GLEBOVA Tatyana Nikolaevna

March 28, 1900 (St. Petersburg) — March 4, 1985 (Leningrad)

Painter, graphic artist, scene-designer

Tatyana Glebova was born to a family of engineer and opera singer. In early childhood she was engaged in music. She studied art in the private studio of A. I. Savinov in Leningrad in 1924–1926.

In 1926 Glebova met P. N. Filonov, joined the group of artists Masters of Analytic Art (MAI). In 1927 she took part in the exhibition of MAI in the House of Press in Leningrad. At the same time Glebova collaborated with department of children’s and youthful literature at the State Publishing House. She designed the book Little Bats by A. Valkevich. Glebova worked in magazines YeZh (“Monthly Magazine” or “Hedgehog”) and ChIZh (“Extremely Interesting Magazine” or “Siskin”). She met poets-Oberiuts (OBERIU, the Association of Real Art) N. M. Oleynikov, A. I. Vvedensky, and D. I. Kharms. She illustrated their books.

In 1930–1935 works by Glebova were exposed at the exhibition of soviet artists in Paris and Lion, in 1932 — at the exhibition Artists of the RSFSR for 15 years in the State Russian Museum. In 1932 Glebova together with V. V. Dmitriev created scene designs for the opera The Mastersingers of Nuremberg by Richard Wagner in the Maly Opera Theatre. In 1932–1933 she together with members of Filonov’s group took part in work on illustrations of Finnish epic poetry The Kalevala for the publishing house Academia.

In 1941–1942 Glebova lived in blockade Leningrad. In 1942 she was evacuated to Alma-Ata. She worked as an artist at the film studio Kazakhfilm. In evacuation she met the artist V. V. Sterligov; later he married her.

In 1945 Glebova together with Sterligov returned to Leningrad. She joined Sterligov’s group of artists, who studied new painting and plastic art, including the color theory of M. V. Matyushin.

Glebova continued to work in book graphic art. She collaborated with the publishing house Leningrad artist and the State publishing house (GIZ). In 1948 she created cycles of works, dedicated to restoration of palaces Oranienbaum and Gatchina. Glebova participated in exhibitions of the Union of artists. She together with Sterligov began to develop new principles of painting; in particular they considered space as a system of the Dome and the Cup. Glebova wrote memoirs about Filonov (1967).

In 1949 the first personal exhibition of Glebova was held in Leningrad. In 1966 the joint exhibition of Glebova and Sterligov was organized in halls of Leningrad Union of Artists of the RSFSR (LOSKh), but the exhibition was closed in four hours after opening. In 1970 one-day exhibition of masters was held in the Research Institute of the history and theory of architecture and in the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, in 1973 — in Novosibirsk’s Akademgorodok. After Sterligov’s death, Glebova continued study with his pupils.

Glebova died in 1985; she was buried in Peterhof cemetery.

Retrospective exhibitions of artist’s works were held in 1989 and in 1995 in Leningrad­ — St. Petersburg.

Tatyana Glebova became famous as an excellent illustrator of children’s books. Her flourishing period in book design was in the second half of 1920s — the first half of 1930s, when she worked with the department of children’s and youthful literature of the State publishing house. However Glebova was also engaged in easel painting and drawing.

In her early works, Glebova followed the analytic method of Filonov; she tried to study inner structure of phenomena, to paint not only outer side of objects, but also to analyze their vital essence. Glebova painted with thin brush or pen. Her drawings were created as a carpet: small short strokes looked like stitches on fabric. In late works, Glebova together with Sterligov created new plastic art. Her works of 1940s–1980s were characterized by passion for color.

Works by Tatyana Glebova are in many big museum collections in Russia, including the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, the State Tretyakov Gallery, and the State Russian Museum.