Exiled artist Oleg Tselkov returns to Russia for major exhibition

A solo exhibition by Oleg Tselkov will open at the Ekaterina Cultural Foundation in Moscow on Wednesday 4 June, marking the return home after more than 40 years in exile for the leading post-war Russian artist. Ace Of Diamonds features over 45 works from the artist dating from 1960 to 2011, with a number coming from private collections and galleries across the world. The exhibition’s name takes its inspiration from Jack Of Diamonds, the pioneering Russian avant-garde art group.

Paintings depicting distorted faces and masks which debuted in the 1960s have since come to define Tselkov’s work, with his latest exhibition showcasing a number of works making their public debut. Inspired both by the avant-garde as well as the likes of Van Gogh and Rembrandt, Tselkov’s radical take on established artistic traditions made him a key figure in the Soviet Nonconformist Art movement which emerged in the wake of Stalin’s death in the 1950s and 1960s.

With his artworks earning a reputation for provoking audiences, Tselkov was expelled from the Soviet Union and has lived in exile in Paris since the 1970s. His return to Moscow comes in the face of a number of cultural boycotts which have taken place in Russia in recent months, with many Russian and international artists protesting the government’s position on Ukraine.

The exhibition will run until 10 August.