Sazhin Nikolai

Sazhin’s idiosyncratic works are easily distinguishable from any others within the Erarta collection. Following a formal classical education, Sazhin was able to refine his technique in such a way so as to adapt it to his revolutionary subject matter whilst still being true to his creative goals. 

One of the distinctive aspects of his artistic manner is the recurring appearance of lush pears and erotic forms. These almost echo O’Keeffe’s work in the 1920s and 1930s, but in a contemporary setting. The tonalities of the works are more profound at darker shades, and the way in which Sazhin manages to keep the viewer breathless with anticipation by using four shades at most is truly impressive. 

An astonishing thing about his works is that they are simultaneously abstract and figurative without giving the impression of being discordant. Such pieces as ‘Twosome’ seem to contain a series of images which allude to nature (i.e. frogs), but somehow manage to remain abstract. 

Nikolay Sazhin was born in Troitsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast, in 1948. His extensive interest in the art and fine arts in particular brought him to the Serov Art School, one of the dominant artistic establishments at the time. Having graduated from the Serov School, Sazhin went on to be accepted by and flourish at the graphic arts department of the Repin Academy of Fine Arts. Having graduated in 1978, he taught and inspired young talents at the Serov Art School up until 1989. 

Sazhin’s unique teaching methods and widespread popularity with his students saw him being welcomed as a guest lecturer at Washington State University and Reed College in Portland, Oregon. These high-profile teaching positions between 1989 and 1990 secured him the title of Honorary Professor at the National Academy of Art and Design in St. Petersburg from 1997 onwards. The artist passed away on 2 April 2019.

Artist Sazhin Nikolai

Selected Solo Exhibitions:

  • 2010 Erarta Museum and Galleries of Contemporary Art, St. Petersburg, Russia
  • 2008 Museum of Applied Arts of the St. Petersburg State Academy of Art and Design, St. Petersburg, Russia
  • 2008 ART re.FLEX Gallery, St. Petersburg, Russia
  • 2004 State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
  • 2004 Museum of Urban Sculpture, St. Petersburg, Russia
  • 2000 Avrora Contemporary Art Gallery, Tver, Russia
  • 1999 Museum of Nonconformist Art (Pushkinskaya 10), St. Petersburg, Russia
  • 1997 Palitra Art Gallery, St. Petersburg, Russia
  • 1995 State Art Gallery, Novosibirsk, Russia
  • 1994 Palitra Art Gallery, St. Petersburg, Russia
  • 1994 Fyodor Exhibition Hall, Sestroretsk, Russia
  • 1993 Mars Art Gallery, Moscow, Russia
  • 1993 Davidson Art Gallery, Seattle, Washington, USA
  • 1991 Fyodor Exhibition Hall, Sestroretsk, Russia
  • 1991 Diaghilev Art Center, St. Petersburg, Russia
  • 1991 Davidson Art Gallery, Seattle, Washington, USA
  • 1988 Museum of Art and History, Vyborg, USSR
  • 1988 Lenfilm Motion Picture Studio, Leningrad, USSR
  • 1988 Carolyn Staley Art Gallery, Portland, Oregon, USA
  • 1985 Vernissage Club, Sverdlov Palace of Culture, Leningrad, USSR

 

Selected Public and Private Collections:

  • State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
  • Erarta Museum of Contemporary Art, St. Petersburg, Russia
  • Russian National Library, St. Petersburg, Russia
  • Anna Akhmatova Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
  • Manege Central Exhibition Hall, St. Petersburg, Russia
  • St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
  • Museum of Nonconformist Art (Pushkinskaya 10), St. Petersburg, Russia
  • Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, Russia
  • Art Museum of Estonia, Tallinn, Estonia
  • Novosibirsk City Art Gallery, Novosibirsk, Russia
  • Art Department of the Ryazan Historical and Architectural Museum and Reserve, Ryazan, Russia
  • Zimmerli Art Museum, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
  • Erotic Art Museum, Hamburg, Germany
  • State Museum of International Art, Beijing, China
  • Versailles University, Versailles, France
  • Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Karelia, Petrozavodsk, Russia
  • Diaghilev Art Center, St. Petersburg, Russia
  • Contemporary Art Museum, Sosnovy Bor, Russia
  • Tver Regional Art Gallery, Tver, Russia
  • Kasteyev State Art Museum, Almaty, Kazakhstan
  • Kustodiev Art Gallery, Astrakhan, Russia
  • Tatarstan State Museum of Fine Arts, Kazan, Russia
  • Tomsk Regional Art Museum, Tomsk, Russia
  • Vereshchagin Art Museum, Nikolayev, Ukraine
  • State Art Gallery, Magnitogorsk, Russia
  • Museum of the Russian Academy of Arts, St. Petersburg, Russia
  • Murmansk Regional Art Museum, Murmansk, Russia
  • Sazhin’s works can also be found in private collections in Russia, France, Germany, USA, Italy, Switzerland, Israel, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Japan, and China