Gagosian is pleased to present its inaugural exhibition in Moscow of major works by today’s leading artists.
International contemporary art in Russia is a recent phenomenon, but interest in it is growing apace. The first Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art was held in 2005 and the World Fine and Contemporary Art Fairs have enjoyed several successful years. In Europe and the United States, ambitious Russian collectors are making an impact on both primary and secondary art markets.
Given these converging factors, Gagosian and Prime Concept have taken the initiative to present an autonomous exhibition in Moscow of premium-quality paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, and exclusive limited-edition furniture by some of the world’s most renowned living artists, as well as rare masterpieces by seminal figures in twentieth-century art.
In this richly diverse exhibition, the senior vanguard sets standards as exacting as they are thrilling, from the visceral yet cerebral emanations of Cy Twombly and Richard Serra to the coolly ironic images of Edward Ruscha and Ilya and Emilia Kabakov. Contemporary painting is at its most vibrant and provocative with recent works by Cecily Brown, Glenn Brown, John Currin, Dexter Dalwood, Jenny Saville, Philip Taaffe, and Christopher Wool, among others, each with his or her own distinctive obsessions and highly refined techniques. Sculpture finds a fourth dimension in Tom Friedman’s work, where everyday materials and forms become complex and funny. Edgy conceptualists Douglas Gordon, Piotr Uklański, and Francesco Vezzoli work fluidly across many mediums including film, language, and installation. Also featured are major works by contemporary art world giants Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, and Richard Prince, as well as Neo-Pop art phenomenon Takashi Murakami. Limited-edition furniture—an increasingly sought-after category of contemporary artistic production—is represented in the highly crafted and engineered elegance of designer Marc Newson.