraits strong of the world this, trying to create a trend of “ordering a portrait from Safronov,” and, it seems, some orders actually began to fall to him. And then it’s a simple matter: I took a photo, processed it in Photoshop with some artistic filters and printed it out.
Portrait of Roman Abramovich
By the way, then these printers became much cheaper and everyone began to use them. Approximately 90% of the paintings sold at various opening days in Moscow are printed, not painted.
I also remember that I was quite amused by the persistence with which Safronov calls himself the “Russian Salvador Dali” - with approximately the same insistence with which Sasha Kuritsyn calls himself the “Russian Schwarzenegger”. [...]
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Wiring in the image of the “Russian Salvador Dali”
The story of the enrichment of the artist Nikos Safronov
Recently, a friend of mine invited me to the opening of his furniture store in the center of Moscow. I couldn't help but go. And I was not at all surprised to meet my old friend the artist Safronov there.
We met in the early 90s. My friends then opened a casino and held concerts there on Fridays to attract the public. The concert was followed by a buffet reception. The artist Safronov was a regular visitor to free buffets and parties (all over Moscow). An imposing man in an invariable black jacket attracted everyone's attention, despite the touch of a certain homelessness and provincialism. The artist ingratiatingly gave those around him booklets, postcards and other pieces of paper with reproductions of his works, and once came with bottles of Safronovka vodka, with his face on the label. True, he didn’t give me vodka, he just showed it. He often appeared with his friends, for example, the famous sorcerer Yuri Longo. Yura (who died so suddenly 5 years ago) was remembered as a very bright person, he amazed with accurate prophecies, for which I (an archskeptic) have never found a sensible explanation to this day. I don’t remember which of Safronov’s friends called him Kolkas, Kolyas, and even Kolyaska, but I remember these humorous names. That's what I'll call him.
Let's return to the furniture store in our time. Kolyas Safronov set up a projector and showed slides of his work on the back wall of an Italian wardrobe. My friend, a furniture maker, seeing my surprise, explained that Safronov promised to attract a rich audience, but charges very little for his show. By the way, he asked me to write a review. I promised in the heat of the moment. Time has passed, the promise must be fulfilled, but not to write about furniture store, so I decided to write about the work of Kolyaska Safronov.
First of all, I went to his official website, where I learned that “Over the years, only one Russian painter was able to achieve worldwide recognition,” “... an entry in the World Book of Knowledge about being included... in the 100 best artists of the 20th-21st centuries seems meager addition to career success Russian painter, quietly working in various genres..." and so on and so forth... But amazingly, Yandex did not give a single one!!! links to the request " world book knowledge." Yes, how much more insignificant is such an addition... As for the “various genres” in which Colcas “calmly” works, we can safely say that never (!), in any time and in any people, there has never been an artist which would work in almost all conceivable and inconceivable genres. Safronov is the only one! That’s why, apparently, he’s “calm.” On the same website we read that “Ordering and buying a painting by a master will not be difficult. A simplified system for receiving orders and performing work using photographs...” Of course, as long as there are customers, there is no need to worry too much.
I also surfed the Internet. Conflicting information. For example, in the article ( Komsomolskaya Pravda dated 04/08/2011) it is written: “Safronov quickly said that he remembers his Ulyanovsk childhood... He mentioned his Lithuanian mother, Russian father, infidel blacks who are neither Orthodox nor Catholic.” And on Wikipedia we read: “Father - Stepan Grigorievich Safronov (Erzyan by nationality). Mother - Safronova Anna Fedorovna, a native of the city of Panevezys. Do you remember something similar? “Mother is Russian, and father is a lawyer”? This is some kind of nonsense. And one more thing: all the sites claim that Safronov was born in Ulyanovsk in 1956. And where did the “infidel blacks” in Ulyanovsk childhood come from then? Another mystery. Therefore, I decided that it would be better to tell you three (only three!) true and reliable stories about the “only internationally recognized” Russian artist Safronov.
Story one. Becoming
They say that his friend Yuri Longo told Safronov this ingenious scheme, who in turn read it from some old American author (most likely from O. Henry).
The first stage: you need to take photographs (for example, from magazines) of several famous people and paint their portraits. Any PTE student (Safronov studied at the Rostov Art School from 1973 to 1975), even a C student, can easily do this. (The USSR had the strongest education! They could teach any dunce and mediocrity a craft). Then the finished portrait, for example, of the Queen of England must be send directly to her, darling, to her main residence - Buckingham Palace in Westminster. Finding the address is not a problem. They, the English, are known to be polite people and therefore will definitely send you a reply letter: “Thank you, they say, Kolyas for the portrait, etc.” In exactly the same way you send portraits to the President of the United States, the President of Russia (this is more important!) and all sorts of Sophia Laurens and Alla Pugachevs. Let not all of them, but many will send response letters of gratitude. So they have cultured people accepted.
Portrait of Vladimir Putin
The second stage: here you have to spend a little, but if you don’t invest money, you won’t earn money. A personalized album with reproductions of these portrait paintings is being published. Under each picture it is written, for example: “Portrait of the Queen of England. Kept in the personal collection of the Queen of England. Hangs in the portrait gallery of English kings at Buckingham Palace." Or: “Portrait of Roman Abramovich. It is kept in the personal collection of Roman Abramovich and is mandatory tattooed on the back (or below) of every Chelsea football player. And so on.
The third stage: you need to show this album to potential customers, commenting on the pictures in the correct discourse. Who is the potential customer for Safronov’s portrait in modern Russia? A thieving official or a criminal businessman, i.e. a real sucker! (Another one will not go to Kolyas). His education is at the appropriate level. He doesn’t know any artists other than Shishkin and Repin. Yes, and he knows those from the cover of “Native Speech” for first grade Soviet school. This sucker should be poked in the face with a little album with a portrait of the Queen of England. Those who are especially distrustful may also have the present thank you letter from the royal chancellery (that's where it came in handy!) show. Tell about the reception at Buckingham Palace, how the queen cried with happiness when she saw Safronov, how she threw herself on his neck with kisses, etc. You need to explain to the client that he is no worse than the queen, which means he should have a portrait painted by Kolyaska in his house on Rublyovka Safronov. It is hoped that the client will never know that the artist Safronov has never even laid eyes on the Queen of England (as well as others whose portraits he painted).
Price? Today it has already risen to 50 thousand dollars for a portrait “with handles” and up to 40 thousand “without handles”. Kolyashkis calls them “handles” human hands, which are as difficult to write (the layout is the same) as the face. But real boys, obviously, always order “with handles.”
"With handles." Portrait of Tina Kandelaki
Evil tongues claim that today Safronov’s portraits are painted by “black artists” (maybe from his Ulyanovsk childhood?), and not by himself. This is for the better - the quality of work has become higher. But a real “tough guy” doesn’t have to work - just count money.
This primitive and ancient fraudulent scheme still works to this day. Dare and try, young artists, however, it is not at all necessary to be an artist here. I wish you success!
The second story. Creativity flourishes
This story was told in big company(where I happened to be) Andrei Makarevich - leader of the rock group “Time Machine”. Here is the story in brief: “One day the artist Safronov called me (where did he get the phone?) and said that he would come to my house (how did he find out the address?) and give me a portrait. A portrait painted by him, and in the portrait, as you understand, I am depicted. I answer that I don’t need the portrait and ask him never to call me again. A few days later I leave the house, and he is already waiting for me at the gate. And the portrait, packed in thick paper, bothers me. A gift for your favorite singer. Well, you can’t offend a person, I took the portrait. I threw it straight into the attic without unpacking it. There he lies. I have never seen this portrait and I don’t want to see it. And, you friends, if you ever come across my portrait in Safronov’s album, then remember that not only did I not pose for Safronov, but I don’t really know him either.”
Well, as an addition: I once met my old friend, a famous art critic, and he laughed: “My friend called me here.” Alexander Sergeevich Sokolov(Minister of Culture of Russia) and asks what he should do with his portrait, which was sent from the artist Safronov. I answer: never, Alexander Sergeevich, tell anyone about this. This is indecent. In general, it is indecent to mention Safronov’s name in public. He doesn't shake hands. Destroy the portrait or hide it so that no one, God forbid, sees it. And then about yours artistic taste there will be a preconceived opinion. And this, as the Minister of Culture, can be very harmful to you.”
Story three. Liquidity
For 15 years now, the Russian Antique Salon, the largest antique fair in Russia, has been held in Moscow, at the Central House of Artists, twice a year. At the opening of the salon, the usual gathering of interested parties gathers, which has already become an obligatory and traditional phenomenon of the Moscow social life. A couple of years ago, at the opening of another salon, I was surprised to see a painting by Safronov in one of my gallery owners’ acquaintances. The painting depicted a portrait Kristina Orbakaite. I asked a friend why he was selling a completely inappropriate product. This is not an antique. The gallery owner told me a story about how he bought, on occasion, a certain set of antique objects. The seller sold only the whole thing, wholesale and “locomotive” attached this painting by Safronov to the antique pile. I had to buy it.
"Portrait" of Kristina Orbakaite with a rat - the pinnacle of Safronov's idiocy
Today, at the opening of the salon there should be Alla Pugacheva, - he told me, - So I hung the picture in the most visible place. Suddenly his eyes lit up, “The Lord heard my prayers,” he whispered. I looked back. Incredibly, Alla Borisovna herself approached us with a regal step, without taking her eyes off the portrait. I quote below verbatim:
- How much is it, daughter?
“Alla Borisovna,” the inspired seller jabbered, “I know for sure that Christina paid 50 thousand dollars for this portrait.” I got it on occasion and it was very expensive. Just out of respect for you, being your most ardent fan and admirer, I ask for only 10 thousand.
Alla Borisovna smiled:
- Do you want something?
It doesn’t matter how this story ended, it is important that not a single painting by Safronov has ever been sold at any serious auction. Because they are absolutely not liquid! Regardless of the genre. No one can sell Safronov’s work, except himself, of course.
Maybe this has something to do with the current state of our country? Only scammers thrive. Pseudo-artists, pseudo-singers, pseudo-intelligence officers, pseudo-businessmen, pseudo-ministers and even pseudo...
[Online diary draco_argento, 10/04/2011, “The only internationally recognized Russian artist": Nikas Safronov NEVER studied at the Rostov Art School. He attended preparatory courses at the Russian Art University. - Insert K.ru]
Vasily Chapaer
Source: apn.ru, 10/04/2011,
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"Both Sophia Loren and Spielberg wanted to rape me..."
A huge scandal is breaking out around the paintings of Nikas Safronov, among which there is a ceremonial portrait of the President of the Russian Federation: buyers of the paintings suddenly began to discover that they had been sold hack work. A reproduction of the portrait of Vladimir Putin by Safronov now hangs in the offices of many Russian officials, both in Moscow and in other cities and villages. And its picturesque prototype was sold some time ago. The portrait was bought by our fellow countryman, the former Minister of Internal Affairs of Russia, and now co-owner of the resort in Undory Andrey Dunaev. He is a rich man, he collects a collection of paintings, for which he even goes to auctions in London. Dunaev paid several thousand dollars for a portrait of Putin. When I figured it out, I realized that it was consumer goods. The picture was painted using computer technology. A photograph is taken, stored in the computer's memory, then it is corrected on the display (wrinkles are removed, circles under the eyes, if any, etc.) and displayed on canvas. Here the portrait is painted with paints. All work, as Nikas Safronov’s representative Alexander Gaisin says, takes no more than three hours.
Upon learning this, Dunaev became furious. And then rumors also appeared that under the guise of Safronov’s paintings, paintings by other artists little known to the public were being sold, that is, fakes. A couple of weeks ago the story took a detective turn.
Safronov’s representative, Gaisin, mentioned above, prepared traveling exhibition works by Nikas. In the room where Gaisin lived during his visits to Moscow, he collected about three dozen paintings. One day the paintings disappeared. According to Alexander Gaisin, his money, passport, two passbooks and documents, including contracts with the artist, disappeared along with them. Having discovered the loss, the victim wrote a statement to the Lefortovo District Department of Internal Affairs of Moscow. The application was accepted for processing. A week later, Gaisin came to the police department and found out that Nikas had accused him of forging paintings and stealing slides with reproductions. The artist sent a statement about this to the same police department. They began to interrogate Gaisin. He had almost no documents with him; they were stolen. He guessed who stole the paintings and papers: a man from Nikas’ circle.
Apparently, the calculation was that I had nothing left and could be taken with bare hands,” Alexander Gaisin told the SK correspondent, “but, thank God, my wife is a lawyer. She long ago advised me to make copies of documents and store them in Ulyanovsk.
Having escaped from the hands of the Moscow investigators, Gaisin came home, made copies of the papers and sent them to the Lefortovo District Department of Internal Affairs. In his envelope, a lot of interesting things went to Moscow, signed by Nikas himself. For example, judging by the documents, forgeries of paintings were prepared not only with Safronov’s knowledge, but also with his approval. The papers also contain a copy of the purchase and sale agreement between Safronov and Gaisin for slides. The buyer paid 130 thousand rubles for them. There is also a secret agreement between him and the artist in the safe of Nikas’s representative. Gaisin is keeping its essence secret for now, but says that when the public finds out, it will be horrified, especially if it remembers that N.S. Safronov is an honorary citizen of Ulyanovsk and an honorary professor at Ulyanovsk State University.
Why Nikas (in the world - Nikolai Stepanovich) decided to hand over Gaisin to the authorities, the latter has not yet understood. They grew up together. Gysin put a lot of effort into making his friend famous and his paintings salable. I tolerated his antics. Ulyanovsk residents remember how a few months ago Safronov publicly hit Gaisin at the opening of an exhibition at Ulyanovsk State University for placing a still-dry portrait of Vladimir Shamanov on something and almost ruining it. By the way, this portrait, says Alexander Gaisin, was made using the same technology and was painted not in six months, as the newspapers claimed, but in three hours.
Gaisin does not rule out that when his friend found out about the counterfeiting scandal, he might have come up with the idea of blaming everything on the representative. He is capable of this, says Gysin. Alexander Grigorievich does not yet know how the conflict will turn out. In anticipation of the outcome, he writes a fictional story in which he introduces Nikas under the name of Michael Kuzovatkin. Fortunately, the hero has been in front of the author’s eyes all his life. When asked what explains Nikas’s tilt towards those hanging anywhere in his paintings female breasts and asses, Gysin says: “I don’t know, psyche, probably.”
Meanwhile, in Safronov-Kuzovatkin’s homeland, his name continues to be immortalized. Through Shamanov they petition to award Nikolai Stepanovich the Order of Friendship of Peoples. And in Dimitrovgrad they plan to install his bust and name a technical lyceum after him. It was not reported which image of the maestro would be taken as a model for the monument. As a sponsorship, we publish one of his photographs. After the city in Cheremshan, the “sample” can be repeated in front of the entrance to Ulyanovsk secondary school No. 65, whose leadership has already achieved the assignment of its educational institution artist's name. In the photo, however, he is without pants, but this does not bother him; he loves being photographed like that. We might not have given this photo, but we consider its publication a public benefit. important matter: children in schools and lyceums have the right to know what the idol is and what it professes, which teachers and older comrades teach them to worship. And he professes something that he himself beautifully calls “inner freedom.” Six years ago, a journalist from one of the Ulyanovsk newspapers told in her publication how she interviewed the painter at the Venets Hotel. Having finished the conversation, the girl stood up, “but suddenly,” she writes in her article, “with one throw Nikas throws me onto the bed on which he had just been sitting. I quickly jumped up and pushed him away from me, asking what happened to him.” I want you."
The journalist ran out into the hotel corridor, Safronov ran after her and, asking for forgiveness, muttered: “Both Sophia Loren and Spielberg wanted to rape me...”
In art, the notorious “inner freedom” has resulted in hackwork and tricks with other people’s paintings. “He wants to make me out to be a scoundrel,” Alexander Gaisin is indignant, “but if I’m a scoundrel, who then is he, this man, without whose signature I didn’t take even half a step?!”
Sergey Polenov
Source: "Simbirsk Courier", 12/14/2002
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“He was in a psychiatric hospital” from the army, became an “informer” for the OBKhSS, “fell in love” to order with the ladies who paid his friend, the sorcerer Longo, for a “love spell”
The former producer of our fellow countryman, the fashionable metropolitan artist Nikas Safronov, Alexander Gaisin, wrote a book of scandalous memories about him. He introduced excerpts from the yet unpublished work only to SHOK readers. The reason is that Safronov recently turned 50 years old.
Most people only know the “front facade” of Nikas, says Gaysin. — Prince, holder of orders, professor, philanthropist, talented painter, “Russian Salvador Dali,” Putin’s favorite artist. All this is a legend that Safronov himself created around himself. I’ve known him for half his life and I’m telling you for sure: Nikas, at his core, is ordinary person in beautiful packaging. In many interviews he claims that he was chosen by God. But he is silent, as many years ago in a whole village he took down icons from old women...
- Your memories - memoirs or work of art?
- This fiction story, although the personality of the main character is completely based on Nikas. I did not embellish or invent a single fact of his biography.
Became an informer for the OBKhSS
Nikas was expelled from the art school in Rostov for being immoral - he began sleeping with an elderly teacher. The military registration and enlistment office was already waiting for him: Safronov was sent to serve in the missile forces in Latvia.
“He decided to play like a fool. Fortunately, before mobilization (as if I sensed that it would be necessary), I memorized a small brochure about various forms mental illness,” recalls Gysin. “This is where my unclaimed acting skills came in handy.”
At the first aid station, he argued that he saw natural tailed devils on the white wall. The doctors chuckled. But when he announced that he would commit suicide because nuclear missiles The devil's messengers are sitting, he was hastily sent to the city. There they examined me, tried to treat me with electric shock and sedative pills, and then put me in a psychiatric hospital in Riga. In order for him to be discharged, he had to lie there for 10 days. Nikas couldn't stand it. Having learned that in the next ward some crazy person had smashed a young doctor’s head with a stool, Nikas began pounding on the locked door, demanding that he be immediately sent back to the unit, since he had recovered and wanted to fulfill his civic duty to the Motherland...”
After returning from the army, the still unknown aspiring artist Kolya Safronov took up blacksmithing. Soon he was caught in this case by his future subordinate Sasha Gaisin, who worked as an OBKhSS inspector.
“I caught him red-handed at a flea market, and, threatening him with prison time, I managed to make the future celebrity my “voluntary” assistant, or, more simply, an informer,” reveals another secret of Nikas Gaisin’s youth.
Why doesn’t Nikas recognize his “masterpieces”?
In many interviews, Safronov talks about how long he has been working on his creations. But then sometimes he doesn’t even recognize them. Why?
“Nikas is a team, not just for football, but for unpromoted artists,” answers Gaisin. - How does he do it? Paintings unknown artists buys in Russia and then sells it with his signature somewhere in Germany or America. Then he buys paintings by the same poor fellows in Italy or Germany for pennies and sells them for thousands of bucks in Russia. There was such an Ulyanovsk artist Volodya Surkov. Talent! Nikas knew him and saw the paintings. I personally bought all the remaining paintings from his widow, which Nikas later sold as his own in Germany. Therefore, sometimes he comes to collectors, they show him his own paintings, and he recognizes them only when he sees his signature on them.”
Nikas's portraits of politicians and Hollywood actors brought him worldwide fame. It turns out that almost all of them were also written with the help of poor students and computer technology.
“Once I attended such a performance. Singer Anita Tsoi came to Nikas. Nikas politely sat her down in a chair, kissed her hand, and began showering her with compliments,” says the producer. “I pretended to write sketches, and at the same time I was thinking about how this singer could be used in the future with her solid connections. He knows that Tsoi’s portrait will then be made by his computer technician in an hour!
Under any pretext, giving stars and politicians their portraits is in the spirit of Nikas. Then he announces that his paintings are in the collections of great people."
Nikas' mistress smokes weed before sex
“He often used women, especially famous ones, for his advertising purposes,” writes Gysin. His book also tells about Nikas’s friendship with a famous sorcerer, in whom the attentive reader will recognize Yuri Longo, the now deceased magician.
“A decent pair of first-class magicians. So: knowing about their friendship, concerned rich Muscovites, often married, came to the famous sorcerer and literally begged him to make Nikas fall in love with them, at least for a month. They offered, of course, good bucks: sometimes up to twenty thousand dollars. The fame of the artist as a virtuoso lover spread throughout the capital's bohemia. The sorcerer kicked back for greater importance, assuring that he had a higher mission on earth. But then he couldn’t stand the woman’s tears and agreed. After that, he called Nikas and, laughing, “instructed” him to fall in love with such and such a lady for six months. The artist worked off the currency, which they then divided...”
Source: ulpressa.ru, 04/26/2006
Nikas is impressed
Several years ago, lenta.ru reported: “The artist Nikas Safronov, having seen how T-shirts with a design reproducing his portrait of Putin were being sold on Arbat and in Moscow wholesale markets, complained to the Department for Combating Economic Crimes... It turned out to be a successful marketing move for the workshop fatal: there is an indisputable violation of the copyright of the artist Safronov, which may entail punishment up to five years in prison.” And touching on the topic of copyright in a conversation with a correspondent of the Irkutsk newspaper “Number One” in the spring of this year, Nikas Safronov noted: “Of course, I also took something from the work of other painters. But there is plagiarism, and there is history and quotes - this is when, under the impression of another picture, you draw something of your own.” However, it is better to see once than to hear a hundred times. Here is one of the results of his fruitful work in the field of fine arts:
Thanks to arthorse for the clear example.
Source: Network diary deja_vu_global, 11/16/2009
The image of Peter and the Napoleon complex
I remember that one of the characters in the film based on Lev Slavin’s play “Intervention” remarked: “Everyone wants to become Napoleon! You can’t walk down the street anymore because of the flooring!” This human weakness is diligently indulged by copyists of various calibers. The point is simple: the commoner is attracted by the glory of others. For a man, it is personified by power:
And for a woman - beauty:
Yes, yes, you heard right - beauty.
The majority of workers in the genre historical portrait to order” do not hide the fact that they copy from other people’s images not only the classic surroundings, but also the faces of clients:
However, they like to emphasize that they do not use Photoshop, but brushes and paints.
However, not all of them use the word “copy”. Let's say, the WM company, having posted the work below on its website, declares that (literally) “an absolutely original(!) painting based on the masterpiece was created”:
And Nikas Safronov, famous in our community, prefers to call such images “Portrait in a costume of such and such era” and, unlike all the copyists presented above, does not want to show or name the originals. Let's do it for him:
As a true professional (I mean the profession of a sales manager), Safronov strives to satisfy a whole bunch of requests from a potential client. This is the desire to fit into other people’s epaulettes and, moreover, to get onto a textbook canvas, and the desire to be among the famous models. To develop such a series, Nikas actively paints portraits of celebrities not only at their request, but also on his own initiative:
With this approach, you can remain in demand even without improving your painting technique:
Nikolai Stepanovich Safronov
Born on April 8, 1956 in the city of Ulyanovsk.
Studied in Ulyanovsk up to and including 8th grade high school. Then he went to Odessa to enter the nautical school. After studying as a sailor for a year, he went to Rostov-on-Don, where from 1973 to 1975 he studied painting at the Grekov Art School. While studying, I had to work at the Rostov Youth Theater as a prop artist, earn extra money as a watchman, a janitor, and unload wagons. I didn’t finish school - I was drafted into the army, into the missile forces. He served in Estonia, in the city of Valga.
From 1978 to 1982 he studied design at the M. Čiurlionis Art Institute (now the Academy of Arts).
The first personal exhibition of Nikas Safronov took place in 1978 in Panevezys.
In 1980, the artist’s personal exhibition took place in Vilnius. In 1983, Nikas Safronov moved to Moscow and tried to get into exhibitions, but he was forbidden to exhibit. In 1985, Nikas Safronov took part in the International Erotic Art Exhibition in the capital of Japan, and in 1986 - in the International Erotic Art Exhibition in Milan (Italy).
In 1988 he participated in the International Exhibition in Canada, and in 1992, along with the works of nine other leading artists different countries Nikas Safronov's paintings were included in the book "Erotic Fantasies", published in France. In 1995, his exhibition in Istanbul was a great success, and in 1996 - personal exhibitions at the Academy of Arts (Moscow), at the M. Chagall Museum in Vitebsk (Belarus) and in Bergamo (Italy).
In September 1998, he takes part in the international exhibition “Fashion - My Profession”, in October - the International exhibition “Euro-98” in Barcelona. In 1999, Nikas Safronov participated in the International Exhibition in Zurich (Switzerland), and in March-April 1999 his exhibitions were held in New York and Moscow. In 1999, a large personal exhibition was held in Yekaterinburg, in the fall of 1999 - in Moscow at the Monolit club, at the end of the same year - at the Moscow City Hall, at the beginning of 2000 - at the Cadet Corps in Moscow, in March 2000 - at the State Kremlin Palace and in the House of Friendship, in June 2000 - in State Duma Russian Federation, exhibition in the city of Vyborg as part of the Window to Europe film festival; exhibition in the city of Gelendzhik as part of the “Constellation of Arts” festival, held by the Moscow Detective Club; in September 2000 - an exhibition in the city of Sochi as part of the Kinoshock festival.
The activities of Nikas Safronov were awarded the Gold Medal of the American Academy of Sciences and Arts. In 1995, the Russian noble society granted him the title of count, and in 1997, the title of prince. He is an Honorary Citizen of the cities of Ulyanovsk, Baku and Saratov. In October 1996, a star discovered by US scientists in the constellation Andromeda was named after Nikas Safronov. The organizing committee of the journalists' prize "Secular Results of the Year", chaired by A. Yu. Wulf, announced the artist as the winner of the award in the category "The Most Secular Artist" of 1998. In 2000 as best artist he was awarded a laureate diploma at the Russian Arts Festival "Southern Nights 2000" in Gelendzhik. Nikas Safronov is a professor at Ulyanovsk University. He is also an academician of the International Academy of Creativity and an honorary doctor of the Azerbaijani state university culture and arts. He was awarded the International Order of St. Constantine the Great, the Order of St. Stanislaus and the Order of St. Anne, II degree.