Pozdeev Andrey

Andrei Pozdeev is one of the leading Russian artists of the second half of the 20th century. He is known widely among his peers in Russia and especially in his Siberian homeland. In Krasnoyarsk, where he is considered a hero, he has attained legendary status in the cultural history of the city. Ask any long-time Krasnoyarsk resident to name two artists associated with the city, and the inevitable response will be Vasily Surikov and Andrei Pozdeev. After the artist's death, the citizens of Krasnoyarsk took up a collection and dedicated a monument to him. The monument's sculptor, Yuri Zloty, did not know Pozdeev very well during his life, and thus decided to focus more on the artist's external appearance than his inner core. The result depicts an eccentric character in bronze, a little larger than life, standing under an umbrella with a painter's case on his shoulder, as if he were in a pedestrian crossing, unaware of the hubbub around him and possibly encroaching on the personal, but always larger than life, as is so often the case with state monuments cast in metal or carved in stone. The monument does not express an image of the artist as much represents what he stands for. Still, the monument has struck a chord among the public and, judging by its gleaming, polished nose, has also acquired a reputation for possessing magical qualities. It is believed, for instance, that any beginning painter, or anyone who must sit for an exam at the local Art Institute, should gently rub the statue for good luck.

In Krasnoyarsk, many people still remember the living Pozdeev: a good-hearted man, sometimes gruff in work-related matters, but unquestionably gifted and able to convey a sense of joy rare among men. It is therefore a very good sign that young people seem to have a special relationship with the statue. (And at School No 69, the artist Vladimir Vaganov has established a small museum in honor of Pozdeev, which is also known as the "Museum of a Good Man"). Of course, a much smaller circle of people knows and enjoys Pozdeev's actual painting.

Artist Pozdeev Andrey
  • 1926 - Born in the village of Nizhny Ingash, Krasnoyarsky Region.
  • 1943 - Volunteers to go to the war. Is assigned to the Far East as an artillery signalman.
  • 1950 - Moves to Krasnoyarsk and becomes a member of the Association of Artists.
  • 1951 - Graduates from the V. I. Surikov Art School of Krasnoyarsk after studying with A. P. Lekarenko
  • 1956 - Begins to work at the Art Foundation for Painters and Copyists.
  • 1961 - Joins the Union of Soviet Artists.
  • 1998 - Is awarded with Diploma and Silver Medal of the Russian Academy of Arts.
  • 1998 - Dies in his workshop in Krasnoyarsk.

 

Selected Exhibitions

  • 1948 - Exhibition of works by Minusinsk artists, Minusinsk, Siberia.
  • 1956 - Exhibition of works by Siberian artists, Irkutsk.
  • 1957 - Exhibition of works by young artists of the Soviet Union at the World Youth and Student Festival, Moscow.
  • 1958 - National Soviet Art Exhibition “40 Years of the Komsomol”, Moscow.
  • 1959 - Regional Art Exhibition, Art Gallery of Krasnoyarsk, Krasnoyarsk.
  • 1964–1965 - Solo exhibitions: Krasnoyarsk, Kemerovo, Novokuznetsk,Novosibirsk, Omsk, Irkutsk.
  • 1971 - Three-Zone Exhibition: The Urals, Siberia and the Far East, Moscow.
  • 1972 - Third National Soviet Exhibition of Watercolors (awarded with a diploma), Moscow.
  • 1975 - Solo exhibition at the Art Gallery of Krasnoyarsk, Krasnoyarsk.
  • 1976 - Exhibition of works by Krasnoyarsk artists, Moscow.
  • 1978 - Solo exhibition, House of Scientists, Academic Campus,Novosibirsk.
  • 1977 - Exhibition of works by Krasnoyarsk artists, Okhta Showroom of the Leningrad Union of Artists of the Russian Federation, Leningrad.
  • 1981 - Solo exhibition, Exhibition Hall of the Union of Artists, Krasnoyarsk.
  • 1982 - Solo exhibition, Norilsk Art Gallery, Norilsk.
  • 1990 - Art London 90 Auction, London.
  • 1990 - Cooling Gallery, London.
  • 1993 - Solo exhibition, Central House of Artists on Krymsky Val, Moscow.
  • 1996 - Solo exhibition, The State Russian Museum (Marble Palace), St. Petersburg.
  • 1996 - Solo exhibition, V. I. Surikov Krasnoyarsk Art Museum, Krasnoyarsk.
  • 1997 - Solo exhibition, Zelenogorsk Art Museum,Krasnoyarsky Region.
  • 1998 - Solo exhibition, V. I. Surikov Krasnoyarsk Art Museum, Krasnoyarsk.
  • 1999 - Solo exhibition, Exhibition Hall of Our Heritage magazine, Moscow.
  • 1999 - Solo exhibition, Tretyakov State Gallery, Exhibition Hall on Krymsky Val, Moscow.
  • 1999 - Kaltat: People and Nature. V. I. Surikov Krasnoyarsk Art Museum, Krasnoyarsk.
  • 2001 - Abstraction in 20th-century Russia, The Russian State Museum, St. Petersburg.
  • 2000 - Andrey Pozdeev: Graphics & Watercolors, Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Moscow.
  • 2002 - Solo exhibition of graphic works, Tallinn, Estonia.
  • 2004 - The Life of Man, a series and a solo exhibition, Novosibirsk Contemporary Art Festival, Novosibirsk State Art Museum, Novosibirsk.
  • 2006–2007 - Workshop of Andrey Pozdeev, Krasnoyarsk Cultural-Historical Museum Center “On the Spit”; Novosibirsk;State Art Museum; Art Museum of Novokuznetsk; Tomsk Regional Art Museum; National Art Gallery, Generations Fund of the Khanty-Mansiisk Autonomous District; Tyumen Museum of Art.
  • 2009–2010 - Andrey Pozdeev. Paintings traveling exhibition, Tomsk, Novokuznetsk, Barnaul, Novosibirsk.
  • 2011 - Solo exhibition of graphic works, Moscow International Art Festival, “The Artist and the City”, Central House of Artists, Moscow.
  • 2011 - Andrey Pozdeev. Exhibition Dedicated to the 85th Birthday. Erarta Museum and Galleries of Contemporary Art, St. Petersburg.

 

Museum Collections

  • V. I. Surikov Krasnoyarsk Art Museum;
  • Krasnoyarsk Cultural-Historical Museum Center “On the Spit”;
  • Novosibirsk State Art Museum;
  • Cultural Institute of the State Art Museum of Altai Region;
  • Tomsk Regional Art Museum;
  • M. A. Vrubel Omsk Regional Museum of Art;
  • Novokuznetsk Municipal Museum of Art;
  • Kemerovo Regional Museum of Fine Arts;
  • Museum and Exhibition Centre of Zelenogorsk City;
  • Tyumen Regional Museum of Fine Arts; Norilsk Art Gallery;
  • Achinsk Art Gallery;
  • Minusinsk Art and Picture Gallery;
  • V. P. Sukachev Irkutsk Regional Art Museum;
  • Far East Art Museum, Khabarovsk;
  • Tallinn Art Museum;
  • The Tretyakov State Gallery;
  • The State Russian Museum;
  • Moscow Museum of Modern Art.