Monakhov Ruben

Ruben Monakhov was born in Leningrad in 1970. He received his artistic education at the department of decorative graphics of the Serov Art School in Leningrad. As a member of the Union of Artists, he organized about ten solo exhibitions and has participated in numerous group events.

But what can this really tell us about Ruben Monakhov? Any picture of him or any of his works can tell us far more. The artist’s biographic record would have been incomplete without knowing that Ruben Monakhov is the proud bearer of a wonderful curled-up moustache that harkens back to Salvador Dali.

Monakhov’s painting is as vivid as his looks. He creates bright, rich and pastose scenes, as when he paints a still-life where tomatoes and oranges are always found. Suffice to say, this vividness also radiates from the topography of his landscapes in Helsinki, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Bruges, Prague, Vyborg, Kronshtadt and, of course, Saint-Petersburg. However, the artist never paints the views of Petersburg favoured by the plein air artists. Is he toying with his audience, or is he really not interested in depicting the most beautiful places in the city? He paints the smoggiest cities on the planet but in his pictures they are drenched with sunlight. These unusual sun rays make the industrial constructions and tenement houses melt and their colours fade. In the frameworks of the painting traditions, Monakhov masterfully features his landscapes ‘in a favourable light.’ He can successfully turn a suburban railway platform into an Italian view.    

Artist Monakhov Ruben
Born in Leningrad, Russia.

 

Selected Group & Solo Exhibitions

  • 2012 Saint Petersburg – 2011, Manege Central Exhibition Hall, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 2011 Depictimpressions, solo exhibition, Griboyedov Club, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 2010 I See It This Way!, solo exhibition, “100 Svoih” Gallery, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 2010 The Point of View, solo exhibition, Zero Gallery, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 2010 The Friendship, “100 Svoih” Gallery, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 2010 Flights in Dreams and in Reality, international exhibition-competition, “Na Kashirke” Gallery, Moscow, Russia;
  • 2009 December’s Scopophilia, solo exhibition, Zero Gallery, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 2009 May’s Scopophilia, solo exhibition, Selskaya Zhizn Gallery, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 2009 ARtMATURE, Bulthaup Design Gallery, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 2009 KunStart’09 (presented by Galeria de Arte Gaudi from Madrid), Bolzano, Italy;
  • 2008 Raum und Decoration, solo exhibition, Colourblind Gallery, Cologne, Germany;
  • 2008 Christmas Exhibition, Galeria de Arte Gaudi, Madrid, Spain;
  • 2008 Lineart’08 (presented by Galeria de Arte Gaudi, Madrid, Spain), Flanders Expo, Ghent, The Netherlands;
  • 2008 Art-Craft Studio “Barcode”, Mitki Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 2007 Cities. Etching, solo exhibition, Sholokhov Library, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 2007 Random Crosslinking, Selskaya Zhizn Gallery, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 2007 170th Anniversary of Russian Railroad, Railroad Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 2007 About the Railroad, Books & Graphics Centre, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 2007 Red Circle of Constructivism, Jam Hall, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 2006 IV Saint Petersburg Art Galleries Festival, Manege Central Exhibition Hall, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 2006 No Names, Griboyedov Club, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 2005 Endless Journey, solo exhibition, S. P. A. S. Gallery, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 2004 Spring Exhibition of Young Artists, Manege Central Exhibition Hall, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 2003 Solo exhibition, Selskaya Zhizn Gallery, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 2003 Art-Craft, Alice Gallery, Bordeaux, France;
  • 2003 Art-Craft, Municipality of Bordeaux, France;
  • 2002 Art-Craft, Russian Public Library, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 2000 10 years on the way, Roerikh Art School, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 1993 Young artists of Saint Petersburg, Izhorets Cultural Centre, Kolpino, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 1993 Solo exhibition, Izhorets Cultural Centre, Kolpino, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 1993 Solo exhibition, Dostoevsky Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 1991 Exhibition of young artists, Leningrad Youth’s Palace, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • 1987 A Part for White Piano, State Chapel on Vasilievsky Island, Saint Petersburg, Russia;

 

Selected Public and Private Collections

  • Erarta Museum and Galleries of Contemporary Art, Saint Petersburg, Russia;
  • Colourblind Gallery, Cologne, Germany;
  • Private Collections in Russia, USA, Belgium, Germany, UK.