Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Alexander Kosolapov (Russian/American, b. 1943)
"Mickey Lenin Malevich"
Bronze sculpture and wood base ( inspired by Malevich Arkhitektons)
Provenance : Galerie Vallois
Expo sept/oct. 2010
Model Presented at the exhibition 'Alexander Kosolapov: Lenin and Coca-Cola' at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art. (29 Nov 2017/11 Feb 2018
Bronze with a golden brown patina, height 39 cm,H with “Malevich base” 132 cm
Signed "A. KOSOLAPOV" and numbered ? on the bronze base on the reverse, title provided by the artist
Condition: Bronze perfect, small dirt on the base
(certificate of authenticity provided)
N.B. Alexander Kosolapov's sculptures, paintings, and prints provoke harsh criticism, sometimes censorship, and often humor. His jokes are not partisan—they poke at both Russia and the United States. He appropriates imagery from Soviet history, pop culture, religion, and art history that he combines in often subversive ways. Taking a cue from Andy Warhol, Kosolapov delights in iconic symbols of American consumerist culture. For Kosolapov, these include Mickey Mouse, Marlboro, and Coca-Cola, images of which he links with political and religious figures central to Russian culture, including Stalin, Lenin, and Christ. He never forgets his place in the continuum of art history, often including some nod to artists who preceded him.
In Mickey-Lenin, the major players are obvious: Mickey Mouse and Vladimir Lenin, and the connotations come easily: East-West, Russia-United States, communism-capitalism, good-evil, and high-low. Kosolapov modeled the figure's body after statues of Lenin by the Soviet sculptor Nikolai Tomsky, and its pose is that of a classical Roman figure sculpted in the traditional medium of bronze. Kosolapov developed the idea for Mickey-Lenin shortly after immigrating to the United States in 1975. He found the discarded plastic head of a Mickey Mouse toy, took it home, and placed it atop a small sculpture of Lenin that he kept on his desk.
Kosolapov identifies with a movement known as Sots Art. Developed in Moscow in the 1970s by the art duo Komar and Melamid, Sots Art (an abbreviation of "socialist pop art") reacted against the conformist...
Category
Early 2000s American Modern Bronze Sculptures