Oleg Nikolayevich Tselkov (; 15 July 1934 — 11 July 2021) was a Russian nonconformist artist, celebrated for his images of faces painted in bright color, depicting inner psychological patterns of violence in contemporary culture.

Biography

In 1956 he had his first apartment exhibition in the Vladimir Slepyan (1930–1998) houseroom. In 1958 he graduated from the Saint Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy, where he studied under experimental scenic designer and theatre director

Nikolay Akimov Nikolay Pavlovich Akimov ( – 6 September 1968) was an experimental theatre director and scenic designer noted for his work with the Leningrad Comedy Theatre. His most notorious production was the cynical version of ''Hamlet'' (1932), with Ophe ...

. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Tselkov studio in Moscow was visited over the years by such celebrities as,

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

David Alfaro Siqueiros David Alfaro Siqueiros (born José de Jesús Alfaro Siqueiros; December 29, 1896 – January 6, 1974) was a Mexican social realist painter, best known for his large public murals using the latest in equipment, materials and technique. Along with ...

Renato Guttuso Aldo Renato Guttuso (26 December 1911 – 18 January 1987) was an Italian painter and politician. He is considered to be among the most important Italian artists of the 20th century and is among the key figures of Italian expressionism. His art i ...

Lilya Brik Lilya Yuryevna Brik (alternatively spelled ''Lili'' or ''Lily''; ; née Kagan; – August 4, 1978) was a Russian author and socialite, connected to many leading figures in the Russian avant-garde between 1914 and 1930. She was the lover and mus ...

Anna Akhmatova Anna Andreyevna Gorenko rus, А́нна Андре́евна Горе́нко, p=ˈanːə ɐnˈdrʲe(j)ɪvnə ɡɐˈrʲɛnkə, a=Anna Andreyevna Gorenko.ru.oga, links=yes; , . ( – 5 March 1966), better known by the pen name Anna Akhmatova,. ...

Joseph Brodsky Iosif Aleksandrovich Brodsky (; ; 24 May 1940 – 28 January 1996) was a Russian and American poet and essayist. Born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in the Soviet Union, Brodsky ran afoul of Soviet authorities and was expelled ("strongly ...

Yevgeny Yevtushenko Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Yevtushenko (; 18 July 1933 – 1 April 2017) was a Soviet and Russian poet, novelist, essayist, dramatist, screenwriter, publisher, actor, editor, university professor, and director of several films. Biography Early lif ...

(close friend of Tselkov),

Louis Aragon Louis Aragon (; 3 October 1897 – 24 December 1982) was a French poet who was one of the leading voices of the Surrealism, surrealist movement in France. He co-founded with André Breton and Philippe Soupault the surrealist review ''Littératur ...

, and

Pablo Neruda Pablo Neruda ( ; ; born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto; 12 July 190423 September 1973) was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Neruda became known as a poet when he was 13 years old an ...

. The first Tselkov solo exhibition was opened in

Kurchatov Institute The Kurchatov Institute (, National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute") is Russia's leading research and development institution in the field of nuclear power, nuclear energy. It is named after Igor Kurchatov and is located at 1 Kurchatov Sq ...

in January 1966, but after two days it was closed by the

KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

for being ideologically unacceptable. In 1977 Tselkov moved to Paris. Some time later, he bought a farm in the

Champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

region of France, 300 km from Paris. There he equipped a two-floor studio where he lived and worked.

Bibliography

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References

External links

Artworks on the artnet

Oleg Tselkov paintings were sold at Sotheby's for variable prices, since 6,600 GBP till 181,250 GBP depending on size and year of creation.
Tatyana Borodina on Oleg Tselkov exhibition
at ABA Gallery in Manhattan, New York, 2013. Details of Tselkov biography (on Russian).
VIDEO: Oleg Tselkov speak on the subject matter of his paintings
in Aktis Gallery, 2010. There are also some recognizable sculptures of master.
VIDEO from Tselkov exhibition in Moscow, Summer 2014.
The artist has told some of stories from his past and formulated his paintings philosophical conception. 1934 births 2021 deaths 20th-century Russian painters Russian male painters 21st-century Russian painters 21st-century Russian sculptors 20th-century Russian sculptors 20th-century Russian male artists Russian male sculptors Russian State Institute of Performing Arts alumni Belarusian State Academy of Arts alumni People from Krasnogorsky District, Moscow Oblast 21st-century Russian male artists {{Russia-painter-stub