Artist of the week. Victor Pivovarov — radical romantic Moscow conceptualism
ARTinvestment.RU   19 июня 2018

The successful Soviet artist, book illustration, designer of dozens of books and inventor of the logo of the children's magazine "Cheerful pictures" Pivovarov in 1970-е became one of the main figures of Moscow conceptualism

the First Association at the mention of the names Pivovarova — conceptual albums, Kabakov, Yankilevsky, Steinberg, Sooster, artists circle "Sretensky Boulevard," the philosophy of the lonely man, Eidos, the character with the long leg, Pepperstein, the open paintings, the idea of intent in the composition and innuendo. A lot of things. That's just to begin to "dissect" ideas Pivovarova — step initially ill-advised, if not harmful. The reasons are at least three. First — the artist himself is an excellent writer and storyteller, he recorded an interesting interview (see below "What to read on") and retell this author is simply wrong. The second is that the "open picture" according to the plan Pivovarova require independent intellectual work of the viewer, waiting for his own explanation, and no reason to spoil people's fun. Well, the third reason — the need to preserve the conceptual idea that as soon as the idea brought in the picture to the end, at the very moment she slips out of the picture. In other words, the Brewers shared the following idea Kabakov: it is important that the painting was laid down on the artist's intention, not a set point. From this, it follows that "mouth feel" of concepts Pivovarova, and especially imposing their transcripts, the essence, the attempt on the author's intention, the destruction of important intellectual field which is involved in the painting and the viewer.

Despite belonging to Viktor Pivovarov to the first row of the "other art", his name does not appear in the Chronicles of artistic protest 1960-70-х. Student Belyutina (a disgraced Professor at the Polygraphic Institute two years was his mentor), he, like Kabakov, carefully, without ideological errors was held for him of 20-летнюю the obstacle course, constructed for the "other" of Soviet artists. The brewers did not participate in any of the allowed important exhibitions of unofficial artists — in the "Beekeeping" (in principle) nor in the "House of culture", or in many others. Working under orders of the publishers. For the Soviet system, he was a successful Illustrator of children's literature, artist "Funny pictures" and "Murzilki", designer children's collections of poems of Irina Pivovarova — of his first wife and mother of Pavel Pepperstein.

that an artist with 1970-х years creates its own system of philosophical art, knows only a narrow circle of devoted friends and associates. Conceptual albums and pictures "the most radical romantic" conceptualism (in the words of Boris Groys) educated moviegoer could see is that on Small Georgian, in the exhibition halls of the "municipal Committee". But it was the late 1970-х, and in 1982-м VictorYear the brewers went to the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, the homeland of his second wife — Czech art historian Milena Slavickas-Пивоваровой. There, in Prague, he lived the last 36 years, occasionally visited Moscow and Peter on their show. And they were already in all the major museums — in the Tretyakov gallery, the Russian Museum, the Pushkin Museum, the Garage, , MMC etc.

Today Viktor Pivovarov is included in top-100 the most expensive artists of the unofficial art and in top living. He is respectively 19-ю and 13-ю line with the work "Triptych with a snake," sold in 2008, at Phillips de Pury for $251 000. After that, the auction had a few treatments of paintings Pivovarova in the range of $60 000-80 000, even before the crisis, at the peak of prices for Russian art. In our days a more realistic range for the auction of painting — $15 000-30 000 000-50. Yes, the scatter is very large. All because the price is too much depends on the specificity of the plot and size. Is the most expensive and will cost a great conceptualist painting. Another thing is that Pivovarova paintings the most valuable period in auctions still be found surprisingly little. Mostly auctions now exhibited graphics. Pencil drawings and gouaches format from A5 up to A4 can be bought for around 70 000-300 000. Well, the budget segment — draw graphics. The price of it is 30 000-70 000 and feasible to many art lovers. The top selling graphics on the Russian market is recognizable lithograph "Long leg". It is readily bought up at prices around $ 30, 000. Work that sold us on this week — color graphics "untitled (Composition with brown triangle)" made a year before the exile, in 1981. To bid on this lot until Friday, can here.

Vladimir Bogdanov, AI

What else to read on the topic:

a Quiet revolution 1970-х. Interview with Victor Pivovarov. Published in the journal "neprikosnovennyi zapas" 2007, № 2 (52);
the Rules of life Viktor Pivovarov;
"In search of the transcendent": the Informal conversation with Victor Pivovarov;
Viktor Pivovarov: "it's Much harder to find examples of long-term art";
Interview of Viktor Pivovarov with itself;
AI: Victor Pivovarov: "THEY".