Rakhim Akhmedov

Academy of Art of Uzbekistan, Tashkent 
Private Collection, Istanbul (acquired directly from the above in 1992)
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 2012

Tashkent, Academy of Art of Uzbekistan, Rakhim Akhmedov, 1992

People’s Artist and Academician of the Uzbekistan Academy of Fine Art, Professor Rakhim Akhmedov started his career in the arts in the early 1950s, a particularly significant decade for the Uzbek visual arts. The acquisition and development of skills by the previous generation, followed by an influx of new talent, allowed for a strong increase in creation potential and an expansion of genres and subjects. Furthermore, under the support of regional and Union-wide exhibitions, the visual arts had become engrained in national culture. Akhmedov was inspired by this optimism and became one of the most active participants of this movement. The artist was especially moved by the search for national identity and the desire to lay for foundations of a national artistic school. Despite being a student of Realist painting at the Ilya Repin Institute of Art and Architecture, Akhmedov consciously rejected ideological realism to focus instead on the idiosyncrasies of his national heritage.

Inspired by the 19^th century Russian painters known as the ‘Wanderers’, Akhmedov travelled widely exploring the variety across his country. Initially preferring portraiture, his work sought to trace the essence of local existence while also representing the historical elements of the Uzbek national character. Akhmedov’s work matured to a monumental scale in the 1970s.

The present work is particularly significant in Akhmedov’s practice. The figures were painted from live models, lending an individuality, drama and inner strength to each of these participants of the war. The portrait of Stalin on the wall reminds the viewer of the overarching ideology: “For the Motherland! For Stalin!”, while the sliced bread skilfully distracts our attention from the prevalent subject matter to a more domestic environment. The suggestive title, For Whom, raises the poignant question of who is to taste the bread and whether this might be their final opportunity to do so.

Throughout his career, Akhmedov produced portraits charged with the emotional experiences of his sitters. The gesticulation, pose and perspective of the present work of each full length figure is carefully calculated and reveals their psychological state. As such, the artist opens up the wider social realities of the period.

For Whom was included in the retrospective exhibition of Akhemdov’s work held in 1992 at the Uzbekistan Union of Artist’s Exhibition Hall. Attracting national and international attention through the exhibition, his works subsequently gained status as examples of classic Uzbek painting. The Prime Minister of Turkey visited the exhibition together with his delegation during a diplomatic mission commemorating the opening of the Turkish Embassy in Tashkent in April 1992, and the painting was acquired by a member of that delegation, later changing hands to a private Turkish collector. It is exhibited publicly here for the first time since.

Catalogue note written by Gayane Umerova, Senior Curator of Art Gallery of Uzbekistan.