Marat Gelman is a rather scandalous personality of the Russian art market. Each exhibition of this famous gallery owner is a clearly thought-out challenge to society and the state. Paintings at his exhibitions constantly cause a stir. Many criticize Gelman, believing that his activities are contrary to the canons of morality and morality. He himself does not think so, calling himself a free man, and continues his activities already in Montenegro. Marat Guelman is also an active oppositionist who criticizes the government.
This article will tell about his activities as a gallery owner, biography and family.
Biography
Marat Alexandrovich Gelman was born on the twenty-fourth of December 1960 in the capital of Moldova. His father is the author of dramatic works and screenwriter Alexander Gelman. In 1977 he graduated from school in Chisinau, in 1983 he received a diploma from the Institute of Communications (Moscow), becoming a certified engineer. In the same period, he worked as a machinist and theater worker in many famous Moscow theaters. As soon as the punishment for parasitism was lifted, he left his job to write books and engage in creative projects, to open his own business. Until 1986, he worked as an engineer in one of the institutions in Chisinau.
First exhibitions
In 1987, Gelman, who in his youthbecame interested in art, more modern, ventured to create the first gallery exhibition, showing the capital's artists in Chisinau. The exhibition was quite successful, including financially. Arriving in Moscow (to give the artists of the paintings the proceeds from the sale of their works), Gelman Marat decided to stay in the Russian capital, because he realized that there are more prospects for the development of galleries.
He started his professional life in art as a collector. However, being still inexperienced, he collected a rather unsuccessful first collection of works. He had to acquire knowledge on the implementation of works of art. The biography of Marat Gelman is significant in that he actually became the first art dealer in the Soviet Union.
In 1990, having received a foreign education in the field of contemporary art, he began to collect a collection of works by Ukrainian professional artists, which was the basis of the exhibition "Southern Russian Wave". The exhibition was held in 1992 and had a great resonance among the creative bohemians of the capital. Marat himself describes his path in art as a chain of random events, but this, according to the famous gallery owner, is, in fact, a more important guarantee of success than diligence.
Moving to Montenegro
In 2014 he changed his permanent place of residence. Gelman left for Montenegro to carry out cultural projects. The Marat Gelman Gallery in Montenegro has already become world famous. Since 2015Duckly European Art Community (abbreviation DEAC) is an arts residence here, created by three gallerists: Neil Emilfarb, Petar Cukovic and Marat Gelman.
At first, the residence worked exclusively by invitation. At this time, anyone can apply. As a result of the activities of artists in the gallery, various events are constantly held, which gradually changed the cultural status of the whole of Montenegro. Marat Guelman here develops his ideas of a postmodern society and continues to act as a political oppositionist.
Own art gallery
In 1990, on the advice of many art experts, Gelman opened one of the very first private post-modern galleries in Russia., d. 7; 2007-2012 - Center for Contemporary Art, Winery). However, all this time it was known exclusively as the Gelman Gallery.
What was exhibited at this venue?
The history of the contemporary art gallery is practically the history of the creative work of the artists of independent Russia. In different periods, almost all famous artists of the nineties and two thousandths collaborated with her - from the classics of the capital's conceptualism, social art and postmodernism to artistsPetersburg new wave, Moscow actionism, southern Russian wave and representatives of media art. Works of painters and photographers, architects and those artists who work with installations and new technologies were also exhibited.
The photo shows a work of contemporary art in the style of conceptualism (the trend is postmodernism).
Ukrainian art
In addition to Russian artists, Gelman exhibited works by Ukrainian masters in the gallery - from this he began his career as an organizer and gallery owner (exhibition "Southern Russian Wave", 1992). Ukrainian creativity has always occupied and occupies a worthy place in its exhibition halls. In 2002-2004, a branch of the Gelman Gallery operated in the capital of Ukraine, led by his friend and artist Alexander Roitburd.
International success
Besides this, in the early nineties Gelman actively promoted Russian art to the international market. On the one hand, he establishes business contacts with the leading galleries of New York so that the world art community gets acquainted with the works of various artists of the gallery of Marat Alexandrovich Gelman; on the other hand, it strives to demonstrate international celebrities in the Russian Federation - in particular, such important events for Moscow of those years were held in the gallery on Yakimanka, such as solo exhibitions of the most famous artist of the twentieth century - Andy Warhol (Alter Ego, 1994) and Joseph Beuys ("Leonardo's Diary", 1994).
Non-commercial exhibitions
Another important direction of the Gelman Gallery was the organization of large non-commercial exhibitions at external venues in the metropolitan area. Among the most famous are "Conversion" (House of Artists, 1993), "7th Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR" (Central House of Artists, 1993), "Wild Money" (Tretyakov Gallery, 2005), "Couples of changeable composition" ("Manezh", 1999), "Southern Russian Wave", "Nostalgia" (State Russian Museum, 2000, for the tenth anniversary of the Marat Gelman Gallery), "Russia" (Central House of Artists, 2005), "Peter's Modern Art" (Central House of Artists, 2005) and several others. These exhibition events were very popular and attracted the attention of the citizens.
From the first days of its work, the gallery took part in international exhibition events, festivals and fairs, including, already in the 2000s, in such well-known international festivals as FIAC (Paris) and ARCO (Madrid). In 1999, Gelman presented a project for the Russian site at the Biennale in Venice, Italy.
Gallery closing
In the spring of 2012, Marat Gelman, along with other major Russian gallery owners, announced the reformation of gallery activities. In the case of the Gelman site, this ended with its closure. The main reason for this decision Gelman called the reduction of the market for contemporary art in Russia, which he associated with the unstable political and financial situation in the state. The last event at the legendary exhibition site Gelman was the performance of the artist Alexei Kallima "Consider yourself lucky" (summer 2012).
Gelman is a political strategist
Gelman is also known as a political strategist. He is one of the authors of the Effective Policy Fund project. This Russian non-profit institution is engaged in the implementation of political actions and the creation of media projects, mainly the development of political Internet sites. The foundation held its first major campaigning campaigns for the Union of Right Forces party. The sources of funding for the fund are still unknown.
In the late nineties, during a period of various elections, the fund organized the publication on its websites of exit poll data (a survey of people leaving the voting places), which informally violated Russian law, but was formally legal due to the lack of legal regulation of the Internet in country.
Gelman was a member of the Public Chamber in 2009-2012, where he actively promoted his initiatives. At the moment, he is an ardent oppositionist who often criticizes the current government. He believes that the Russian government uses totalitarian and anti-democratic methods and deprives citizens of freedom, including freedom of speech.
Gelman's work in Perm
In 2008, under the patronage of Sergei Gordeev, who represented the Perm Territory in the Federation Council, Marat Gelman held in Perm a landmark exhibition for him, as a gallery owner, "Poor Russia", where the works of the most important Russian artists of modern Russia were shown - both very famous and young and unknown. The exhibition was held in the premises of the River Station - at that time the premises were not in use and were minimalrestored for display at the expense of Gordeev.
Fifty thousand people visited it in thirty days, after which, at the request of the city's residents, it was extended for another month. The exhibition "Poor Russia" (and its success both in Perm and in Russia) marked the beginning of a major cultural campaign "Perm is a cultural capital", within the framework of which the Perm Museum was opened in the same building, already completely renovated and with installed equipment contemporary art.
Marat Gelman headed the museum for several years. Already in 2009, Gelman's work was criticized by various Perm artists.
A well-known author and art critic Andrei Ivanov spoke about the fact that the museum eats up a huge amount of money, almost all the amounts from the budget for Perm culture, that ninety million rubles are allocated for the museum from the regional budget, and the Perm Art Gallery received only thirty million rubles. In his opinion, the capital's artists deliberately indicated the inflated cost of their projects and services provided. Actively protesting against the awarding of Marat Gelman with the Stroganov Prize, A. Ivanov announced that he was refusing this award, which he had been awarded three years earlier.
Conflict with church and officials
Exhibitions of the Museum of Modern Art caused disapproval of the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church. Gelman's exposition was opposed by representatives of the Stavropol branch of the church, in particular,Bishop, who in a special statement said that Gelman's art is not related to real culture and is aimed at inciting inter-religious and inter-ethnic contradictions. In 2012, Marat Gelman was unable to hold an exhibition in Novosibirsk - the local department of culture refused to provide a site for the exposition.
In the summer of 2013, after a series of scandals, Marat Gelman was fired from his post as head of the Perm Museum. The legal commentary on the decision to dismiss stated that the employer should not state the reason for this decision to dismiss.
Gallerist Gelman called censorship in art in the country by officials the main reason for dismissal. The reason for the dismissal of Marat Gelman from the post of head of the institution, according to journalists, was the personal exhibition of the artist Vasily Slonov from Krasnodar "Welcome Sochi 2014", which opened as part of the "White Nights" event and which was considered provocative.
Marat Gelman's family, wife
Gelman was married twice. He divorced his ex-wife, Yulia Radoshevetskaya, seven years ago, in this marriage he had two children. The ex-wife helped Gelman in gallery activities and even managed the exhibition complex.
Marat Gelman and his new fiancee Anastasia Borokhova officially became spouses in April 2015, they announced this on social networks. The marriage was registered at the Moscow Wedding Palace. The newly-made wife of the former head of the Perm Museum of Contemporary Art already had a child from him. newsthat his wife will soon become a mother for the second time, the future father shared with his subscribers on his Facebook page back in mid-spring 2015. The children of Marat Gelman and Anastasia (two sons) now live in Montenegro with them.
The couple already had a son, Egor, at the time of moving to Montenegro. The family of Marat Gelman in full force now lives in this country - so they decided and do not regret it. Gelman believes that totalitarian politics is returning to Russia again and regrets it.
