Country Park Art Gallery

Evgeny Oks at Country Park

The artist’s works may be considered one of the treasures of Russian art of the first half of the 20th century. As a student of Dobuzhinsky and a true follower of Vlamink and Cezanne, Oks created a special style, but one that was sharply discordant with the official culture of the time. From the 1930s on, his name was heard more and more rarely, and the artist worked in secret for several decades. Oks was rediscovered only in the 1990s. 

The early works of Evgeny Oks were extremely prized. At an exhibition of the New Society of Artists (NSA) in 1924, the artist’s canvases hung next to paintings by Gluskin, Perutsky, Nurenberg, Popova and other outstanding masters of that period. In 1930, he was one of the first to join the Association of Artists of the Revolution. Oks’ literary activity developed at the same time through his friendship with Ilf and Petrov, Bagritsky and Olesha. His first poems were published in the Petrograd newspaper Zor, edited by Osip Brik. 

However, the totalitarian wheel turned. “Authors responding to the challenges of building socialism had leading roles,” says the artist’s daughter, Lyudmila Oks. “Cultural centers were destroyed, including the Museum of New Western Art, which had been so fond of by my father. Many brilliant artists who didn’t want to give in, including my father, went into the shadows.” One of the best of the rejected works was New Year’s 1932. An overcast sky hangs over a church converted into a “plant”; there are no crosses… This work clearly did not conform to the standards of official art. 

The exhibition continues until April 10. The official opening is March 15. 

The exhibits have been provided by the Russian Gallery on Vozdvizhenka.