Ivan Korzhev

Dynasty

Ivan Korzhev belongs to a dynasty of famous artists and architects:

Moscow) – founder of the Korzhev dynasty, architect and land surveyor, engaged in searching routes for railways. He played the piano and cello, composed music, arranged family concerts and took up painting professionally. Pyotr Vasilyevich was a friend of Leo Tolstoy;

Korzhev Mikhail (1897-1986, Moscow) – Soviet avant-garde architect, founder of the Soviet landscape architecture;

grandfather- Korzhev Gely (1925-2012) – Soviet and Russian artist, painter, "severe style" representative, Honoured Artist of Russia, member of the Russian Academy of Arts;

grandmother- Korzheva Kira (1923-2007, Moscow) – Soviet and Russian artist, painter;

mother- Korzheva Irina (1953, Moscow) –Russian glass painter.

Education

Ivan Korzhev graduated from Moscow Art School in 1991. In 1996 he graduated from the Surikov Moscow State Academic Art Institute (Department of Sculpture). He has been a member of the Moscow Union of Artists since 1996. In 2008 Ivan Korzhev was awarded the title of Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation.

Along with sculpture, Ivan Korzhev has been actively engaged in architecture. An architecture and design corporation "Art Bureau XXI" headed by Korzhev, has carried out more than 250 projects including public buildings, private residences, parks, landscapes, interior décor, fountains, etc. Many of these projects won national and international architectural prizes.

Ivan Korzhev is a winner of a range of international Moscow festivals. For the reconstruction project of the former building of sewing factory (now a modern office center in Moscow) the sculptor was nominated for the first architecture award.

Even greater success Ivan Korzhev has reached as a sculptor. The artist has created more than 100 sculptures, a series of monumental images of famous people: “Genghis Khan”, “Alexander the Great”, “Gautama Buddha”, “Yemelyan Pugachev“, «Ida Rubinstein“, “Marcus Aurelius“, “Boethius Severin“, “Nikolay Novikov “, etc.

In 2011 Ivan Korzhev’s sculptures of ancient muses Erato and Terpsichore for the central façade of the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Russia (Bolshoi Theatre) capped a long-term work on the restoration of the main cultural attraction of the Russian capital. Sculptures by Ivan Korzhev replaced the earlier art works of P.Klodt and M. Rukavishnikov, which had decorated two central exedras of the Bolshoi Theatre.

More than 30 memorials and gravestones have been created by Ivan Korzhev. The sculptor took part in making the theme reliefs during the reconstruction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Korzhev is the author of the monument for the family grave of famous Russian industrialists and philanthropists the Stroganovs in Moscow, as well as of the monument to the outstanding Russian educator, journalist and public figure Nikolay Novikov, erected in 2012. In accordance with the Korzhev’s project there was a full reconstruction of the main square in front of the Museum of Maximilian Voloshin in 2013 in Koktebel (Crimea). It was finished with the formal opening of M. Voloshin monument.

Art Works

Ivan Korzhev has been formed as a sculptor due to the constant search of the category of beautiful, deep philosophical interpretation of reality, critical attitude towards himself and his art works. Hard work and experiments with genres, stylistics, plastic arts, shape and material are the skills of the artist. Despite the diversity of original techniques, his art works are full of adherence to classical art values. The features of his works show the conceptual realism to be the main trend of Korzhev’s art.

The sculptor follows the antique art canons in some of his works, borrowing archaic poetic images ("Zeus", "Sphinx of Taurida", etc.)

Familiar images, as a result of author’s interpretation, look quite different ("Dionysian festivals", "Expulsion from Paradise", etc.) An unsurpassed know-how of the artist is to treat traditional themes like starting points for searching answers to eternal questions. Here the author uses a wide range of modern art techniques like image framing, collage, syncretism, allegory, formalization, etc. ("Amazonomachia", "Moiras", "He and She", "A Couple", etc.)

In his Bible themes ("The Prodigal Son", "Judith", "Kiss of Judas", "Judas", "Pontius Pilate") the simplicity of image conveying and deep metaphoristic author’s view are combined into harmonious unity.

Dramatic effect together with features of the "severe style" and bold decorative decisions predominate in his series of historical images (“Gautama Buddha“, “Genghis Khan“, “Alexander the Great“, “Yemelyan Pugachev“, “Joan of Arc“, “Alexander Menshikov“, “Evpaty Kolovrat“, “Marcus Aurelius“, etc.) Historical images by Ivan Korzhev seem to be museum pieces only at first glance. Deeper knowledge of color, multiple textures and symbolism of his works reveal the deep dialectic relations of eternal and temporal, good and evil. That escalates the theme itself.

Korzhev’s art works concerning symbolic-allegorical themes ("Carnival", "Silence", etc.) and social criticism themes ("The Outcast", "Expectation of Expectations", “Investor”) were created in a certain modern manner. The symbol here becomes a concept, which can be interpreted depending on the viewer’s background. The author makes use of the phenomenon of "layer-by-layer perception", when a viewer can penetrate into the next layer, each time discovering something new.

Ivan Korzhev’s sense of “beautiful” and “beauty” itself lies deep under philosophical perception of reality. That allows Ivan Korzhev to retain his own creative freedom. Self-expression is not his goal. He is open to the useful criticism so that to stay true to life, to be delicately between “old” and “new” not sticking in old themes and styles. Ivan constantly broadens the boundaries of his art, enjoying each moment of life and keeping his eyes focused on everything new.

Exhibitions

2003 – Personal exhibition at the Museum of Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi (Vietnam).

2009 – Personal exhibition at the Central House of artists, Moscow.

2010 – ARTMANEGE 2010, Moscow.

2010 - 5th Anniversary Moscow International Art Festival "Traditions and Modernity".

2011 – Exhibition of Contemporary Sculpture in the South Urals "Creators of the Worlds", the city Satka.

2011- ARTMANEGE 2011, Moscow.

2012 – The State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg.

Gallery of works