Soviet artist Mikhail Anikeyev

Raftsman. 1965. Socialist realism Painting by Soviet artist Mikhail Anikeyev (14 March 1925 – 10 November 2011)

Soviet artist Mikhail Anikeyev (14 March 1925 – 10 November 2011) – Member of USSR Union of Artists (1952) and Honored Artist of RSFSR (1965). Noteworthy, the “World art encyclopedia of all time” (Leipzig, 1988) included the name of M. Anikeyev. Besides, he has academic degree of “Master of Contemporary Art” of Association of Peoples of the World. Veteran of World War II, he was a Commander of the Order of the Patriotic War I level.
Meanwhile, at the end of 1950-1960-ies he made a number of creative trips to Kazakhstan, the result of which has become a famous series “Virgin Lands”. A number of these paintings was published in a book of the same name. And the author of the book was Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. According to Brezhnev, works of MK Anikeyev most vividly reflected the era of development of virgin lands in the USSR. All-Union fame to the artist brought the works “In the name of the Revolution”, “For the power of the people”, “Komsomol in 1941”, “Morning in the virgin lands”, and “The busy harvest time.”

Reading, 1958. Painting by Soviet artist M. Anikeyev (14 March 1925 – 10 November 2011)

Born March 14, 1925 in the village of Nizovaya, Tambov region, Anikeyev spent his childhood in the city of Balashikha of Moscow region. After graduating from high school in 1942 he was drafted into the Red Army. In 1944 he graduated from the Ryazan officer mortar, machine-gun school, as deputy commander of the mortar company as part of the 2nd Ukrainian Front took part in the liberation of Romania, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. In 1943-1945 fought on the 2 Ukrainian Front in the post of deputy commander of the mortar company.

Demobilized in 1946, Anikeyev continued studying in the Kishinev Art School, from which he graduated in 1950 with honors. And the same year entered the State Art Institute of Surikov, from which he graduated with honors (1956). He studied at the workshop of SV Gerasimov, and diploma work was “In the name of the revolution. The arrest of the Provisional Government”.

The first personal exhibition of paintings by Mikhail Anikeyev took place in 1951 in Balashikha. And since that he became a permanent member of exhibitions of Soviet art (1962-2005). Mostly, exhibitions of the Union of Artists of the USSR, and solo exhibitions in galleries and museums of the USSR. In particular, Smolensk, Tambov, Krasnoyarsk, Balashikha, Astana, Moscow (1963, 1972, 1978, 2005, 2007: Central House of Artists, Union of Artists, Russian Gallery Art gallery Lesoreades), and Spain.

The creative legacy of Mikhail Korneyevich – more than 10 000 works of art: painting, drawing, watercolor, and monumental works. More than 700 works are in galleries, museums and private collections in Russia and abroad, including the State Tretyakov Gallery.

Soviet artist M. Anikeyev died on 10 November 2011, buried in St. Nicholas-Arkhangelsk cemetery of Balashikha of Moscow region.