Yuri Gorbachev_Catalog by Gallery Chang

Museum Collection

YURI GORBACHEV

Gallery Chang is pleased to announce a solo exhibition featuring the work of the internationally renowned Russian-American artist, Yuri Gorbachev. Drawing inspiration from his childhood memory in Russia, the radiant jewel tones of Byzantine art, and the intricate craftsmanship of Peter Carl Fabergé, a famous Russian goldsmith, Gorbachev creates vivid, richly textured paintings through the use of oil, gold, silver, and bronze.

Gorbachev’s work, characterized by the application of specially formulated lacquer and glazing techniques, reflects his classical training and expertise in ceramics acquired in Russia. Gorbachev, born in the Soviet Union in 1948, established a successful career as a ceramicist specializing in sculpture in his home country. His native region of Novgorod (Новгород) produced one of the foremost schools of icon paintings, established by Andrei Rublyov, who was a disciple of the renowned Byzantine artist Feofan the Greek. Gorbachev regards Rublyov as a major influence on his art, alongside Picasso, Rousseau, Kandinsky, and Malevich.

In 1991, upon arriving in the US, Gorbachev transitioned from ceramics to working with oil on canvas, making the beginning of the most prolific period of his career. Since then, Gorbachev has exhibited his work in nearly three hundred exhibitions worldwide. His works also have been widely collected by renowned international galleries and museums, including the Russian National Museum, the Louvre, the National Armenian Gallery, and the Clinton White House, among others.

Gorbachev’s global appearances have enabled him to extensively travel, particularly in Asia. The inspiration he gained from his trips to Asia has profoundly shaped his art-making, leading him to weave the cultural influences from his journeys and childhood memories into his canvas. In 1995, Gorbachev went to Bali, and the profound impact of this previously unfamiliar culture led him to incorporate Indonesian motifs, such as floral patterns, as a central element in his still-life series.

Gorbachev’s longing for his homeland also plays an important role in his art. In his landscapes series, Gorbachev channels this nostalgia into a vibrant kaleidoscope of Russian scenes. His works depict vivid visual imagery, including a racing troika (a type of Russian carriage) and buildings reminiscent of Moscow’s iconic St Basil’s Cathedral, against the backdrop of snowy, idyllic countryside. Sometimes Gorbachev blends a diverse array of visual tropes from still life and landscape series into one canvas, featuring wild animals, lush flora, and enigmatic figures carrying a symbol of the sun, moon, and star. His unique way of juxtaposing various cultural influences yields paintings that reinterpret both Asian and Russian myths, fairy tales, and landscapes, thereby opening up a realm of curiosity and imagination. Notably, Gorbachev’s art stands out for its ability to interweave diverse cultures and imagery, brought to life through vibrant colors, dynamic figures, and imagination.

YURI GORBACHEV

RUSSIA, 1948

“For the past twenty years Gorbachev has traveled extensively; his artistic development moved from his naive style to his most recent intricate works. He uses a sophisticated technique with precious metals like gold and copper along with specially formulated lacquers over oil on canvas; he never uses black in his palette, leading art critics to call his style “Positivism”.

In the last two years, he has developed a new technique, which highlights his paintings with enamel creating added texture and luster to his composition. The complex technique developed over two decades, using ceramic techniques on canvas is unique and inimitable.”

https://www.yurigorbachev.com/extended-biography

EDUCATION

1956 Studies at the Uglovka Public School

1964 Graduated from The Borvichi Ceramics Institude, in the Novgorod Oblast

1968 Graduated from The School of Journalism

1971-1974 Studies philosophy at the Leiningrad State University

1973-1977 Attends Odessa State Teachers College

MUSEUM AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

1990 New York Viewing Room, New York, NY

Red Square Gallery, London, England

1991 L’Univers Des Arts Gallery, Marseilles, France

1992 Golden Autumn Auction, Sotheby＊s Auction House, Fisher Island, Florida

Russian Tea Room, New York, NY

Ashawagh Hall, East Hampton, New York

International Fine Print Dealers Association Fair, The Park Avenue Armory, New York, NY

Heidi Neuhoff Gallery, New York, New York

1993 Mimi Ferzt Gallery, Hong Kong

Mimi Ferzt Gallery, The China Club, Charity Auction to benefit children with Downs Syndrome, Hong Kong

1994 Kenneth Raymond Gallery, Boca Raton, Florida

Kristal Gallery, SugarBush, Warren, Vermont

Michalski Galleries, Singapore; Manila, Philippines; Bangkok, Thailand, Perth, Australia; Taipei, Taiwan

China Club, Hong Kong

Caldwell Snyder Gallery, London, England

Miro Gallery, Berlin, Germany

1995 Financial Club, Jakarta, Indonesia, Indonesia

Koi Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia

Merck Finck & Company Bank, Berlin, Germany

Art Miami, Caldwell Snyder Fine Art, Miami Beach,Florida

Caldwell Snyder Fine Art, New York, New York

Hong Kong Art Fair, Caldwell Snyder Fine Art, Hong Kong

Merrill Chase Galleries, Chicago, Illinois

Wagner Gallery, Sydney, Australia

Kristal Gallery, Sugar Bush, Warren, Vermont

Miro Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic

Europa Art Gallery, West Bloomfield,Michigan

Galerie Adrienne, San Francisco, California

1996 Mimi Ferzt Gallery, Regent Hotel, Jakarta Indonesia

Gracie Lawrence Gallery, Delray Beach, Florida

Miro Gallery, Munich, Germany

Sierra Gallery, Lake Tahoe, California

Opus Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio

Europa Art Gallery, West Bloomfield, Michigan

Galerie Adrienne, San Francisco, California

1997 Ganesha Gallery, Four Seasons Resort, Bali, Indonesia

Wagner Gallery, Sydney, Australia

Caitlyn Gallery, St. Louis, Missouri

Fine Art Auction for National Children＊s Leukemia Foundation, Licoln Center, New York, NY

Gateway Gallery, Sugar Bush, Warren, Vermont

Merrill Chase Galleries, Chicago, Illinois

Gallery of Eastern Slovakia, Kosice, Slovakian Republic

Kristal Gallery, Sugar Bush, Warren, Vermont

Sotheby＊s, Singapore

1998 Ganesha Gallery, Four Seasons Resort, Bali, Indonesia

Gallery of the Four Seasons Hotel, Singapore

Emerald City Fine Art, Seattle, Washington

Gateway Gallery, Vail, Colorado

Aspen Grove Fine Art, Seattle, Washington

Bixler Gallery, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania

Merrill Chase Galleries, Chicago, Illinois

Douglas Gallery, Spokane, Washington

Galerie Adrienne, San Francisco, California

Kristal Gallery, Sugar Bush, Warren, Vermont

Caitlyn Gallery, St. Louis, Missouri

THE ART OF YURI GORBACHEV, Rizzoli International Publications, New Tork, New York

1999 Aksanat Gallery, New York, New York

Mimi Ferzt Gallery, New York, New York

Galerie Adrienne, San Francisco, California

Kristal Gallery, Sugar Bush, Warren, Vermont

Bixler Gallery, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania

Miro Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic

Ganesha Gallery, Four Seasons Resort, Bali, Indonesia

Caitlyn Gallery, St. Louis, Missouria

Douglas Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Powell Street Gallery, San Francisco, California

Hale Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Miro Gallery, with Marc Chagall, Prague, Czech Republic

Nassau Museum of Fine Arts, New York, New York

Woodstock Festival 99 Exhibition, Woodstock, New York

2000 Kristal Gallery, Sugar Bush, Warren, VErmont

Miro Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic

Ganesha Gallery, Four Seasons Resort, Bali, Indonesia

Caitlyn Gallery, St Louis, Missouri

Powell Street Gallery, San Francisco, California

Douglas Gallery, Spokane, Washington

Hale Gallery, Modesto, California

Miro-Zalman Gallery, Denver, Colorado

National Fine Art Museum, Ukraine

Odessa State Museum of Western and Oriental Art, Odessa, Ukraine

Chabot Gallery, Campbell, California

Greystone Gallery, Cambia, California

2001 Opera Gallery, New York, Paris, Singapore

Fine Art Liaisons, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Galleria Silecchia, Sarasota, Florida

Opus Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio

The Russian Federation of the United Nations, New York, New York

Douglas Gallery, Spokane, Washington State

The Russian Consulate, New York, New York

Ganesha Gallery, the Four Seasons Resort, Bali, Indonesia

Rima Fine Arts Scottsdale, Arizona

2002 The United Nations, the Human Rights Collection, New York, NY

Caitlyn Gallery, St Louis, Missouri

Douglas Gallery, Spokane, Washing State

Opera Gallery, New York, Paris Singapore

Rima Fine Arts, Scottsdale, Arizona

Miro Gallery, Prague, Slovak Republic, Vienna

Galleria Silecchia, Sarasota, Florida

World Cup Paintings exhibitions in Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka, Nagoya, Yokohama, Japan

Opus Gallery, ail, Colorado

Gateway Gallery, Vail, Colorado

Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Russia

2003 Opera Gallery, New York, Paris, Singapore

Wagner Gallery, Sydney Australia

Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand

Regent Hotel, Mauritius

Galleria Silecchia, Sarasota, Florida

Rima Fine Art Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona

Greystone Gallery, Cambria, California

Douglas Gallery, Spokane, Washington State

Devin Gallery, Coeur D’Alene, Idaho

Miro Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic

Masters Gallery, Denver, Colorado

Exhibits of “World Cup Icon” painting in major cities in Japan and Korea

MUSEUM AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

By Carey Goldberg

Yuri Gorbachev the other Gorbachev, the famous one’s strapping first cousin once removed produces upward of 100 oil paintings a year, traversing the globe from his base in Brooklyn and, most impressive of all, selling most of what he produces at an average of $5,000 apiece. A small sampling of his work is on display through Sept. 12 at the Vodka Bar, at 260 West Broadway at Sixth Avenue.

“Energy” is the word that makes its way most often into his conversation.

“I have to make people happy,” he said. “It sounds banal, but it’s energy, this positive energy, that frees people and has no pretensions.”

His girlfriend and business manager, Beatrice Booth, a sculptor, said that Mr. Gorbachev has a tendency to wake up at 4 A.M. wanting to talk. “He never sleeps,” she said. “His energy is unbelievable.”

It doesn’t hurt to have the same last name as the man who may have done more for world peace than anyone else in the century, but Yuri Gorbachev maintains that his last name is enough to open doors but not to sell paintings.

“People who buy my work don’t buy it for the name,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve been so lucky just because I’m a Gorbachev. I think even if I were named Semyonov, it would be the same.

“When other Russian artists ask me why they don’t have more success, I say: ‘Enough of this black negative energy. Americans don’t want that. People are tired of it. Why not do something original? Maybe someone will even buy something from you.’ “

That approach has worked for Yuri Gorbachev. Not only is he probably one of the jolliest Russians ever produced by that long-suffering land, but his paintings radiate that same joie de vivre, in rainbows of colors glowing amid lines of gold reminiscent of Russian Orthodox icons. His subjects include Russian winter landscapes and interiors with fruit and animals as well as mythological figures and overblown beauties of a plumpness still much appreciated in his homeland.

Mr. Gorbachev, 46, who calls himself a primitivist or naive artist, has had exhibits at the Louvre and has sold paintings to the likes of Marcello Mastroianni and Mikhail Baryshnikov. His pictures have been used in vodka advertising campaigns by Absolut and Stolichnaya, and his whimsical image of a vodka bottle in a scene of winter gaiety will be used in the Stolichnaya Christmas advertisements this year, he said. He is to have a major show in SoHo in December.

https://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/27/style/the-other-gorbachev.html