Georgy Shishkin

Biography

Born in Ekaterinburg (then Sverdlovsk), Russia, son of a first violinist of the orchestra of the musical theatre, from the age of six, Shishkin began violin classes. As a child he showed an early passion for drawing, and by his tenth year he was enrolled a fine art school. During his youth, he was deeply influenced by the atmosphere at his great-grandparents’ house, steeped with authentic Russian traditions conserved during the Soviet regime.

Young Shishkin travelled to the many old cities in his country. With his easel, he visited monasteries and paid close attention to the icons and frescoes. In the Vladimir Cathedral, an ex-capital of Russia, he was struck by the works of Andrei Rublev, considered the first Russian painter.

He was a graduate of the Ural State Academy of Architecture and Arts in his home town, in 1975, then a trainee at the Stroganov Moscow State University of Arts and Industry. Georgy Shishkin was a professor of drawing and painting for about 10 years at this academy where he started as a trainee.

From 1974 he took part in professional art exhibitions, while remaining at home in Socialist Realism. In the same year, he won the national competition for young creators in Russia and participated in the Prestige Exposition in Moscow.

Experimentation with different techniques led him to favour pastel from 1980 and three years later he created his base preparation under the pastel.

In 1981, during his first personal exhibition, many of his paintings were acquired by the State Fine Arts Museum.

However, being multi-faceted, Georgy Shishkin made the interior decorations for the Ekaterinburg Opera Museum (1982–1985), with two large frescoes and a portrait gallery of the most famous soloists. The portrait of the ballet star Piotr Gusev was acquired by the Saint Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music.

At the same time, for nine years, the artist worked as an architect and several buildings were erected according to his plans.

In 1992, after travelling abroad, in Germany and the Netherlands, (from 1989), Georgy Shishkin, in a quest for his roots, began painting his “Russian Dreams” cycle of paintings. This cycle intended to express spiritual content by uniting abstraction and reality.

He was invited by the mayor of Saint Petersburq, Anatoly Sobchak, to show his works in the Russian State Museum.

As for the painting devoted to Chaliapin, it was presented to the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.

His arrival in France (1993) and in Monaco (1995) led to a meeting with “White Russians” and a new impulse for his cycle.

Lord Alistair McAlpine, after his visit to the Shishkin exhibition in Paris, wrote an article about him titled "Painter who captured the enigma of Russia" in The European Magazine (21–27 September 1995), noting the great mastery of the painter and high quality of his works.

In 1999, Shishkin won the Taylor Foundation Prize.

At Christie's, during an auction in the Principality, one of his paintings reached fourth place among works of famous artists like Arman, Botero, Folon or Matta (Le Figaro, 20 March 1999).

Living in Monaco since 1998, the artist has participated in many humanitarian and charitable activities.

Georgy Shishkin’s works are found in museums and private collections in many countries, notably in the Prince Palace in Monaco, in the collection of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, in the collections of Luciano Pavarotti, Lord Alistair McAlpine, brothers Lords David and Frederick Barklay. The artist has made two series of paintings for the Royal Palace of H.M. Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi.

Invited to design Monaco’s postage stamps in 2005, Shishkin won the competition for drawing the effigy in profile of H.R.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco.

In month May, 2009 in Monaco two postage stamps « Centenary of Ballets Russians of Diaghilev » went out, created by Georgy Shishkin. He received a congratulation from Mr Geoffrey Marsh, Director of Department of Theatre of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Personal exhibitions

Exhibitions de groupe

Works

Stamps of Monaco

Invited to design Monaco’s postage stamps in 2005, Shishkin (CHICHKINE) won the competition for drawing the effigy in profile of H.R.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Stamps of Russia

Publications

- "Gueorgui CHICHKINE/Georgy Shishkin" (fr./en.), peinture, graphique; Paris, 1995, avec une preface d'André Damien, membre de l'Institut de France, maire de Versalles, texte de Pierre-Marc Levergeois, écrivain, critique d'art.

- Alistair McAlpine "Painter who captured the enigma of Russia", London, "The European Magazine", 21–27 September 1995;

- Catalogue de l'exposition "XXIIème Prix International d’Art Contemporain de Monte-Carlo", 1998;

- Catalogue de l'exposition chez Christie’s de 12 peintres, Monaco, 1999;

- "WHO'S WHO IN INTERNATIONAL ART: les grands et nouveaux noms du Monde Artistique d'Aujo urd'hui" - International biographical art dictionary, 2000, p.: 36, 81, 94;

- Blandine Seigle "Les rêves pastel de Gueorgui Chichkine" (exposition au château-musée d'Auvers-sur-Oise), Le Parisien, November 2, 2000;

- "Gueorgui Chichkine au Grimaldi Forum", "Nice-Matin", Fevrier 19, 2006;

- Sophie Bastide "Gueorgui Chichkine"« Dis l'artiste, dessine-moi le timbre de tes rêves... », "L'Écho de la timbrologie", n° 1799, September 2006, p. 12-13;

- "1000 Russians painters", Ed. Bely Gorod, Moscow, 2006, p. 882;

- "Russian Art Guide";

- Catalog "Christie's Interiors", London, September 28, 2008;

- Victor Ignatov «The Season Russian to Cardin», «La Pensée Russe / РУССКАЯ МЫСЛЬ», Paris - London, № 17 (4744), May 1–7, 2009, p. 22;

- Victor Ignatov "Monte-Carlo and the Russian Ballets", «La Pensée Russe / РУССКАЯ МЫСЛЬ», Paris - London, № 21 (4748), 29 May - Juin 4, 2009, p. 24;

- T. Stojanov "Les "Ballets Russes" de Chichkine présentés au quai Antoine Ier", Nice-Matin (Monaco-Matin), October 19, 2009;

- The Year of Russia in France. Exhibition "Russian Dreams" of Georgy Shishkin in Paris, 2010;