Timur Novikov

Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner

Good overall condition. Some minor surface dirt visible along the yellow half of canvas. Surface dirt and minor scratching along the edges and two very minor scratches visible in center left.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In 1982 Timur Novikov founded Novie Khudozhniki (New Artists' Group), to be renamed Novaya Akademia (New Academy) in 1989- a nonconformist art group that reinvigorated an interest in classical art. It is often said that Novikov was to St. Petersburg what Ilya Kabakov was to Moscow. Both artists radically and completely changed the landscape of the local art scenes, the repercussions of which were felt beyond the borders of the USSR. Writing under the pseudonym Igor Potapov in the critical art journal Novost, Novikov explained that his works were directly influenced by Boris Rauschenbach, a Soviet space-craft specialist, who wrote extensively on the cultural construct of perspective. Novikov took up Rauschenbach’s theories of landscape perspective, married it with the 1980s video game popular culture phenomenon and layered it all with Mikhail Larionov’s folk art tendencies to produce shimmering flags of vibrant hues that seem insipid in their imagery but in fact pack a punch with their theoretical roots and ideologically pacifist goals.

Novikov’s neo-classical system is perfected in the presented lots, which are either bisected by a horizon, referring to the academic genre of landscape painting, or have a flat, uniform background reminiscent of Orthodox icons. This visual nod to the past is then mediated with digitally inspired images, representing the limitless possibilities of computer graphics. The stitching together of the fabric invokes the meeting of the classical past with the popular culture of the present, as well as the collapsing borders between the East and the West during perestroika.

Better known to the general public as the drummer of the Russian rock band Kino, Georgy Gurianov, was also a leading member of The New Academy group. His depiction of the nude body was a direct commentary on the changes rendered to the classical figure by socialist propaganda. Gurianov’s nudes, presented in the offered lots, are a radical departure from the visual language of conformist art. Although nudes were depicted in Soviet art, they were generic heroes, devoid of individuality. His heroes all have distinct identities, as seen in the portraits of his friends from the band Kino: Victor Tsoy as deck hand (Lot 106) and Yuri Kasparyan in the role of ship captain (Lot 107). His men are taught and bulging, often flaunting their virility, and stand in direct opposition to the marble flatness of the figures portrayed by socialist realism. Furthermore, whereas the males of socialist realism were decidedly heterosexual, Gurianov’s are tinged with homosexual eroticism. His portraits are irreverent interpretations of social realism in line with non-conformist ideology.