Valery Koshlyakov

Apart from some light surface dirt, the picture is clean and ready to hang. Held in a simple modern wooden frame. Unexamined out of frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

According to Koshlyakov, the inspiration for his art is historical. Russian and European monuments dominate his work and the intense damage suffered by the materials he employs, ripped, ruined and stained, is perhaps a comment on the inevitable fate of decay which awaits these historical landmarks.  The architectural landscape in the offered lot includes one of the 'Seven Sisters' or 'Vysotki' in Moscow, that were built under Stalin in an elaborate combination of Russian Baroque and Gothic styles.  The monochrome palette, the combined use of watercolours and pastels transform the magnificent piece of architecture into an illusion of a Romantic ruin.

 

Koshlyakov recalls how his father and grandfather would rip out reproductions of Rembrandts and other Old Master paintings from the magazine Ogonek to stick them on the wall of their Rostov flat. It would be reductive to view his contemporary pieces solely from a biographical viewpoint, yet there is an element of deficit and resourcefulness which permeates his work. His career began as a stage decorator in the poorly funded Theatre of Musical Comedy in Rostov-on-Don, where he was obliged to make use of materials that could be found on site, resulting in innovative compositions made from cardboard boxes and rubbish bags. Today he is renowned for his large scale paintings on cardboard, suspended from the ceiling and his drawings made with the tape on gallery walls.

 

Koshlyakov work has been widely exhibited in Europe as well as representing Russia at the Venice Bienniale in 2003.  A major retrospective of his work is being planned by the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, which recently acquired his work.