Contemporary Russian artists of the 21st century. Contemporary Russian artists worth a closer look

Contemporary art of the 21st century, more precisely, the late 20th - early 21st centuries. This will be discussed in this article - the third in the series. Guide to Contemporary Art. We will continue our acquaintance with contemporary art. Let's look at the brightest trends of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Art in which there is little meaning, but a lot of meaning (Alexander Genis)

Art of the late 20th - early 21st centuries- omnivorous, ironic, poisonous, democratic - called the decline of a great era. Postmodernists are in a situation where everything has been said before them. And all they have to do is use what they have created, mix styles, create, albeit not new, but recognizable art...

In the 2 previous articles of the series we looked at:

Part 3. The end of the 20th - beginning of the 21st century ( we'll look at it in this article)

As in the 2 previous articles, for each type of art places will be indicated - cities, museums, sites, where you can see the works of their prominent representatives. This article, like the previous two, may become another an incentive for you to travel again!

From the article you will learn: art - the brightest trends of the late 20th century - early 21st centuries.

Neorealism;
Minimal art;
Postmodern;
Hyperrealism;
Installation;
Environment;
Video art;
Graffiti;
Transavantgarde;
Body art;
Stuckism;
Neoplasticism;
Street art;
Mail art;
No-art.

1. NEOREALISM. This is the art of post-war Italy, which fought against post-war pessimism.

The new front of art united abstractionists and realists and lasted only 4 years. But famous artists emerged from it: Gabrielle Muchi, Renato Guttuso, Ernesto Treccani. They vividly and expressively depicted workers and peasants.

Similar trends appeared in other countries, but the most striking school is considered to be the school of neorealism, which appeared in America through the efforts of the monumentalist Diego Rivera.

See: Renato Guttuso - Chiaramonte Palace (Palermo, Italy), frescoes by Diego Rivera - Presidential Palace (Mexico City, Mexico).

Detail of Diego Rivera's fresco for the Prado Hotel in Mexico City, “A Dream of a Sunday in Alameda Park,” 1948

2. MINIMUM ART. This is the direction of avant-gardeism. Uses simple forms and excludes any associations.

This trend appeared in the USA in the late 60s. The minimalists called Marcel Duchamp (readymade), Piet Mondrian (neoplasticism) and Kazimir Malevich (suprematism) their direct predecessors; they called his black square the first work of minimal art.

Extremely simple and geometrically correct compositions - plastic boxes, metal gratings, cones - were made at industrial enterprises according to artists' sketches.

Look:

Works by Donald Judd, Carl Andre, Sol LeWitt - Guggenheim Museum (New York, USA), Museum of Modern Art (New York, USA), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, USA).

3. POSTMODERN. This is a large list of unrealistic trends of the late 20th century.

Vanchegi Mutu. Collage “Genital organs of an adult woman”, 2005

Cyclicity is characteristic of art, but postmodernism was the first example of the “negation of the negation.” In the beginning, modernism rejected the classics, and then postmodernism rejected modernism, just as it had previously rejected the classics. Postmodernists returned to the forms and styles that existed before modernism, but at a higher level.

Postmodernism is a product of the era of new technologies. Therefore, its characteristic feature is a mixture of styles, images, different eras and subcultures. The main thing for postmodernists was citation, deft juggling of quotations.

See: Tate Gallery (London, UK), National Museum of Modern Art Center Pompidou (Paris, France), Guggenheim Museum (New York, USA).

4. HYPERREALISM. Art that imitates photography.

Chuck Close. "Robert", 1974

This art is also called Superrealism, Photorealism, Radical realism or Cold realism. This trend appeared in America in the 60s and 10 years later became widespread in Europe.

Artists of this movement exactly copy the world as we see it in the photo. In the artists’ works one can read a certain irony of man-made technology. Artists mainly depict scenes from the life of a modern metropolis.

Look: works by Chuck Close, Don Eddie, Richard Estes - Metropolitan Museum of Art, Guggenheim Museum (New York, USA), Brooklyn Museum (USA).

5. INSTALLATION. This is a composition in a gallery that can be created from anything, the main thing is that there is a subtext and an idea.

Most likely, this direction would not have existed if it were not for Duchamp’s iconic urinal. The names of the world's main installers: Dine, Rauschenberg, Beuys, Kunnelis and Kabakov.

The main thing in the installation is the subtext and the space where artists collide banal objects.

See: Tate Modern (London, UK), Guggenheim Museum (New York, USA).

6. ENVIRONMENT. This is the art of creating a 3-dimensional composition that emulates a real environment.

As an art direction, Environment appeared back in the 20s of the 20th century. The Dadaist artist was several decades ahead of his time when he presented to the public his work “Merz Building” - a three-dimensional structure made from various objects and materials, not suitable for anything other than contemplation.

Half a century later, Edward Kienholz and George Siegel began working in this genre and succeeded. They necessarily introduced a shocking element of delusional fantasy into their work.

See: works by Edward Kienholz and George Siegel - Museum of Modern Art (Stockholm, Sweden).

7. VIDEO ART. This trend arose in the last third of the 20th century thanks to the advent of portable video cameras.

This is another attempt to bring art back to reality, but now with the help of video and computer technology. American Nam June Paik shot a video of the Pope passing through the streets of New York and became the first video artist.

Nam June Paik's experiments influenced television, music videos (he founded the MTV channel), and computer effects in films. The works of June Paik and Bill Viola made this art direction a field of activity for experimentation. They laid the foundation for “video sculptures,” “video installations,” and “video operas.”

Watch: Video Art From Psychedelic to Social (Popular in China, Chen-che-yen on Youtube.com)

8. GRAFFITI. Inscriptions and drawings on the walls of houses, carrying a daring message.

They first appeared in the 70s in North America. Gallery owners from one of the Manhattan districts were involved in their appearance. They became patrons of the creativity of the Puerto Ricans and Jamaicans who lived in their neighborhood. Graffiti combines elements of urban and ethnic subculture.

Names from the history of graffiti: Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, John Mathom, Kenny Scharf. A notorious figure is British graffiti artist Banksy. Postcards with his works are in all British souvenir shops

Watch: Graffiti Museum (New York, USA), works by Banksy - on the website banksy.co.uk.

9. TRANSAVANTGARDE. One of the trends in postmodern painting. Combines the past, new painting and expressiveness.

Work of transavant-garde artist Alexander Roitburd

The author of the term transavantgarde is the modern critic Bonito Oliva. With this term he defined the work of 5 of his compatriots - Sandro Chia, Enzo Cucchi, Francesco Clemente, Mimmo Paladino, Nicolo de Maria. Their work is characterized by: a combination of classical styles, lack of attachment to the national school, focus on aesthetic pleasure and dynamics.

See: Peggy Guggenheim Museum-Collection (Venice, Italy), Museum of Modern Art at Palazzo (Venice, Italy), Gallery of Modern Art (Milan, Italy)

10. BODY ART. One of the directions of actionism. The body acts as a canvas.

Body art is one of the manifestations of punk culture of the 70s. Directly related to the then fashion for tattoos and nudism.

Live paintings are created right in front of the audience, recorded on video and then broadcast in the gallery. Bruce Nauman depicting Duchamp's urinal in the gallery. The duo Gilbert and George are living sculptures. They portrayed the type of average Englishman.

See: for example, on the website of the artist Orlan orlan.eu.

11. STACKISM. British art association for figurative painting. Opposed the conceptualists.

The first exhibition was in London in 2007, as a protest against the Tate Gallery. According to one version, they protested in connection with the gallery’s purchase of artists’ works in circumvention of the law. The uproar in the press drew attention to the Stuckists. There are now more than 120 artists in the world. Their motto: an artist who does not draw is not an artist.

The term Stuckism was proposed by Thomson. Artist Tracey Emin exclaimed to her boyfriend Billy Childish: your painting is stuck, stuck, stuck! (eng. Stuck! Stuck! Stack!)

Watch: on the Stuckist website stuckism.com. Works by Charlie Thomson and Billy Childish at the Tate Gallery (London, UK).

12. NEO-PLASTICISM. Abstract art. The intersection of perpendicular lines of 3 colors.

The ideologist of the movement is the Dutchman Piet Mondrian. He considered the world to be illusory, therefore the artist’s task is to cleanse painting of sensual forms (figurative) in the name of aesthetic (abstract) forms.

The artist proposed to do this as succinctly as possible using 3 colors - blue, red and yellow. They filled the spaces between perpendicular lines.

Neoplasticism still inspires designers, architects and industrial graphic artists.

Look:works by Piet Mondrian and Theo Vannoy Doesburg at the Municipal Museum of The Hague.

13. STREET ART. Art for which the city is an exhibition or canvas

The goal of a street artist: to instantly engage a passerby in a dialogue with the help of his installation, sculpture, poster or stencil.

In Europe, “shufiti” (installations of shoes hung on trees) and “knitta” (inscriptions made of knitted bright fabrics on traffic lights, trees, car antennas) are now popular.

In South America, "pis" or "muralism" (masterfully executed subject drawing or inscription) is popular.

See: La Llotja, Old School of Art, Barcelona. Entire sections of street art began to be exhibited at Sotheby’s in London.

14. MAIL ART. International non-profit movement. Uses email and postal mail to distribute art.

Initially, mail art was formed as a union of popular art directions in the 60s - conceptualism, book art, video art, body art.

Mail art is the sending of a work of art by mail. The original is sent to only one recipient. And reproductions can be sent to several recipients by email or regular mail.

Artists working in the mail art style use letters, envelopes, postcards, parcels, stamps, and postmarks. The most common technique is collage. It was popularized by American artist Ray Johnson, a prominent figure in the network. The galleries often host mail art exhibitions.

A work of mail art is not just postcards designed by artists or amateurs, but those that have passed through the mail have stamps, stamps, and inscriptions. Thus, postal workers are co-authors of mail art.

See: mail art works on the website.

15. NO-ART. These are projects that exist exclusively online.

But this is not network design. Recognizing works of net art is not so easy. They are characterized by simplicity and straightforwardness.

They differ from the works of artists working in professional programs in their drive, lack of bias and speed.

The face of contemporary art in Russia combines with a variety of contrasts. The beginning of the 21st century is a certain transitional moment in the history of art, when the process of rethinking the artistic heritage takes place and the lines of further development of fine art are outlined. We live in a period when not only the way of life of the previous generation is becoming obsolete, but also, as a result, the spiritual component is changing. People and their thoughts are undergoing a kind of renewal, and all this is the threshold of a new era.
The birth of new ideas, as always at such moments in history, are fruitful, but more than ever, those that reflect the ambiguous, unusual and sometimes frivolous attitude of the artist to the meaning of painting as a spiritual quest stand out among the fruits that have artistic and ideological weight.

Perhaps the current opinion is not entirely objective and this period should be comprehended only after its full formation, because no one excludes the idea that painting is destined to become something else and acquire a new meaning in the form of conceptualism. But this would be unnatural for painting, and at the same time, most modern art researchers say that the trends of new conceptual art, which were another revival of avant-garde painting of the early 20th century, are destructive for the continuation of the line of “classical” painting. By its nature, the avant-garde denies tradition and thereby has a detrimental effect on the role of “meaningful” painting; in this sense, it appears as its enemy. But in itself, little explored, and therefore relevant, the avant-garde movement grabbed part of the thread of the history of the development of painting at the beginning of the 21st century in the form of conceptual art.

"Priesthood" and "foolishness" of modern painting

In addition to the conceptual line, the academic line also stands out. She is supported by the Russian Academy of Arts. As for the second institutional structure - the Creative Union of Artists of Russia - there is a more interesting picture here. This organization includes a large number of artists from completely different areas of painting, which our cultural heritage contains, including figures of the conceptual direction. But the Russian Academy of Arts does not proclaim its goal to produce exclusively academic artists.
In such a “motley” world of modern painting, which does not have a stable foundation and is not united by a common idea, several directions have nevertheless clearly emerged in our country. As the domestic art critic Alexander Yakimovich calls the two main ones - “priesthood” and “foolishness”. It is this “priesthood” that fuels the hopes of many researchers, artists and viewers for the future of Russian painting.
Contemporary Russian artists fall into the first direction, many of whom have still managed to experience the spirit of the USSR. These masters left the innermost essence of painting untouched. Their canvases, imbued with meaning, are filled with a religious spirit, the breath of ancient sacred images, and the warmth of utopian ideas. Their works still contain a philosophical view of the world.

"Sashkin's bouquet" N. Nesterova. 2009

"Paris". N. Nesterova. 2005

Such are the instructive creations of Natalia Nesterova - “Sashkin’s Bouquet”, “Paris”. Through the naivety of her images, the artist conveys to us the truth of the futility of our existence. This is not a mockery of the senseless activities of man, but a demonstration of human narrow-mindedness, which can ruin everything that is alive and deep that remains in us. These ideological tendencies could be traced back in her early “masquerade” works.

"IX". Series "Matriarchy". O. Bulgakov. 2007

"Return of the Prodigal Son" From the series “Biblical Sketches”. O. Bulgakova. 2007

The ancient silent images of Olga Bulgakova, in a passionate, flaming color, overwhelm the consciousness and appeal to the primordial foundations of our being. The “Matriarchy” and “Biblical Sketches” series, as well as other works by O. Bulgakova, are an excellent example of modern oil painting in an expressive manner, which only enhances the semantic equivalent of the artist’s works. Truly worthy of being called a masterpiece, The Return of the Prodigal Son. Laconism and expressiveness of forms, smoldering figures linked in a fit of emotion. There is nothing more that needs to be added here; this image conveys the love between a child and a parent as it is. Without any mediocrity, the picture embodies the very subconscious that should forever remain unquestioned in the human soul.

"Carrier". Series “City. Entrance from the yard." D. Ikonnikov. 2003

“At the hour of early spring sunset...” From the series of St. Petersburg works. D. Ikonnikov. 2006

Dmitry Ikonnikov is inimitable in conveying the “little things” of life. It takes enormous willpower to take your eyes off his work. Everything that our vision can catch, but consciousness misses on an everyday day, is captured by the artist. In his works, the secondary things in our lives come to the fore. The artist has his own execution technique, thanks to which each of his works glows from the inside. Thus, everyday moments acquire the meaning of a joyful, in their own way idyllic existence, which can be seen in the wonderful series of works dedicated to St. Petersburg, the “City” series. Entrance from the yard”, etc.

"Everyone." A. Mosiychuk. 2000

The religious and mystical images of Anatoly Mosiychuk are also particularly impressive. Through them we can partake of the innermost human faith, the depths of the human soul and, sometimes, unilluminated, difficult to access and unclear. The Master is sometimes very difficult to understand. What he depicts is not stated in words, but is read on an intuitive level. For example, the painting “Everyone” represents various characters, or rather ghosts. And that’s why they are ghosts because they have no individuality. Although they have different occupations, this does not help them form culture in themselves or develop high spirituality. These are souls that cannot find themselves in any way, and the golden, smoky color that is characteristic of the artist’s works only emphasizes this idea, the mystical nature of the images, which are so reminiscent of the feelings that sometimes arise within a person of our time.

"Mother and Child". L. Naumova. 2015

Larisa Naumova, like previous artists, shows her love for primitivism and naivety in her performance. Her works are distinguished by a rich, fresh, Venetian flavor, and the plots and characters are not as simple as they appear at first glance. Often religious and symbolic, and sometimes seemingly everyday, the scenes in her works are always filled with high meaning. The painting “Mother and Child” raises the theme of love in its most sincere and pure manifestation; for this, the artist resorts to rethinking the iconography of the Madonna and Child, thereby turning love into a shrine. Among other things, the work of L. Naumova harmoniously combined the academic school and free technique.

"Titanic". Series "Puppet Theater". A. Sitnikov. 2010

The work of Alexander Sitnikov, on whom the Soviet era left an indelible impression, is absolutely extravagant. In his works, the artist goes beyond the conscious, which can be seen in the series of paintings “Concerto”, “Puppet Theater”, etc. It is worth recognizing that his work in some moments is closer to conceptual, since his idea is higher than the painting itself .

Contemporary conceptual art in painting

The second movement, which stands out against the colorful background of the modern world of fine art, is largely a conceptual direction. As mentioned above, most researchers and connoisseurs of painting disapprove of such trends. Artists of this movement are called doubters in the values of painting. In their works they resort to the destruction of painting with the help of painting itself.

"The Fall of Icarus" O. Lang. 2012

Oleg Lang is one of the founders of this movement, one of the first “doubters”. If before 2000 one could see fullness and untouchable sacredness in his works, then in more modern paintings we can observe the disintegration of ideological integrity; the canvases became carriers of motley disharmony (“The Fall of Icarus”).

"Antique Boy" O. Koshlyakov. 1995

Valery Koshlyakov often presents masterful solutions in terms of visualization and execution technique. But his works are united by one idea - a mockery of those who are afraid to break ties with traditions. This is clearly conveyed by the series “Collages” (“Antique Boy”), which contains the idea of unquestioning generally accepted values, but which are so unstable that they disintegrate before our eyes and are about to completely collapse into oblivion.

"Breakfast on the grass." I. Lubennikov. 2013

Ivan Lubennikov, a muralist, takes the pictorial qualities of his works to such an extreme that they become like decorative posters, the essence of painting is lost in them (“Breakfast on the Grass”).

"John". K. Khudyakov. 2008

Konstantin Khudyakov, like I. Lubennikov, wants to escape from painting. The artist works in the style of digital painting, the features of which also break the foundations of painting. It is no longer clear to our eyes whether what is depicted is a painting. On the other hand, the visual possibilities surpass the illusionism of the “classical” painting (“John”).

Alternative contemporary painting

The so-called alternative painting is the third line of development. Famous Russian artists include Vladimir Dubossarsky and Alexander Vinogradov, who have been working in a duet since 1994. As the artists themselves say: “We are not classical painters. Our method is flow” And indeed, their painting is distinguished by the absence of the painful, and even more so the sublime. Very often they take parts of famous works and connect them with some overly festive, bacchanalian noise. In this regard, their painting is empty, as are the works of those who follow in the same direction (“Triumph of the Titans of the Renaissance”).

"The Triumph of the Titans of the Renaissance." Duet Dubossarsky - Vinogradov. 2009

The two latest trends in the painting of contemporary artists can be combined under the sign of indifference to spiritual quests. Such trends make us fear for the future of painting and, as a consequence, for the spiritual education of a person. The variety of genres, techniques and styles gives rise to a huge mass of works of varying quality and meaning. Now among the paintings of contemporary artists it is not often possible to find something outstanding, but if this happens, then it is unlikely that their work will remain unappreciated like the works of N. Nesterova, O. Bulgakova, D. Ikonnikov, L. Naumova and others.

Modern art is usually called all kinds of artistic movements that emerged at the end of the 20th century. In the post-war period, it was a kind of outlet that again taught people to dream and invent new realities of life.

Tired of the shackles of the harsh rules of the past, young artists decided to break the old artistic norms. They sought to create new, previously unknown practices. Contrasting themselves with modernism, they turned to new ways of revealing their stories. The artist and the concept behind his creation have become much more important than the outcome of the creative activity itself. The desire to move away from the established framework led to the emergence of new genres.

Disputes began to arise among artists about the meaning of art and ways of expressing it. What is art? By what means can one achieve genuine art? Conceptualists and minimalists found the answer for themselves in the phrase: “If art can be everything, then it can be nothing.” For them, a departure from the usual visual means resulted in various events, happenings and performances. What is the peculiarity of contemporary art in the 21st century? This is what we will talk about in the article.

Three-dimensional graphics in the art of the 21st century

The art of the 21st century is famous in 3D graphics. With the development of computer technology, artists have access to new means of creating their art. The essence of three-dimensional graphics is to create images by modeling objects in three-dimensional space. If you consider most forms of contemporary art in the 21st century, 3D image making appears to be the most traditional. 3D graphics has many sides, in the truest sense of the word. It is used to create programs, games, images and videos on a computer. But it can also be seen right under your feet - on the asphalt.

3D graphics moved onto the streets several decades ago and have remained one of the most important forms of street art ever since. Many artists paint three-dimensional images in their “paintings” that can amaze with their realism. Edgar Müller, Eduardo Rolero, Kurt Wenner and many other contemporary artists today create art that can surprise anyone.

21st century street art

Previously, occupation was the lot of wealthy people. For centuries it was covered with the walls of special institutions, where access to the uninitiated was denied. Obviously, his enormous power could not languish forever inside the stuffy buildings. It was then that it got out into the gray gloomy streets. Chose to change our history forever. Although at first everything was not so simple.

Not everyone was happy about his birth. Many considered it the result of a bad experience. Some even refused to pay attention to its existence. Meanwhile, the brainchild continued to grow and develop.

Street artists faced difficulties along the way. For all its diversity of forms, street art was sometimes difficult to distinguish from vandalism.

It all started in the 70s of the last century in New York. At this time, street art was in its infancy. And his life was supported by Julio 204 and Taki 183. They left inscriptions in different places in their area, then expanding the distribution area. Other guys decided to compete with them. This is where the fun began. Enthusiasm and the desire to show off resulted in a battle of creativity. Everyone was eager to discover for themselves and others a more original way to make their mark.

In 1981, street art managed to cross the ocean. Street artist from France BlekleRat helped him with this. He is considered one of the first graffiti artists in Paris. He is also called the father of stencil graffiti. His signature touch is the drawings of rats, which refers to the name of their creator. The author noticed that after rearranging the letters in the word rat (rat), the result is art (art). Blek once noted: "The rat is the only free animal in Paris, which is spreading everywhere, just like street art."

The most famous street artist is Banksy, who calls BlekleRat his main teacher. The topical works of this talented Briton can silence anyone. In his drawings, created using stencils, he exposes modern society with its vices. Banksy has a traditional style that allows him to leave an even greater impression on the audience. An interesting fact is that Banksy’s identity is still shrouded in mystery. No one has yet managed to solve the mystery of the artist’s identity.

Meanwhile, street art is rapidly gaining momentum. Once relegated to fringe movements, street art has ascended to the stage of auctions. Artists' works are being sold for incredible sums by those who once refused to talk about him. What is this, the life-giving force of art or mainstream trends?

Forms

Today there are several quite interesting manifestations of contemporary art. Review of the most unusual forms of contemporary art will be presented to your attention below.

Ready-made

The term readymade comes from English, which means “ready”. In fact, the goal of this direction is not to create anything material. The main idea here is that depending on the environment of an object, a person’s perception of the object itself changes. The founder of the movement is Marcel Duchamp. His most famous work is the “Fountain”, which is a urinal with an autograph and date.

Anamorphoses

Anamorphosis is a technique for creating images in such a way that they can only be fully seen from a certain angle. One of the brightest representatives of this trend is the Frenchman Bernard Pras. He creates installations using whatever comes to hand. Thanks to his skill, he manages to create amazing works, which, however, can only be seen from a certain angle.

Biological fluids in art

One of the most controversial movements in contemporary art of the 21st century is drawing painted with human fluids. Often followers of this modern art form use blood and urine. The color of the paintings in this case often takes on a gloomy, frightening look. Hermann Nitsch, for example, uses animal blood and urine. The author explains the use of such unexpected materials by a difficult childhood during the Second World War.

Painting of the XX-XXI centuries

A brief history of painting contains information that the end of the 20th century became the starting point for many iconic artists of our time. In the difficult post-war years, the sphere experienced its rebirth. Artists sought to discover new facets of their capabilities.

Suprematism

Kazimir Malevich is considered to be the creator of Suprematism. Being the main theoretician, he proclaimed Suprematism as a way to cleanse art of all unnecessary things. By abandoning the usual methods of conveying images, artists sought to free art from the extra-artistic. The most important work in this genre is the famous “Black Square” by Malevich.

Pop Art

Pop art has its origins in the USA. In the post-war years, society experienced global changes. People could now afford more. Consumption has become the most important part of life. People began to be elevated to cults, and consumer products to symbols. Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol and other followers of the movement sought to use these symbols in their paintings.

Futurism

Futurism was discovered in 1910. The main idea of this movement was the desire for something new, the destruction of the framework of the past. Artists depicted this desire using a special technique. Sharp strokes, flows, connections and intersections are signs of futurism. The most famous representatives of futurism are Marinetti, Severini, Carra.

Contemporary art in Russia of the 21st century

Contemporary art in Russia (21st century) smoothly flowed from the underground, “unofficial” art of the USSR. Young artists of the 90s were looking for new ways to realize their artistic ambitions in a new country. At this time, Moscow actionism was born. His followers challenged the past and its ideology. The destruction of borders (literally and figuratively) made it possible to depict the attitude of the younger generation to the situation in the country. Contemporary art of the 21st century has become expressive, frightening, shocking. The kind that society has been closing itself off from for so long. Actions of Anatoly Osmolovsky (“Mayakovsky - Osmolovsky”, “Against everyone”, “Barricade on Bolshaya Nikitskaya”), the movement “ETI” (“ETI-text”), Oleg Kulik (“Piglet gives out gifts”, “Mad Dog or the Last Taboo” , guarded by a lonely Cerberus”), Avdey Ter-Oganyan (“Pop Art”) forever changed the history of modern art.

New Generation

Slava PTRK is a contemporary artist from Yekaterinburg. Some may be reminded of his work by Banksy. However, Slava’s works contain ideas and feelings that are familiar only to a Russian citizen. One of his most notable works is the “Land of Opportunity” campaign. The artist created an inscription from crutches on the building of an abandoned hospital in Yekaterinburg. Slava bought crutches from city residents who once used them. The artist announced the action on his social network page, adding an appeal to his fellow citizens.

Museums of Contemporary Art

Perhaps, at one time, contemporary fine art of the 21st century seemed like a marginal medium, but today more and more people are striving to join the new field of art. More and more museums are opening their doors to new means of expression. New York is a record holder in the field of contemporary art. There are also two museums here, which are among the best in the world.

The first is MoMA, which is a repository of paintings by Matisse, Dali, and Warhol. The second is a museum. The unusual architecture of the building is adjacent to the works of Picasso, Marc Chagall, Kandinsky and many others.

Europe is also famous for its magnificent museums of 21st century contemporary art. The KIASMA Museum in Helsinki allows you to touch the objects on display. The center in the capital of France amazes with its unusual architecture and works of contemporary artists. The Stedelijkmuseum in Amsterdam houses the largest collection of paintings by Malevich. The capital of Great Britain has a huge number of contemporary art objects. The Vienna Museum of Modern Art has works by Andy Warhol and other talented contemporary artists.

Contemporary art of the 21st century (painting) - mysterious, incomprehensible, fascinating, has forever changed the vector of development not only of a separate sphere, but also of the entire life of mankind. It reflects and creates modernity at the same time. Constantly changing, the art of modernity allows a person who is constantly in a hurry to stop for a moment. Stop to remember the feelings that lie deep inside. Stop to pick up the pace again and rush into the whirlwind of events and affairs.

Many people believe that there are no artists left in the 21st century. However, in reality this is not the case. And nowadays there are many talented and famous artists whose works are shown at exhibitions that earn a lot of money. Below is a list of the 20 most famous and well-earning artists who are active in creative work not only in Russia.

Russian artist Alexander Ivanov, born in 1962, is best known for his work entitled “Love,” which was painted back in 1996 and sold for almost 100,000 rubles. His style is abstractionism. He is also a businessman, engaged in collecting activities, and opened the Faberge Museum in Germany, in Baden-Baden.

Olga Bulgakova is one of the few talented and famous artists in Russia, born in 1951, and is a member of the Russian Academy of Arts as a corresponding member. A representative of the painting movement of the Brezhnev era, which is called “carnival”. Her most famous work is “The Dream of the Red Bird,” written in 1988.

Russian artist Mikhail Brusilovsky, working under the pseudonym Misha Shaevich, is included in this rating and takes 18th place. This world famous artist

The talented Russian artist Lev Tabenkin was born in 1952 in the Russian capital, Moscow. This painter sees the picture like a sculptor. It feels like his written characters are sculpted from clay. One of Lev’s most famous paintings is “Jazz Orchestra,” painted in 2004. It was sold for 117,650 rubles.

The AES+F project consists of four people; in fact, the name consists of the initial letters of the participants’ surnames: Tatyana Arzamasova, Lev Evzovich, Evgeniy Svyatsky, Vladimir Fridnes. The creativity of this company was characterized by a very good presentation back in the nineties and was appreciated only in the two thousandths. Nowadays, for the most part, they create large animated murals that are broadcast on dozens of screens. One of the most famous works of this company: “Warrior 4”.

Russian artist Sergei Volkov was born in Petrozavodsk in 1956. His works are characterized by the fact that he created during the period of perestroika art. The paintings are painted very expressively, where very thoughtful statements and ideology are seen. His most famous painting is Double Vision. Triptych".

Artists Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky were both born in Moscow in 1963 and 1964. They began working together in 1994, having met at a festival, creating an unusual and grandiose project. The original design has earned the respect of many collectors. Their paintings hang in such famous places as the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum and even the Pompidou Center. They themselves are the creators of the Art Strelka gallery and the organizers of the Art Klyazma festival.

Russian artist Vladimir Yankilevsky was also included in the list of the highest paid and famous artists. He was born in Moscow in 1938. Vladimir's father was also an artist, and his son inherited his profession. Vladimir works in the style of surrealism - creativity with paradoxical combinations. Back in 1970, he painted one of the most famous paintings called “Triptych 10. Anatomy of the Soul II.”

Artist Vladimir Nemukhin was born in 1925 in the small village of Priluki, located in the Moscow region. He took part in many foreign exhibitions in Europe. In the nineties he lived and was active in Germany, but in 2005 he moved to Russia. His work is characterized by a three-dimensional composition, the presence of counter-relief and various cross-cutting motifs, for example, a deck of cards.

An artist with an unusual name, the son of a Spanish political emigrant, was born in the small village of Vasilievka in the Samara region in 1943. He was the organizer of the group of artists "Argo" and is a member of the Moscow Union of Artists. Francisco was also awarded the State Prize for achievements in the field of fine arts. The artist is active in creative work both in Russia and abroad.

The artist Alexander Melamed used to be one of the members of the very famous creative duo Komarov-Melamed, but it broke up back in 2003, then they began working separately. Residence since 1978 is New York. He wrote most of his famous works together with Vitaly Komar; together they also created the Sots Art movement and were the organizers of the Bulldozer Exhibition.

This Russian artist, known as one of the founders of Moscow conceptualism, was born in Moscow in 1937, where he graduated from the Printing Institute. According to Viktor Pivovarov himself, his first work was written at the age of five. He is also a representative of “unofficial” art. His paintings are located in some of the most famous and largest exhibition centers: the Russian Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Pushkin Museum. A. S. Pushkin.

This artist was born in 1934 in Tbilisi. He is one of the brightest representatives of monumental painting. Zurab is known for his work in the form of the monument to Peter I, which is located in Moscow, as well as the monument located in front of the UN building in New York. Zurab is the president of the Russian Art Academy, which operates his own museum-gallery. The creations of this artist are known not only to Russia, but throughout the world.

Russian artist Oscar Rabin is famous for being the organizer of the Bulldoor Exhibition in 1974 and four years later he was deprived of Soviet citizenship. He also became popular as one of the first artists to engage in the private sale of paintings in the Soviet Union. At the moment, his permanent place of residence and work is Paris. His paintings are in major museums and exhibition centers: the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum and others.

Russian artist Oleg Tselkov is known as the artist who began the main creative movement in the sixties of the 20th century, showing very rough and sharp features in his paintings, including in the depiction of people who look like clay figures. Since 1977, Oleg has continued his creative path in Paris. His paintings are located in the following exhibition centers: Russian Museum, Tretyakov Gallery, Hermitage. One of the most famous paintings is “Boy with Balloons,” painted in 1954.

Born in Moscow in 1934, Russian artist Grigory Bruskin, or Grisha, has been one of the members of the Union of Artists since 1969. He gained the greatest fame thanks to a major auction at Sotheby's, where he sold his work entitled “Fundamental Lexicon” for the highest price, which became a record. Currently he lives and works in both New York and Moscow, which is why he is also called an American artist.

This Russian artist is distinguished by the fact that he depicts realistic things with extreme precision. His real creative activity began from the moment in 1985, when he exhibited at Malaya Gruzinskaya, he won the attention and recognition of collectors from New York. Since then, his works have been exhibited in many European countries and are located in exhibition centers in America, Germany and Poland. Now he lives and conducts creative activities in Moscow.

This duet, alas, existed until 2003, but was a huge success. Two Russian artists became famous thanks to the creation of such a movement as Sots Art, which is an offshoot of unofficial art. This was a kind of response to the creation of pop art in the West. Canvases with the works of these artists are in major museums, including the Louvre.

The Russian artist is known for being able to combine both painting and text in his work; later this began to be called social art. During the Soviet period he was popular as an illustrator in children's books. For some time he lived in New York, then in Paris. He was the first artist to have an exhibition at the Pompidou Center. His creative works are in the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, and the Pompidou Center.

This talented Russian artist, working together with his wife Emilia, can be considered the main artist of the country, the founder of Moscow conceptualism. He was born in Dnepropetrovsk in 1933, but New York has been his place of residence since 1988. His works can be seen in the Hermitage, the Tretyakov Gallery and the Russian Museum. Ilya received the Japanese Emperor's Prize, and his two works called “Beetle” and “Luxury Room” are the most expensive paintings.

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There is a very large number of contemporary Russian artists, whose activities are known only in certain circles - the broad masses are often far from modern art and, by inertia, are content with knowledge only about the work 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 iconic work of the artist, “Holidays No. 6,” depicts a typical Soviet illustration, decorated with candy wrappers on top - they seem to camouflage 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 - an escape from the surrounding reality and immersion in art.

Sergey Volkov

Sergei Volkov wrote many of his modern paintings 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 painted 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”. Volkov's modern painting is an impressionistic depiction of a simple, everyday capital, such as it is, but at the same time in bright colors that appear in the sun's rays, traffic lights and colorful trams.

Grigory Bruskin

Grigory, or Grisha Bruskin, as his artistic name sounds, admired the profession of an artist since childhood. While studying at art school, he drew inspiration from the works of French Renaissance painters.

I can call myself a happy person 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 them to 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 author's most famous painting was the painting "Versailles", which was 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 recent years the painter has often returned to canvas. In an attempt to achieve a matte surface, the Russian artist avoids oil paints, preferring acrylic and tempera.

You can also appreciate the palette of contemporary Russian fine art by watching the following video report from one of the exhibitions of the Manege Museum:

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