Vasiliy Sad
Encyclopedia
Vasiliy Sad is an established Ukrainian
abstract painter. He has been an active member of the so-called "apartment exhibitions" in Odessa
, which defended alternative forms of art against the Socialist Realism
endorsed by the Soviet Union
.
in Ukraine in 1948, Vasiliy Sad moved to Odessa
where he then graduated from the Grekov College of Arts in 1977. Shortly after his graduation he joined the "Mamai
" group, a collective of non-conformist abstract painters named after Ukraine's national hero. From the early 1970s, the members of the group took an active part in the dissident Odessa Group
. They displayed their art on the occasion of illegal "apartment exhibitions" in Odessa and Moscow, as they championed Soviet Nonconformist Art
in the Ukraine. Vasiliy Sad participated in these “apartment exhibitions” until the Perestroika
allowed a more widespread recognition of the underground art movement.
, the Museum of Modern Art, the Khmelnitsky Museum of Modern Ukrainian art, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Odessa Museum of Eastern and Western Art. He is also widely collected in the USA, Canada, UK, Italy, and Russia.
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
abstract painter. He has been an active member of the so-called "apartment exhibitions" in Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, which defended alternative forms of art against the Socialist Realism
Socialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of realistic art which was developed in the Soviet Union and became a dominant style in other communist countries. Socialist realism is a teleologically-oriented style having its purpose the furtherance of the goals of socialism and communism...
endorsed by the Soviet Union
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....
.
Early artistic career
Born in the Rivne oblastRivne Oblast
Rivne Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Rivne. The area of the region is 20,100 km²; its population is 1.2 million...
in Ukraine in 1948, Vasiliy Sad moved to Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
where he then graduated from the Grekov College of Arts in 1977. Shortly after his graduation he joined the "Mamai
Mamai
Mamai of Borjigin kin, was a powerful military commander of the Blue Horde in the 1370s which is now the Southern Ukrainian Steppes and the Crimean Peninsula....
" group, a collective of non-conformist abstract painters named after Ukraine's national hero. From the early 1970s, the members of the group took an active part in the dissident Odessa Group
Odessa Group
The Odessa Group of exiled and dissident artists take their name from the Ukrainian city of Odessa.They are:*Valentin Altanietz *Andrey Antoniuk*Alexander Anufriev*Valery Basanietz*Valentin Khrushch*Michail Kowalski*Ruslan Makoev...
. They displayed their art on the occasion of illegal "apartment exhibitions" in Odessa and Moscow, as they championed Soviet Nonconformist Art
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...
in the Ukraine. Vasiliy Sad participated in these “apartment exhibitions” until the Perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
allowed a more widespread recognition of the underground art movement.
Recognition
Influenced by the French impressionists, Vasiliy Sad’s early work is figurative. However, the 1980s mark a distinctive evolution in the artist's practice as he moves toward pure abstraction. The artist therein finds his unique voice. He produces vibrant layered compositions on canvas which express his strong interest in colours and texture and show his admiration of traditional Carpathian craftsmanship. Most recently, he experimented with metal. Vasiliy Sad has exhibited extensively in Ukraine's leading museums as well as internationally. He continues developing his practice in Odessa where he currently works and lives.Collections
The artist has works in the collections of the National Art Museum of UkraineNational Art Museum of Ukraine
The National Art Museum of Ukraine is a museum dedicated to Ukrainian art in Kiev, Ukraine.-Architecture:Constructed in 1898, by architect Vladislav Gorodetsky, the building was originally designed as the museum for the local society of patrons of arts and antique lovers...
, the Museum of Modern Art, the Khmelnitsky Museum of Modern Ukrainian art, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Odessa Museum of Eastern and Western Art. He is also widely collected in the USA, Canada, UK, Italy, and Russia.