Russian Art from the 1960s to the 2010s: A Lecture Series by Sasha Obukhova

Andrei Monastyrski (b. 1949) is an artist, poet, novelist, and art theorist and one of the pioneers of Moscow Conceptualism. He studied philology at Moscow State University. Monastyrski was a founding member of the group Collective Actions (founded in 1976), the group’s theorist and creator of most actions. In 1981, he compiled the first issue of the Moscow Archive of New Art (MANI), followed by five more from 1986 to 1990 (1 to 4 with Joseph Backstein and 5 with Sabine Hänsgen). He took part in the Biennale of Dissent (Venice, 1977), the Venice Biennales of 2003, 2007, and 2011, and documenta 12 (Kassel, 2007). In 2003, he won an Andrei Bely Prize for his contribution to the development of Russian literature. He is a recipient of the Soratnik Award (2008) and the Innovation Prize (2009). He lives and works in Moscow.

Nikita Alexeev (1953–2021) studied at Moscow Secondary Art School from 1964 to 1967, the 1905 Moscow Academic Art School (graphics and advertising), and Moscow Printing Institute (design of printed products) from 1973 to 1976. From 1976 to 1983 he was a member of Collective Actions. He took part in the Biennale of Dissent (Venice, 1977) and was one of the organizers of the Moscow Archive of New Art (MANI). From 1982 to 1984, he was a co-founder and director of the gallery APTART, which was located in his one-room apartment in Moscow. From 1987 to 1993, he lived in France. From 1993, he lived in Moscow. 

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Alexander Kosolapov (b. 1943) is a sculptor, painter, and creator of objects. He studied at Moscow Secondary Art School from 1950 to 1961 and Moscow Higher School of Art and Industry (Department of Sculpture) from 1962 to 1968. He showed his work at regular evening and one-day exhibitions of the Sculptors’ Club at the House of Artists at Kuznetsky Most (1976–1986). He worked as a sculptor within the system of the Union of Artists of the USSR from 1968 to 1975. In 1975 he moved to the USA. He lives and works between Moscow and New York.

Leonid Sokov (1914–2018) was a Soviet and American artist, one of the most famous representatives of Sots Art. From 1956 to 1961, he studied at Moscow Secondary Art School and in 1969 graduated from Moscow Higher School of Art and Industry (Department of Sculpture). In 1972, he joined the Moscow Union of Artists. He took part in the Biennale of Dissent (Venice, 1977). He has exhibited in the Russian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2001), Moscow Museum of Modern Art (2012), and the State Tretyakov Gallery (2016). He lived and worked in the USA from 1979.

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The founders of Sots Art Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid worked as a duo from 1972 to 2003. They created their first collaborative work in 1965. In 1967, after graduating from Moscow Higher School of Art and Industry, both worked as school teachers and as monumental artists. In the same year they had their first joint exhibition, Retrospectivism. In summer 1972, they worked as decorators at a pioneer summer camp outside Moscow, where the idea of the Sots Art series of paintings occurred to them. In 1977, they moved to Israel and in 1978 to the USA. They took part in the Bulldozer Exhibition (1974), the Biennale of Dissent (Venice, 1977), documenta 8 (Kassel, 1987), and the Venice Biennale (1999). They live and work in New York.

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Francisco Infante (b. 1943) has been working with Nonna Goriunova since 1968. They explore the possible interactions between nature and artificial objects. They live and work in Moscow.

Viacheslav Koleichuk (1941–2018) was one of the key representatives of kinetic art in Russia, a member of the group Dvizhenie, and a theater designer.

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Viktor Pivovarov (b. 1937) studied at Kalinin Moscow College of Art and Industry from 1951 to 1957 and the Moscow Printing Institute from 1957 to 1962. He took part in the Biennale of Dissent in Venice in 1977. He has been based in Prague since 1982. 

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