KULIKOV Ivan Semyonovich

April 1, 1875 (Murom, Vladimir province) — December 15, 1941 (Murom, Vladimir province)

Painter, graphic artist

Ivan Kulikov was born to a peasant family. In 1891 he studied drawing under the guidance of A. I. Morozov in Murom. In 1893–1896 he continued his education in the Drawing school under the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (under E. K. Liphart); in 1896–1902 he studied in the Higher Art Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture under the Imperial Academy of Arts (IAKh), in the V. E. Makovsky’s and I. E. Repin’s workshops. Kulikov painted together with Ilya Repin the portrait of Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia. In 1901–1903 Repin invited Kulikov and B. M. Kustodiev to paint the picture The ceremonial meeting of the State Council on the 7th of May in 1901, on the day of the 100th anniversary of its establishment. In 1900–1903 he worked on illustrations for the collection of stories by A. M. Gorky (together with D. F. Bogoslovsky and N. Petrov). In 1902 Kulikov was conferred a title of an artist and pensioner’s trip abroad for his paintings In the Peasant’s Hut and Portrait of V. A. Shchuko.

In 1902–1904 Kulikov was a pensioner of the Imperial Academy of Arts in Germany, France and Italy. After his return, the artist lived in Murom and visited St. Petersburg and Moscow for the exhibitions. In 1911 he travelled to Italy. Kulikov painted portraits, landscapes, genre and historical scenes. In 1915 he was awarded the title of academician.

Kulikov participated in exhibitions since 1898. His works were shown at the exhibitions of the IAKh (1898–1913), the exhibitions of Moscow Society of Art Lovers (1900, 1908–1910), the Society of Russian Watercolorists (1907–1908, 1912–1914), the exhibitions of the Society of Travelling Art Exhibitions (TPKhV, 1908), the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (1912) and at the international art exhibitions in Liege (1905, big silver medal), in Munich (1909, 1913), in Rome (World Fair, 1911) and Venice (1912, 1914).

During the Soviet period, Kulikov was engaged in social and teaching activities. He took part in the protection of monuments, in design and festive decoration of Murom. He was an initiator of foundation of Murom Museum of Local History; he gave to the Museum a collection of ancient Russian costumes, works of applied arts and his own paintings; he headed the Museum for a long time. Since 1930 he taught in the art studio in Murom. In 1932–1938 he worked in the village of Pavlov on the Oka River every year.

Kulikov participated in the exhibition of the Association of Artists and the exhibition of works by Petrograd artists of all art movements (both — 1923) in Petrograd; the exhibition of the I. E. Repin Society of artists (1927–1929), the exhibition The RSFSR Artists of the Older Generation in Moscow (1940), the exhibition of landscape in Gorky (1941). The personal exhibition of the artist was held in Murom in 1942.