You must register by 5pm on September 11, 2024 to attend this event.
Please join the Harriman Institute for the opening reception of the exhibit Tatiana Levitskaia, Selections from the Kolodzei Art Foundation.
This exhibition features a selection of works on paper and paintings by the prominent nonconformist artist Tatiana Levitskaia (b. 1944 in Kyiv, Ukraine). It offers a glimpse into her creative process and celebrates her artistic journey. Levitskaia studied design at the Moscow Textile Institute. In 1969, Levitskaia met her future husband, artist Borukh (Boris Shteinberg,1938-2003). Drawn to experimental art, Tatiana and Borukh were part of Moscow’s lively artistic underground.
Tatiana Levitskaia became interested in experimental techniques early in her career. Their apartment was used as a gallery for exhibiting works by unofficial young artists. Her favorite medium was, and remains, enamel paint. As Levitskaia recalls: “My discovery of enamel paint was purely accidental, happening back in the early 1970s. While I was busy designing shop windows, the workshop next door was using enamel to paint structures. Initially drawn by the unique scent, I was soon offered some enamel to experiment with. This marked the beginning of my exploration with pouring, dripping, and drawing thin lines with the paint, even mixing it with other paints. From paper and canvas to wood, hardboard, and cardboard, the paint flowed freely, both horizontally and vertically, blending and leaving its mark as if guided by an unseen hand. I merely directed its path, and in doing so, extraordinary images emerged—landscapes, flowers, portraits, and even cosmic vistas. No other artistic technique has ever brought me such immense joy, each day revealing a whole new artistic reality. My fascination with enamel painting continues to this day.”
Levitskaia and Borukh took part in the important first unofficial art exhibitions, including The First Autumn Open-Air (The Bulldozer) Exhibition and the Second Open-Air Exhibition in Izmailovsky Park in 1974; and an exhibition at the Palace of Culture Pavilion at VDNkh, Moscow in 1975. These exhibitions were significant events in the history of nonconformist art, as they showcased the determination of artists to express themselves freely, even in the face of repression, thus helping to raise awareness of nonconformist art. Levitskaia’s two works, “Bulldozer” and “Subbotnik,” presented at the exhibition, are reminiscences of the Bulldozer exhibition: “Arriving at the appointed vacant lot in Belyaevo for our exhibition, Borukh and I carried our paintings only to witness chaos: bulldozers, water trucks, and trucks laden with trees careened about. A fight erupted, with people wrestling paintings from those who trampled and set them ablaze. We quickly decided to return our paintings to the car and assist those whose works were being confiscated and who were being arrested.”
Levitskaia participated in over 50 solo and group exhibitions in museums and galleries around the world. Her works are in many public collections.
