Evgeniy Monahov

Courtesy the artist and Art Renewal Center

Born in Moscow, Russia in 1974, Evgeniy Monahov demonstrated an early interest in painting despite having no other relatives involved in the arts. After receiving professional training from the Moscow Academic Art School and the Surikov Institute, Monahov attracted international attention in 2003, when an article in International Artist Magazine highlighted his highly original work. In 2004, Monahov participated in a large cultural event entitled “Russian Summer in Santa Fe” at Andreeva Gallery, which would lead to extensive media coverage of his paintings in the local press. In 2005, Monahov opened with his first solo show at this same gallery titled Scenes to the Southwest. Simultaneously, he began working with Galleries Bartoux in France, exhibiting his work from Paris to New York. In 2012, a large interview with Monahov was published by the Russian magazine Eclectic. That same year, he presented a solo exhibition at the Moscow-based gallery G8 titled Playing with Light. In 2013, he had another solo exhibition at G8 titled Pieces of Life. Monahov has also participated in notable group exhibitions around the world, from Spain to China. In 2019, his painting Girl with a Gun was included in the exhibition Figurativas at the MEAM Museum in Barcelona. This same work also won the Bouguereau Award and a Purchase Award at the Artists Renewal Center International Salon Competition in 2020/2021. Additionally, this painting will be illustrated in the Lunar Codex, a cultural archive of contemporary works launching on the Nova-C Lunar Lander to the Moon, to be preserved for posterity. Recently, Evgeniy Monahov has been recognized by the Art Renewal Center as an ARC Living Master (ARCLM), and his enigmatic paintings can be found in esteemed private and corporate collections around the world.

The Art Renewal Center (ARC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational foundation, founded in 1999, and dedicated to the appreciation and preservation of representational art and training techniques. ARC is the foremost and only vetting service for atelier and academy schools that focus on skill-based art methods, like those practiced by the Old Masters, while also incorporating modern day necessities, ensuring that the curriculum and quality of teacher and student’s work meet its strict standards to become ARC Approved™. The Art Renewal Center also holds the largest competition in the world dedicated to representational art, with its last competition receiving 5,000 entries from 83 countries and spanning six continents, with over 40 jurors, 11 categories, and over 180 awards and honorable mentions. Through partnerships with prestigious magazines, museums, and galleries, with live exhibitions and a strong online presence, the competition offers unique opportunities to representational artists around the globe. This past July, the 15th International ARC Salon Exhibition, which encompassed close to 100 works, debuted at Sotheby’s New York. A selection of 28 works from the show were auctioned in “Contemporary Realism: Important 21st Century Works,” hosted on sothebys.com. The show was extended through the holidays due to its popularity and high attendance rates. After the successful exhibition and sale at Sotheby’s New York, Sotheby’s is pleased to offer a selection of new works executed in a similar style in cooperation with the Art Renewal Center. 

Leading the revival of realism in the visual arts, the Art Renewal Center also hosts the largest online museum dedicated to representational art and includes works by Old Masters, 19th-century artists, 21st-century artists, as well as articles, letters, and other online resources. The ARC works with other like-minded organizations, artist groups, museums, schools, and publications, to provide a central news hub for the 21st Century Representational Art Movement.