Vadim Sidur
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Vadim Abramovich Sidur (Russian: Вадим Абрамович Сидур; 28 January 1924 in Yekaterinoslav - 26 June 1986 Moscow) [1] was a famous Russian avant-garde sculptor and artist sometimes referred as the Soviet Henry Moore. Sidur is the creator of style named Grob-Art (Coffin-Art). Vadim Sidur also left a book of poetry named The Most Happy Autumn (Самая Счастливая Осень) and a memoir Monuments to the current state (Памятники Современному Состоянию).
[edit] Biography
Sidur was born to a Jewish family of Yekaterinoslav (currently Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine). In 1942 he was enlisted to the Red Army where he participated in the battles of the World War II near his home town. After been wounded in his jaw by a bullet he was discharged as a disabled veteran. Sidur abandoned his plans to study medicine and entered Stroganov Moscow State University of Arts and Industry in Moscow instead [2], where his teachers were G.I. Motovilov and S.L. Rabinovich. In 1957 he became a member of the Union of Artists of USSR[1].
During the early period he works on realistic ceramics sculpture. There were also such works as Heads of the Blinds, Portrait of Ernst Neizvestny cut out of rock [1] In 1950s Sidur's art deviated from the official cannon and completely abandoned it in 1959[2] developing his own art language.
In 1960s he produced the sculpture series of Monuments (Монументы), almost all are now indeed public monuments on the squares of Russia and the West. In that work and the connected series Disabled (Инвалиды) he was trying to concentrate the artistic form to a symbol, a sign or a formula[1].
Later he worked on his own philosophy centered around an artist, prophet of the future global catastrophes. An incarnation of this idea in art became his style of Grob-Art, that sidur saw as a new direction in art. In 1974 he worked on the book Monuments to the current state (Памятники Современному Состоянию) that he self-described as a myth. He also shot an underground moovie based on the book. He works on sculpture series Man and Woman, Motherhood. In 80ies just before his death he wrote a book of poetry named The Most Happy Autumn (Самая Счастливая Осень)[1].
Since 1960s Sidur's works became known in the West. Soon he becam famous. In Soviet Union his works were not exhibited since 1950s until his death with the exception of the one-day exhibition in the House of Writer in Moscow in 1968. After Sidur's death and with the onset of perestroika there was established Vadim Sidur's Museum (since 1995 named Moscow State Vadim Sidur's Museum) and the artistic inheritance of Sidure was recognized as the national treasure[1].
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f Sidur's biography Sidur Museum
- ^ a b Biography of Sidur on the Sidur.Net site
