Today Anatoly Timofeevich Zverev — 80 years. Birthday ARTinvestment.RU publishes the memories of his friends — artists Valentine and Edward Steinberg, provided by the journalist Vadim Alexeev

1975. Aref'ev A., Krynsky, Vorobyev stand;
sit Zverev, Antonchenko

Today Zverev Anatoly T. - 80 years. On the day of birth ARTinvestment.RU published memoirs of his friends - artists Valentin Vorobiev and Edward Steinberg , provided by a journalist Vadim Alexeev .

probably correct to warn that these materials are found too harsh words and judgments, which Zvereva fans will likely find it is not appropriate in a solemn day. On the other hand, the scale Zvereva such that it does not need a long and flattering helpless "greeting cards". And certainly not in need of woven of legends overheard "memoir" of fans.

Today is a good day to listen to people who knew the various Zvereva, knew him better than most and certainly earned his right to tell about the time as they see fit. That is to keep this author's mood, we had to neglect the additional comments (which are sometimes very beg), and do only minimal editing. So, maybe not better, but it's the only way to break the expression of the text.

Valentin Vorobyov. Zverev Painter

My first and a landmark meeting with a wandering painter Zverev took place in February 1960 in the cafeteria of the Pushkin Museum. Prior to that swimmer Lucy, who bought my painting, "Egyptian stand" for 40 rubles, called wash purchase. There was the same, and Zverev, drawing visitors to your camping album. This type of carelessly dressed at the bottom of the underground in Moscow held a special place. Moscow took care of him personally Greek Kostakis, the only patron of the country. Canadian Embassy fartseval steward on a grand scale both domestically and abroad. He carried on the forbidden world of whiskey, chewing gum, company shmotok. The influence of Greek, collect ancient icons and Russian avant-garde art was so powerful that all the media propaganda pale [next] with his obsession of illegal advertising. Greek revived the forgotten market. It was a market for "three ways" and "Two Bits," but it was a capitalist culture alive and free customer artist, unknown to Soviet society. The artist, who respects his profession, has not burned his experiments in the oven, and kept for sale. Foreigner as a private collector of art, especially underground, appeared at this time. At the welcoming lights of Moscow workshops were pulled diplomats and dissident intellectuals whole shoals - take a look at the forbidden goods avant-garde. Business core of illegal literature was composed of businessmen and political acumen chameleons change their views depending on the type of client.

Rumors of drunken pranks Zvereva, battered women and children, reached me, but instead of a fighter in front of me sat a miserable tramp's coat with someone else's shoulder, with a hooked nose and antiquated cap stretched over his ears. He continually resin tobacco, spitting loudly in sand box with cigarette butts. This Okhlamanov full of holes in the coat at a festival gathering 1957 oil on canvas smeared quicker American, for that grabbed international applause. In the museum he came to look for his wife and bask in frost. According to Lucy, he did prikadril on pozirovke and immediately offered to marry, which she bravely and agreed. In the sideboard burst into a pair of aliens, and for fifteen minutes with them Zverev did pencil portraits, instead of getting Havana cigar and international fame.

Senator Alexander Marshak at the luxurious magazine "Life" with the subtitle " Art of Russia, which nobody sees, "described the attempts of the Moscow avant-garde artists, and magazine cover features a portrait of Anatoly Zverev.

Blurry decorative world in which I swam then - painting located in the corner of Noble devoid of light - seemed to me to the top of the world of aesthetics. In twenty-two years I have built great plans - beautifully dress up, fashion prikadrit chuvihu, sit in the pub, generally break out of the rags to riches. Passion for conventional theater, the constant looking back at other people's masterpieces thoroughly relaxes the creative will, but Zverev pictures taken in one sitting, "a la prima", as in the nursery rhyme - "the mouth, nose, and came here oborotik" - me too amused his levity. He gave these homemade products for everyone to pose for ten minutes.

confused "serious" Kostakis, who collected his pocherkushki and world fame, but to tie solid relations with such a wild bonehead I am not going to.

Before I sunk rumors that Zverev married swimmer and took her in Tambov wilderness, to live and work at home unhappy ancestors. After countless squabbles with his wife and relatives, he returned to Moscow and dug in the basement on Smolenka, the bohemian poet Nadia Sdelnikovoy. Every day, they fought and tried to find out who will write a better poem like "I like Stalin crystals and pure as a security officer," a lot and drank indiscriminately, constantly playing cards and checkers, and hunted for foreign orders.

In 1962, in the murky and difficult Parisian bohemian aesthetic Igor Markevitch dug himself a bohemian genius.

large foreign order! Cash trash! Such an animal did not pass, seated behind the work of two women, legal and illegal Lyusya Nadia. He was a daring gesture, touch up their pictures and subscribe to "AZ." At a meeting with the maestro in the hotel "Ukraine" Zverev brought in a string bag of paint and a bottle of vodka. Winner of a special fool, trouble-free charm and subtle mystery of nature, he made the famous conductor Markiewicz, who knew Diaghilev, Stravinsky, Picasso, and wash the glasses as long as did not receive "five" for the job. After exhibitions in Paris and Geneva (1965), organized by musician, cult Zvereva eclipsed faded and Belutin . In Markevich terminate the contract, Kostakis trembling with fear, the artist rose. Such foreign advertising was enough to form an endless waiting list to get a sketch of luminaries of the underground. With no competitors in the portrait genre, Zverev harvested from two orchards, Moscow and foreign. Not surprisingly, his expressive "ovals" believe in the thousands. In hundreds of my closest friends were hanging his work, and not one, but three in one family. A wretched vagabond Moscow imposed a crazy cursive, the like of which art is not known. The image of a great artist, folk nugget polished like a golden ducat.

family of my friend the prosecutor Sergei Maltz has not escaped the epidemic fashion. Zverev sketched every turn. I found him in portraiture session. In the chair sat a "Frau" in white blouse Esther with a bow at the neck. Painter, who was sitting opposite, resins fat cigar, dropping ashes into a pail of water. After an hour's performance on paper originated watercolor, face blurred, with subtle similarities and bold red ribbon in the middle. Zverev squinted, kitchen knife, make two or three curved line and signed in large letters "AZ". All five portraits front view, famously worked in one sitting, very vaguely reminiscent of the living characters, but of particular interest as an exercise of expressive character. For nimble job Zverev received three hundred rubles in cash and asked me:

- Let's put?

I was surprised: the man has earned a lot of money and asked for two rubles for vodka - but he gave. AZ bought a bottle of vodka and six bottles of beer at his own expense.

- Come to Vaska ( VY Sitnikov ), sit in the kitchen - he suggested.

- Again, you beasts! - met us sternly VY S. - I've told you, do not come in drunk. - Today I pay, Vasil Yaklich, help yourself - he missed a deaf ear to threats to the host. - Vorobyov, who you contacted? It's a drunkard and a painting of young punk! Zverev, leave me a bottle of beer, I'll be right back.

We drank a glass of vodka and ate pickles. Vaska returned O'Lantern [Sitnikov] with a book in his hands. Drank a beer from the bottle and showed the American book.

- Vasil Yaklich - I began looking at her - what did you put me in the anonymous artists? - My boys went to Yegor Dionisevichu [Kostaki], and he gave them wise advice for the young, I'm afraid, put them anonymously. So decided to do.

Vaska O'Lantern Greek was afraid of us and sculpted the great artists in their own way and taste.

genius is unbearable. < /p>

Zvereva razvezlo quickly. From the table showered with bread crust and cucumber. VY, flashing eyes, burst into the kitchen and yelled:

- Zverev, immediately collect the cake and leave. You are drunk and ugly. I do not want to see you. Get out of both!

Zverev like a madman jumped out and ran to the taxi stand.

- to Hades, the clearing! - Ordered by the customer.

taxi driver, not batting an eye, took us to a strange destination. It seemed to me that all the drivers in Moscow and personally have known Zvereva.

Poet Aida Tapeshkina lived in a large wooden house on the demolition of a desperate drunkard Baturkevichem, one of the companions of the artist. The walls of the house were covered with his work. Not be imposed on drinking Aida quickly exposed us to the street, and, taking her lover, we rushed to Smolenka the basement Plavinsky . There have long been drinking, talking to Siberia Andrei Amalric.

- I told him - crunched Plavinskiy - Andrew, take the certificates rather than currency. M ... do not listen and got chemistry.

- Provocation! - AZ growled, pouring a glass of vodka on. - If I catch debris, I'll give you all, and would add. I do not like being beaten down in the stomach.

- Toll, take the ugly friends - lowed Kuklis.

- Quiet, grouse ! - screaming, AZ - For watching us! I changed three taxis and a tail hanging. Look out the window. You see, the gray Volga. They travel with me from the prosecutor. Okay, now the main thing - to eat and drink, and then play checkers.

Zverev drank greedily, through force. Vodka flowed through overgrown with chin on chest and a greasy jacket.

I burp, Kuklis napping, Dima [Plavinskiy] writhes on the couch. In a puddle of urine and bread crusts snoring Zverev.

sober begins with a beer stand. Then the major collection in the basement. Is Sasha with dried fish. Cries of "Hurrah" and play in rhyme, where the beast is unbeatable.

«Stalin crystals! .. Clean as a security officer! .. Pauline - lane! .. Tanya in the bath! .. Snow - Neg! .. Joking to rain! .. Enemy of brandy! .. Station knew it .. Hara-kiri in the apartment! .. Take Beirut! .. Both of the grave! .. Adam, I will not! .. Threshold at the feet! .. Bathed and got caught! .. Cancer - a fool, and beer - a miracle! .. Astounded him out of business! .. The old woman - fly !..»

And so all morning. I'm not lost, but won the game trained.

***

sons of the Tambov province Zverev from their homes blew the proletarian revolution. In hungry Moscow was no better, but enough work for everyone. The fifth child of Moscow janitor Timothy Zvereva, and only son, Anatoly was born November 3, 1931. His mother, Pelagia Nikiforovna, fed, and do all the washing sewed family of seven mouths to feed. In elementary school, Tolia did not differ much success on general subjects, and, caught in a constant draw, has been identified for school craft painter. There he learned and became addicted to paint from life, painting the walls and fences with a wide brush, but wanted to rise above and conquer the academic degree for this work of art. Dreams never came true. Called to serve in the navy sailor stabbed with a bayonet Zverev officer and went to a psychiatric hospital for treatment of indolent schizophrenia.

In developed countries, about the artist consists of exhibitions. In a country of victorious socialism life artist, especially illegal, always consists of "stages", and often sinister content. "Prison stages" of 7-10 years were artists , Leo Kropiwnicki , Sooster , Vasily Sitnikov. Multiple drives psychiatric hospitals knew , Alexander Aref'ev , Vladimir Pyatnitsky .

Stages Zvereva formed from madhouse and diparta.

famous dancer Alexander Rumnev, walking through the park Sokolniki, found in the interior decorator. The young man adorned the walls of children's playground, describing their colorful roosters and peacocks. Amazed at the skill of the painter unknown, Rumnev invited him to his portraiture session. Thence to the direction of aggressive schizophrenic opened a narrow, but very true to the door on bunk educated society, which is not so easy to climb and with lots of academic qualifications.

there once a fight broke out between the sensitive, but the poor esthete Rumnevym and far-sighted and money Kostakisom. Prudent nugget of dancer gone over to the Greeks and became known for "the whole of Moscow" as a genius of world-class, no more and no less.

I was not looking for friendship with him, but rather stay away from the irrepressible drunk rough manners. In 1966 the situation changed. I rented a studio at the Sukharev, with a session with the prosecutor, he dragged me to wash the pay day, which meant that a person wants to get close. Almost daily his visits were not mere coincidence, but as subtle calculation. In the same year (1967) he was fascinated by a young employee of the "Literary Gazette" Any Borovik, and as a huge building standing opposite the Literary my, the attack was carried out without the beloved stop: sleep flowers to pull into a restaurant or a movie.

Brunette, dressed haphazardly, with the help disabled the second group, correctly defined, which split its marching camp.