Mikhail Odnoralov

Mikhail Nikolayevich Odnoralov / Levidov (Russian: Михаи́л Никола́евич Однора́лов / Леви́дов / Michael Odnoralov, 10 November 1944 – 22 January 2016) was a Russian nonconformist artist who was well known in Moscow in the 1970s. He spent the second half of his life in New York City.

Mikhail Odnoralov
Михаи́л Никола́евич Однора́лов
Born
Mikhail Nikolayevich Levidov

(1944-11-10)10 November 1944
Moscow, Soviet Union
Died22 January 2016(2016-01-22) (aged 71)
New York City, US
NationalityRussian
EducationRobert Falk private studio; Moscow Art School at Krasnaya Presnya; Russian State University for the Humanities
Known forPainter and curator
MovementExpressionism, Surrealism

Biography

In 1957, Odnoralov received early art lessons at Robert Falk's private studio, and from 1958 to 1960, he attended art school in Krasnaya Presnya, Moscow.

Odnoralov took part in the second Russian avant-garde movement. However, he was also a member of the USSR Union of Artists and showed his paintings at official exhibitions. From 1966 to 1979, his paintings were frequently exhibited at the Union of Moscow Artists.

His art studio was sometimes a gathering site for underground artists to plan their next collective show or to discuss one another's work,[1] and he was briefly detained for his role in the Bulldozer Exhibition in 1974. A couple weeks after his release, his paintings were displayed before crowds[2] in Izmaylovsky Park.[3]

The Soviet regime was suspicious of Odnoralov not mainly for the content of his paintings (although the Communist authorities did not like the icons depicted in his works, which clearly reflected Russian religious philosophy[4]), but for his uncensored social activity.[5] The KGB urged his neighbors to file complaints claiming that the guests at his studio disturbed them.

In 1980, Odnoralov emigrated from the USSR. He lived and worked on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He died on 22 January 2016 in New York City.[6][7]

Selected exhibitions

Further reading
  • Alexander Borovsky; Donald Kuspit; Solomon Volkov (2010). Mikhail Odnoralov. Retrospective : The State Russian Museum. Almanac, № 264 (in Russian). Saint Petersburg: State Russian Museum, Palace Editions. ISBN 9785933323105.
  • Другое искусство: Москва 1956—1976. В двух томах (in Russian). Vol. 1, 2. Moscow: Художественная галерея «Московская коллекция», СП «Интербук». 1991. pp. 81, 211, 217, 223, 233–235, 241, 242, 248, 251 (I), 22, 61, 135, 191 (II).

Museum collections

References
  1. Photo of the organizational meeting in Odnoralov's studio, Moscow, a day before the «First Fall Outdoor Exhibition», September 14, 1974 (Mikhail stands second right).
  2. Mikhail Odnoralov (center photo) shows viewers his paintings on «Second Fall Outdoor Art Show» Archived 2014-08-26 at the Wayback Machine in the Izmaylovsky Park, Moscow. September 29, 1974. Photograph V. Sychev.
  3. «Second Fall Outdoor Art Show», named «Russian Woodstock» for brave step to freedom (see the «TIME»; Monday, Oct. 14, 1974, Vol. 104, Issue 16, p. 76).
  4. In a recent lecture in front of an American audience Mikhail Odnoralov recalls how impressed him (and even inspired to study Pavel Florensky philosophic works) performances of outstanding pianist Maria Yudina, which Odnoralov lucky was perceived. VIDEO, 11 min. on YouTube
  5. «Другое искусство: Москва 1956—1976». Vol 1-2, Moscow, 1991, vol. I — p. 235: photo of Mikhail and his friends Painting exposition in Odnoralov's art studio.
  6. The message of artist's death was left on the Michael Odnoralov' Facebook-page: "Haia asked to let everyone know that Misha has peacefully passed away today at 8pm" January 22, 2016.
  7. Янкина, Светлана. (23 January 2016). "В США скончался художник-нонконформист Михаил Одноралов" (in Russian). The Art Newspaper Russia. Retrieved 2016-01-23.
  8. «The New Times» № 9, 2014 March, 24. Lev Rubinstein: "Art those years was a zone of aesthetic and social resistance. After the «Bulldozer Exhibition» 1974, followed outdoor and apartment shows were gathered huge crowds." (in russian)
  9. List of 122 Moscow artists and some photos on Tranzit.org.
  10. That Sunny weekend was documented by large count of photos.
  11. Odnoralov Returns For «Retrospection» by Alisa Ballard. The Moscow Times, Feb. 18, 2010.
  12. Interview apropos Mikhail Odnoralov «Retrospection»: Author the same and Alexander Borovsky (Head of the «Newest movements» department of the State Russian Museum, Saint Petersburg). VIDEO, in russian.
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