Fedor Konyukhov. Paintings and graphics

The Moscow Museum of Modern Art presents an exhibition of artworks by Fedor Konyukhov, a well-known explorer and mariner. The exhibition consists mostly of graphics and paintings dating back from the 1970s to 2014.

Pictorial images of Konyukhov’s works took shape while the artist was busy carrying out his numerous travels. Heading for the North and South poles or climbing Everest, Konyukhov was nevertheless able to take notes and make sketches in pencil at -40 to -50 degrees Celsius (-40 to -58 degrees Fahrenheit). While onboard his yacht circumnavigating the globe, the explorer found time to work on new subjects for his future paintings. Having returned to Moscow on completion of his journeys, the artist would get down to producing etchings, lithographs and paintings that also make part of the exhibition.

Creating a unified image of nature and human being forms the foundation of Fedor Konyukhov’s artistic method. After spending five years in the Chukchi Peninsula, he created more than a hundred graphic sheets centered on the “Everyday Life of the Peoples of the North.” Most of the works were accomplished during the artist’s stay in “Chelyuskinskaya” and “Senezh,” the boarding houses for artists. Aside from painting in Russia, Konyukhov would also work in studios located in Switzerland, France, the U.K., the U.S.A. and Australia.

It is small wonder that the name of the artist rings a bell to many people. Khonyukhov is a renowned traveler and explorer. He is the first earthling to have visited the five poles of the globe i.e. the North geographic pole, the South geographic pole, the pole of relative inaccessibility in the Arctic Ocean, Everest (pole of altitude), and Cape Horn (pole of yachtsmen). Konuykhov is also the first Russian who managed to complete the “Seven Tops of the World” program. In other words, he succeeded in climbing the highest mountain tops of every continent of the world. However, he does not confine his interests to constant travels and voyages. In 1983, Konyukhov became a member of the USSR Union of Artists. He is also a member of the Moscow Union of Artists and Sculptors, and an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Arts.

The MMOMA exhibition on Gogolevsky Boulevard will display Konyukhov’s works dating to various years of the artist’s career. Itinerary charts of his lengthy travels are also an important part of the exhibition.