A joint project between ROSIZO and the Nizhny Novgorod State Art Museum introduces visitors to the various facets of Sergey Konenkov’s work, revealing him not only as a talented sculptor but also as a thinker, philosopher, visionary, and demiurge.

Sergey Timofeevich Konenkov (1874−1971) was arguably one of the most vibrant, eccentric, and outrageous Russian artists of the last century. He was called a modernist, an avant-garde artist, a socialist realist, and an artist of the Silver Age. He worked with bronze, plaster, marble, and wood, leaving behind over 800 sculptural compositions.

Konenkov titled his memoir My Century. He had every reason to do so: a long-lived artist who, at over 90 years of age, retained a tremendous creative spirit. Konenkov was no bystander to the significant milestones of the 20th century – he was an active participant in them, whether they concerned social history or art history.

With all the unique thematic and stylistic diversity of the Russian sculptor’s legacy, the project explores heroism, cosmogony, and prophecy. The sculptures on display are organized into three thematic clusters, consistent and interconnected in Konenkov's work: religion (from the messiah to the demon), power (leaders and heroes), and paganism (hedonism and the feminine).

Made from a variety of materials – marble, wood, plaster, and bronze – the exhibition pieces are selected from the collections of the State Russian Museum, the Smolensk State Museum-Reserve, the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Alexei Shchusev Museum of Architecture, the Nizhny Novgorod State Art Museum, and other cultural institutions and private collections. Among them are works such as The Prophet, Self-Portrait, The Demon, The Son of Man, Sailor from the Cruiser Gromoboy, and a design sketch for the main entrance to the Hexagon Pavilion for the 1923 All-Russian Agricultural and Handicraft-Industrial Exhibition in Moscow.

A fascinating part of the artist’s creative biography is his cosmogonic map paintings, which represent a complex combination of pictorial "symbols" and topographic elements, collectively capturing the balance of global forces. These unique conceptual mythologemes combine images, cosmological calculations, and biblical texts.

The work of exhibition curator Alla Esipovich-Roginskaya and the unique architectural design of Sergei Tchoban will highlight the importance of the priceless works by the outstanding Soviet sculptor.

Participants in the project include:

The State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum, the Alexei Shchusev State Research Museum of Architecture, the State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Nizhny Novgorod State Art Museum, the Smolensk State Museum-Reserve, the Serpukhov Museum of History and Art, the Sergey Konenkov Creative Workshop (Russian Academy of Arts), the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, the Manuscript Department of the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Photo and Film Research Department of the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Central State Archive of Film, Photo, and Sound Documents of St. Petersburg, the State Historical Museum, and the State Archives of the Russian Federation.


Text and photos: ROSIZO

A Sculptor for All Times

Sergey Konenkov titled his memoir My Century. He had every reason to do so: a long-lived man who, at over 90 years of age, retained a tremendous creative spirit. He experienced the history of the 20th century biographically and in other ways. He was not an observer – he was an active participant in events, whether they concerned social history or art history.

Konenkov’s 150th anniversary was widely celebrated by the Russian museum community. The artist’s legacy is so rich that each exhibition promises to uncover new aspects. We hope that this exhibition will also draw viewers' attention to certain aspects of Konenkov's work.

The exhibition, for the first time in such a large scale, presents cosmogonic paintings-maps, a complex combination of pictorial "symbols" and topographic elements, collectively capturing the balance of global forces.

His sculpture works are presented in three thematic blocks, consistent and interconnected in Konenkov's work: religion (from the messiah to the demon), power (leaders and heroes), and paganism (hedonism and femininity).

A textual description of the works, prepared by art historians Alla Vershinina, Pavel Belsky, and Andrei Gangan, will help you understand the ambiguous themes and images of Konenkov's sculptures.

Sergey Konenkov has always been considered an artist of beautiful clarity. And rightly so: he created many works of perfect form, classical poise, and Olympian calm. Today, another side of him is revealed: he was a contradictory, enigmatic, and passionate artist.

Alla Esipovich-Roginskaya