The first retrospective exhibition of Eric Bulatov

September 19 - November 19, 2006

From 19 September to 19 November 2006 the first retrospective exhibition of Eric Bulatov was taking place at the State Tretyakov Gallery.

The leader of a famous avant-garde movement and a direct heir to the Moscow school of painting, Bulatov has created a type of festive conceptual painting balancing between text and imagination. In the latter half of 1970s when artistic culture had almost been rejected, Bulatov was one of the few painters who were trying to preserve the tradition of a large-scale philosophical art.

The exhibition presented all the most significant Bulatov's paintings, as well as works never displayed before – the earlier apprentice studies imitating R. Falk, abstract-surrealist and pop-art trends. Visitors were shown the famed art works – "Long Live KPSS", "Brezhnev's Portrait", also the present-day paintings some of which have Vsevolod Nekhrasov's poems added to them. The master’s works are currently scattered around world museums on the four continents, and for the first time were brought together at the exhibition in the Tretyakov Gallery.

For the exhibition a catalogue of complete works of the artist with biographical texts and Bulatov's own articles was published.

Apparently Bulatov's retrospective exhibition made quite an event in Moscow artistic life. It included more than 100 works of the artist – from 1960 - 1970 paintings up to the latest ones dating 1990 - 2005. More than 15 western museums and foundations participated in the project. The exhibition also displayed works from private collections in Russia, Europe and the USA, the greater part of which has never been exposed before.

The exhibition was organized under the auspices of the French Embassy in the Russian Federation.