KURZIN Mikhail Ivanovich

1888 (Barnaul) — May 1, 1957 (Krasnoyarsk Krai)

Painter, graphic artist

In 1907 Mikhail Kurzin graduated from Kazan Art School. In 1908–1911 he studied in Moscow School of painting, sculpture and architecture (MUZhVZ) in the workshop of K. A. Korovin. In 1911–1912 he attended the private studio of M. D. Bernstein in St. Petersburg.

In 1912 Kurzin returned to Barnaul. In 1916 he was called up for military service. After demobilization in 1917, he became one of the active members of the Altai Art Society in Barnaul. In 1921, by the instrumentality of A. V. Lunacharsky, he delivered the artworks to Altai for the Museum of painting culture.

Kurzin lived in Barnaul (1910s), in Moscow (early 1920s), and in Tashkent (since 1926).  He painted portraits, landscapes, still lifes and genre paintings. He was engaged in satirical graphics (Bai Agitates (Bai is rich landowner in Central Asia), Old and New; early 1930s), in collage, and in poster. Kurzin worked together with V. V. Mayakovsky in the Windows of ROSTA(the Russian Telegraph Agency).  In 1932 he participated in the exhibition Poster at the service of the five-year plan in Moscow.

In 1919 he travelled to China. At the beginning of 1920s he taught the materials technology in the Higher State Artistic and Technical Workshops (VKhUTEMAS). Since 1923 Kurzin travelled to the cities of the Crimea, the Caucasus and Middle Asia together with E. L. Korovai and M. Z. Gaidukevich. In 1926 he settled in Tashkent.  In 1927 he was one of the founders of the society Masters of New East (together with A. N. Volkov, V. L. Rozhdestvensky, V. P. Markova, I. I. Ikramov and others). Since 1929 Kurzin was a chairman of the Association of Fine Arts Workers in Tashkent.

In the mid 1930s Kurzin was accused of formalism and misrepresentation of the Soviet reality. In 1936 he was arrested, accused of the hostility to the Soviet government, anti-Soviet agitation, and statement about terrorist intentions against J. V. Stalin. He was sentenced to five years in prison and deprivation of civic rights for three years. He was exiled to Kolyma. In 1946, after Kurzin’s release, he was sent to the settlement in Bukhara, without the right to visit Tashkent. In the same year he became a member of the Union of Artists of Uzbekistan. In 1948 he was arrested again for unauthorized visit to Tashkent. He was accused of the anti-Soviet agitation, and was exiled for eight years to Krasnoyarsk Krai.

Mikhail Kurzin is one of the most brilliant and original painters of 1920s–1930s. At the beginning of 1920s he was under the influence of symbolism, cubism and primitivism. His works are characterized by plastic expression, ornamentality, colour saturation and stylization.

Works by Mikhail Kurzin are in many museum collections, including the State Art Museum of Altai Krai, the State Art Museum of the Republic of Karakalpakstan named after I. V. Savitsky in Nukus and others.