SINEZUBOV Nikolay Vasilievich

September 7, 1891 (Moscow) — 1956 (French Riviera, France)

Painter, graphic artist

Nikolay Sinezubov finished the gymnasium of T. Shelaputin. He was interested in art since early childhood: his father owned the collection of engravings. In 1912–1917 Sinezubov studied at Moscow School of painting, sculpture and architecture (MUZhVZ). At the same time he attended classes at the faculty of law at Moscow University. But he did not finish both courses.

Since 1918 Sinezubov participated in different exhibitions. He exposed his works at the exhibitions of Moscow Association of Artists (MTKh; 1918, 1922), the group Mir Iskusstva (“World of Art”; 1921, 1922), the Exhibition of Four together with V. V. Kandinsky, A. M. Rodchenko and V. F. Stepanova (1920), the First Russian Art exhibition in the Van Diemen gallery in Berlin (1922). Since 1919 Sinezubov headed the art workshop of ProletCult (Proletarian Culture). In 1920 he collaborated with the Institute of Art Culture (Inkhuk) in Moscow. In 1922 the first personal exhibition of Sinezubov was held in the Labour co-operative society of artists in Moscow.

Since early 1920s Sinezubov was engaged in lithograph and etching; he took part in publication of lithograph collections Nature morte (1921), Landscape in lithographs by modern artists (1921), Lithographs No.4. He worked in book graphic art. In 1922–1923 Sinezubov made a trip to Berlin. He created an album of lithographs Frauen and Kinder (1923). In 1924 he joined the society Makovets, participated in the exhibition of the society in 1924 and in 1926.

In 1928 Sinezubov immigrated to France, lived and worked in Paris.

Nikolay Sinezubov was one of the most significant and with it the most uninvestigated masters of the first third of the 20th century. In his artworks the artist was close to realistic art traditions. Sinezubov chose simple motifs for his paintings, but they were loaded with profound significance and spirituality. His works were characterized by restrained colors and free manner of painting. As all artists of the society Makovets, Sinezubov paid great attention to drawing.

The flourishing period of the artist’s creative activity was at late 1910s — the first half of 1920s, when he was under the influence of Renoir, Degas, Picasso and Sezanne by his own account. Some works of that period were painted under the impact of German expressionism. In his works the artist tried to put firmness, materiality and latent temperament, which he had seen in works by European artists, into his canvases (from Sinezubov’s autobiography, 1925).

There is almost no information about French period of the artist’s life.

Works by Nikolay Sinezubov are in many museum and private collections, including the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, and the State Russian Museum.