NEW YORK, NY.- The Didier Aaron Gallery has announced the opening of ‘KOULBAK – paintings and drawings,’ an exhibition of nearly 50 works which is on view at its New York gallery. Didier Aaron has been exhibiting the works of Koulbak since 2013 and this is their fourth exhibition in New York of his paintings and drawings.
Victor Koulbak was born in 1946 in Moscow, where he studied at the Art School from 1958 until 1964. He then spent two years working as a draughtsman for various publishing houses. In 1966, he was admitted to the Polygraphic Institute of Moscow, where he studied for three years. He then continued to work as an illustrator to earn his living. Three exhibitions in which he tried to show his work were closed down within hours of their opening. In 1975, he left Russia and is presently living in France. His work has been shown in France, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Japan, Italy, England, Austria, Germany, Malta, Canada and the United States.
As a master of silverpoint and watercolor, Koulbak is highly praised in the 2019 guide to the medium, written by artists Susan Schwalb and Tom Mazzullo. They write that ‘Koulbak began working in metalpoint quite by accident when, during an artist’s block in Paris, he happened into an art supply store and reached for a book on a high shelf; it fell open on his head to a page with a silverpoint drawing. Intrigued, he began reading and going to museums to see original art. This experience changed his life, and now his precise drawings combined with watercolor, of portraits and animals, are prized by collectors worldwide.’
The artist’s recent silverpoints are on his specially made heavy-weight untrimmed paper that has become something of a Koulbak signature. Works such as Little Dog No. 2 and Marcella strike an exquisite balance between the watercolor and the silverpoint beneath. The current exhibition includes a group of still lives, both in oil and in silverpoint. Three large paintings show Koulbak exploring new themes and going in new directions. A large acrylic on canvas, St. Francis Preaching to the Fish, shows the artist referring back to early Netherlandish artists but with a very contemporary sense of humor and irony.
‘KOULBAK – paintings and drawings’ remains on view through January 7, 2022 and is open to the public every day. Reservations are not required but pleased be advised that face masks are encouraged when visiting the exhibition.
