Valery Gazukin (1951-2014) – Portrait Of Sergei, Ural Avant-garde, 1970s

Valery Gazukin (1951-2014) – Portrait of Sergei, Ural Avant-Garde

Urals, 1970s-1980s

Medium: tempera on cardboard
Dimensions: 40 x 40 cm (53 x 51 cm with frame)
Signature: signed lower right “Газукин В.” (Gazukin V.), titled and inscribed on the back
Condition: good

A significant work within the Ural avant-garde, a movement in which Valery Gazukin was a leading figure. This portrait demonstrates his experimental approach to color and form fragmentation, essential aspects of his artistic research. The vibrant color fields and the interplay of light and shadow enhance the psychological depth of the subject.

In the 1970s, in the Soviet artistic landscape, stepping away from socialist realism, the only officially sanctioned style, was a bold and impactful act. In this context, the Ural avant-garde emerged as a contagious cultural rebellion, offering an alternative artistic and intellectual approach. Gazukin was among those who defied conventions, exploring new expressive forms and reviving the traditions of early 20th-century Russian avant-garde art.

Gazukin was a member of the historic “Akkademija Sadki”, an avant-garde artistic group founded in Orenburg in the 1970s, which combined painting, theoretical aesthetics, and artistic performances. This collective gained international recognition, with exhibitions and sales in Paris and London, where it was referred to as “the underground art of the Urals.”

Valery Gazukin, born in Orenburg in 1951, graduated from the A. I. Herzen Leningrad Pedagogical Institute in 1974. A member of the Russian Union of Artists since 1980, he participated in numerous national and international exhibitions. His works are housed in museum and private collections, including the Orenburg Museum of Fine Arts, the Perm Art Gallery, the Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts, as well as private collections in Russia, Estonia, and France.

Provenance: private French collection