Exhibition of Victor Tsigal at the Russian Academy of Arts: In Honor of the 100th Birth Anniversary of the Artist

March 29 – April 10, 2016  
Exhibition halls of the Russian Academy of Arts
21 Prechistenka street, Moscow

The Russian Academy of Arts presents an exhibition of works by the People’s Artist of Russia, Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts Victor Tsigal (1916-2005). A man of versatile creative interests Victor Efimovich Tsigal was a high-class professional who was successfully engaged in easel and book graphics, painting, decorative and applied arts.

Victor Tsigal was born in Odessa in 1916. In 1930 the family moved to Moscow. After finishing the Moscow Art College of the Year 1905, in 1938 he entered V. Surikov Moscow Art Institute. In 1943 he was recruited to the 10th Guards Urals Volunteer Tank Corps, was a war soldier, artist of the political department, participated in the Battle of Kursk, reached Poland and Berlin. His war drawings and portrait sketches have genuine historical authenticity. In 1946 he graduated fr om the Art Institute with a diploma – illustrations to Jack London’s book White Fang.    

Since 1947, Victor Tsigal travelled extensively in this country and abroad.  Of major interest are his graphic cycles dedicated to the nature and people of the Moscow region, Pushkin memorial places, Kolsky Peninsular, Dagestan, fishermen of Azerbaijan, circus artists. The artist is attracted by the originality and beauty of national cultures, uniqueness of national everyday life, organic ties between a man and nature. Koktebel was for him a constant source of inspiration where he worked and lived for many years.

Victor Tsigal is an author of numerous illustrations mostly to children’s books,  among them are books by S. Marshak, Y. Volchek, V. Mayakovsky, K. Paustovsky and many others.  The exhibition also features his works of  decorative and applied arts and original metal sculptures.

Victor Tsygal was a brilliant painter and it is a rare opportunity to see his genre compositions, portraits, landscapes distinguished by poeticism, compositional mastership and delicate color vision. A true intellectual, he was a person of  extraordinary charm. In 1996 there was published his book “Encounters on the Road”, wh ere he recalls and reflects on the twists and turns of his fate, meetings with a whole constellation of talented people. He wrote in his book: “We with my beloved Art have lived a long life. It has always been for me in the first place. All my life and the life of my family were built around or for the sake of Art. It has always been God for me”.  





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