Mikhail Aleksandrovich Evstafiev (; born 12 January 1963) is a Russian artist, photographer, and writer. His interest in painting and photography began at an early age. His mother, grandmother and great-grandfather – all prominent Russian sculptors – inspired him to develop his own

style Style, or styles may refer to: Film and television * ''Style'' (2001 film), a Hindi film starring Sharman Joshi, Riya Sen, Sahil Khan and Shilpi Mudgal * ''Style'' (2002 film), a Tamil drama film * ''Style'' (2004 film), a Burmese film * '' ...

in art. His work is listed in "Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon" (The World Biographical Dictionary of Artists). In the late 1980s he volunteered to serve in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and spent two years in the

Soviet army The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...

, stationed in

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

, witnessing the numerous combat operations and the 1989 withdrawal of Soviet troops. He later published the novel '' Two Steps From Heaven'' about the

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until it dissolved in 1991. During its existence, it was the largest country by are ...

. Working for leading international news organizations in the 1990s, he also covered the wars and armed conflicts in

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

Chechnya Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federa ...

, Georgia,

Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh (, ; ) is a region in Azerbaijan, covering the southeastern stretch of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range. Part of the greater region of Karabakh, it spans the area between Lower Karabakh and Syunik Province, Syunik. Its ter ...

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

and Transdniestria, as well as the Soviet coup attempt of 1991 and the Russian constitutional crisis of 1993. Mikhail Evstafiev's paintings and photographs have been exhibited in different countries, including

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, China, Russia and the United States, in places such as the Hofburg Congress Centre, the

State Kremlin Palace The State Kremlin Palace (), previously and unofficially known as the Kremlin Palace of Congresses (Кремлёвский дворец съездов), is a large modern building inside the Moscow Kremlin. History The building was built at th ...

, the Maly Manezh Exhibition Hall and the Central House of Artists in Moscow, and in the

Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal station, terminal located at 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York Ci ...

in New York City. His paintings and photographs are in the collections of the Moscow House of Photography and SOLMS, Gallery der Leica Camera AG, and in private collections in

Andorra Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a Sovereignty, sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Southwestern Europe, Andorra–France border, bordered by France to the north and Spain to A ...

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

, France,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, Russia and the United States. His work appeared in leading international magazines and newspapers and was published in numerous books.

References

External links

Mikhail Evstafiev's official websiteSlant Magazine review of I Am Cuba: The Ultimate Edition DVDThe Guardian on new publicationGalerie Am Roten Hof in Vienna presents paintings by M.Evstafiev (in German)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evstafiev, Mikhail 1963 births Living people Writers from Moscow Russian male photographers Soviet photographers War photographers Photography in Afghanistan 20th-century Russian painters Russian male painters 21st-century Russian painters Soviet military personnel of the Soviet–Afghan War Soviet Army personnel 20th-century Russian male artists 21st-century Russian male artists

See also

References

External links