Lot 59: Valentin Vorobiev (Russian, born 1938) 'Taurus'

'Taurus'
signed in Latin (lower left); further signed and titled on verso in Cyrillic and dated '1975'
oil on canvas
73 x 92cm (28 3/4 x 36 1/4in).

Valentin Vorobiev is one of the leaders of Soviet unofficial art from the 1960s-1970s. In 1961, together with the writers Constantin Paustovsky and Boris Balter, Vorobiev organised the first unofficial art exhibition in Tarusa, where he exhibited the works of several Moscow artists. He was also one of the organisers and a participant in the eponymous Bulldozer and Izmailovo exhibitions. As early as the 1960s, Vorobiev had created his own expressive style, which in France later became known as Figuration libre. Vorobiev is also known as the founder of the French art movement Art-Cloche; as well as this, he initiated 'open studios', which became an annual event from the mid 80s onwards.