KOTOV Petr Ivanovich

June 26, 1889 (Vladimirovka, Astrakhan province) — July 4, 1953 (Moscow)

Painter, graphic artist

Petr Kotov was born to a family of icon painters. He studied painting under the guidance of his father. Kotov studied in Kazan Art School under the guidance of N. I. Feshin (1903–1909), in the Higher Art Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (VKhU) under the Imperial Academy of Arts (IAKh) at the classes of F. A. Roubaud, N. S. Samokish and Y. F. Tsionglinsky (1909–1916). In 1916 Kotov was conferred a title of an artist and pensioner’s trip abroad (not realized) for his paintings Preparation for Hunting and Letter from Home in Trenches.

The artist lived in Astrakhan (1916–1922), Petrograd (1922), Moscow (since 1922). Kotov founded an art studio and art workshops under the Regional Educational Department in Astrakhan. He painted landscapes, portraits, still lifes, scenes of everyday life and on historical themes. Kotov was involved in monumental painting; he performed paintings at the Naval School in Petrograd (1922), worked on the painting of the pavilions at the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition (VSKhV) in Moscow (1922–1923).

In 1930s Kotov was sent on several tips to the regions of industrial construction and collective farms; he visited Kuznetskstroy (Kuznetsk construction; 1931), Sormovo Shipyard in Nizhny Novgorod (1936). Since late 1930s Kotov worked as a portrait painter; he created portraits of many statesmen, generals, scientists and art workers: I. D. Shadr (1936), V. S. Svarog (1941), N. N. Burdenko (1943), L. A. Orbeli (1944), E. N. Gogoleva (1948). In 1948 Kotov was awarded the State Prize of USSR for the portrait of academician and chemist N. D. Zelinsky.

During the Great Patriotic War, Kotov was evacuated to Penza, where he was involved in publication of Windows of TASS (the Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union). After returning to Moscow, the artist taught at the All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in 1944–1948, Moscow State Academic Art Institute named after V. I. Surikov (MGKhI) in 1948–1951 (since 1940 — professor). In 1946 Kotov was conferred the title of the Honoured Art Worker of RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic); since 1949 he was a member of the USSR Academy of Arts.

Kotov participated in exhibitions since 1916. He was a member and exhibitor of the Association of the artists of Revolutionary Russia (AKhRR) — the Association of the artists of the Revolution (AKhR) in 1923–1929. He took part in the Exhibition of works by Petrograd artists of all art movements (1923); the jubilee exhibition Artists of the RSFSR for 15 years in Petrograd — Leningrad (1932); the art exhibition in Astrakhan (1924); the permanent art exhibition (1926); the Exhibition of works of Art by the 10th anniversary of the October Revolution (1928); the exhibitions Red Army in Soviet Art (1930), Socialist Construction in visual arts (1931), Poster at the service of the five-year plan (1932); the Exhibition of works of artists, sent on a mission to the regions of the industrial building and collective farms (1932); the exhibition 15 years of the Red Army RKKA (Workers'–Peasants' Red Army) in Moscow (1933); the exhibition of Soviet art in Japan (travelling exhibition, 1926–1927), Turkey (1927), the USA (travelling exhibition, 1929), Germany (1929, 1932) and others. Since 1932 Kotov was a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR.

Kotov was married to the artist Z. A. Kozhevnikova (Kotova).

Works by Petr Kotov are in many museum collections, including the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum, Kiev Museum of Russian Art and others.