Grisha Bruskin
Encyclopedia
Grisha Bruskin is a Russian Jewish painter, active until 1989 in the Soviet Union
, and since 1989 in the United States
.
Bruskin's Soviet-era work was nonconformist
and largely dealt with being Jewish in the Soviet Union. Many of his works reference Kabbalah
, though generally without putting forth any narrative interpretation. His 1982 painting In the Red Space attracted unfavorable attention from the authorities for depicting a golem
wearing a Soviet uniform, carrying a synagogue out of which people are falling, all against a red background. Subsequent exhibitions of his works in Vilnius
in 1983 and Moscow
in 1984 were closed by the authorities soon after they opened. As glasnost
eased official censorship, he gained significant attention when a painting dealing with the dominance of signs and symbols in Soviet society, Fundamental Lexicon (1986), sold at a 1988 Sotheby's
auction in Moscow for £
220,000. In 1989, he emigrated to the United States, where he became one of the more successful Russian-Jewish émigré artists.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and since 1989 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Bruskin's Soviet-era work was nonconformist
Soviet Nonconformist Art
The term Soviet Nonconformist Art refers to art produced in the former Soviet Union from 1953-1986 outside of the rubric of Socialist Realism...
and largely dealt with being Jewish in the Soviet Union. Many of his works reference Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
, though generally without putting forth any narrative interpretation. His 1982 painting In the Red Space attracted unfavorable attention from the authorities for depicting a golem
Golem
In Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material in Psalms and medieval writing....
wearing a Soviet uniform, carrying a synagogue out of which people are falling, all against a red background. Subsequent exhibitions of his works in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
in 1983 and Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in 1984 were closed by the authorities soon after they opened. As glasnost
Glasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
eased official censorship, he gained significant attention when a painting dealing with the dominance of signs and symbols in Soviet society, Fundamental Lexicon (1986), sold at a 1988 Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
auction in Moscow for £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
220,000. In 1989, he emigrated to the United States, where he became one of the more successful Russian-Jewish émigré artists.