MAGIC REALISM: EXHIBITION OF THE PEOPLE’S ARTIST OF RUSSIA ZURAB TSERETELI IN TAGANROG

Dates: July 16 – August 29, 2021

Venue: Taganrog Art Museum (56 Alexandrovskaya street, Taganrog, Russia)

The Tagantog Art Museum and the Russian Academy of Arts present a solo exhibition of Zurab Tsereteli -  the world renowned sculptor, People’s Artist of Russia, President of the Russian Academy of Arts, Active Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (Austria), Member of the French Academy of Fine Arts (France) and San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Spain), Chevalier of the Order of the Legion of Honor (France), UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. The Magic Realism exhibition has been organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture of the Rostov Region.

The basis of Zurab Tsereteli’s art is his deep interest in a Human. All his work presents an endless story about human physical and spiritual life. For him there are no minor and ordinary models and humans, situations and incidents. He sees everywhere a character, emotion, special energetic impulses, magic of the event. The term “magic” has a connotation – “magnetic”. The man, his inner world and complicated spiritual life, individuality are the concepts of great importance for the master.   

The centerpieces of the exhibition are enamels that occupy a special place in the artist’s work. Zurab Tsereteli after many years of searches and experiments in the enamel technique has managed to create not only brilliant enamels of small dimensions, but also unparalleled in the world monumental enamel panels. The standard limited palette of pigments for enamels has obtained an infinite variety of colors and shades. Thanks to the master, the ancient chamber enamel technique has passed into the category of monumental art. It has also made it possible to synthesize different genres and techniques and execute enamels-reliefs, enamel panels in the technique of 3D painting, 3D objects in enamel.

Zurab Tsereteli’s  enamel panels are very rich in color and produce an enormous world of images. Besides still-lifes and landscapes, the master creates genre pictures depicting his favorite personalities and reminiscences of his childhood, these are rural and city dwellers, street musicians, football fans, fishermen and organ grinders, cheese makers and janitors, shoe makers, pilgrims. Amazing is the variety of topics: feasts and everyday life; landscapes and genre scenes; impressions from his trips to Georgia and many other countries, portraits of his friends and loved ones. The section of still-lifes looks the most colorful containing numerous flowers through which the artist tries to express the philosophy of his life and painting, here reigns the triumph of color, light, love, kindness and abundance.                                                                    




print version