MINNEAPOLIS, MN.- The Museum of Russian Art (TMORA) is presenting Geometric Abstraction: Selections from the Kolodzei Art Foundation Collection. This remarkable exhibition uniquely focuses on geometric abstraction as a stylistic approach practiced, and indeed, preferred, by many outstanding artists for its limitless possibilities of visualization and mathematical mysticism of form.

Spanning several artistic generations, from Soviet-era underground artists to post Soviet and contemporary masters, the exhibition showcases works in a variety of media, including paintings, works on paper, photography, and sculpture. The unifying focus is the exploration of geometric abstraction, which served as a powerful means of artistic expression under the restrictions of the Soviet artistic establishment and has not lost its fascination in the post-Soviet period.

During the Soviet era, many of the featured artists operated outside the state sanctioned framework, using geometric abstraction as a way to challenge artistic conventions and assert their creative independence. These nonconformist works reveal how an art style could become a political stance of resistance. Post-Soviet works in the exhibition trace the development of geometric abstraction flourishing in new contexts and exploring the artistic potential of pure form. “Beginning from Malevich’s Black Square, the art of geometric abstraction has fascinated viewers with its enigmatic quality, with its mysticism of angles, circles, and lines. It lends itself to multiple interpretations and beckons the eye to solve its mysteries,” said TMORA Curator Dr. Maria Zavialova.

Among the illustrious names are the masters of Soviet unofficial art Lydia Masterkova (1927, Moscow– 2008, Saint-Laurent-sur-Othain, France), Maria Elkonina (1935, Moscow–2018, Moscow), Leonid Borisov (1943, Leningrad–2013, St. Petersburg), Leonid Lamm (1928, Moscow–2017, New York), Gennadii Zubkov (1940, Perm–2021, St. Petersburg), Francisco Infante-Arana (born 1943, Vasilievka, Saratov, Russia; lives and works in Moscow), alongside a new generation of contemporary artists continuing to redefine abstraction.

Drawn from the Kolodzei Art Foundation Collection—one of the most comprehensive collections of Russian and Eastern European contemporary art—this exhibition offers a unique opportunity to explore the diverse approaches to geometric abstraction across time and political contexts. From kinetic and cosmic philosophies to spiritual meditations and the reimagining of form, Geometric Abstraction showcases the enduring vitality and versatility of this influential artistic style.

For over a century, the geometric tradition in art has been an enduring source of inspiration for artists,” said Natalia Kolodzei, executive director and curator of the Kolodzei Art Foundation. “We are proud to present a selection of works from the Kolodzei Art Foundation collection featuring 25 artists that explore the profound impact of geometric art on the artistic and creative process.”

Participating artists include: Leonid Borisov, Sergei Bordachev, Borukh (Boris Shteinberg), Maria Elkonina, Natalia Elkonina, Anton Ginzburg, Nonna Goriunova, Francisco Infante-Arana, Mukhadin Kishev, Vyacheslav Koleichuk, Leonid Lamm, Valentina Lebedeva-Lesin, Lydia Masterkova, Mikhail Molochnikov, Alexander Ney, Slava Polishchuk, Andrei Proletsky, Igor Shelkovsky, Eduard Shteinberg, San San Kara (Alexander Karasev), Igor Snegur, Gennadii Sukhanov, Valerii Yurlov, Alexander Yulikov, Gennadii Zubkov

The exhibition is on view in the Mezzanine Gallery at TMORA through June 1, 2025.

The Kolodzei Art Foundation

The Kolodzei Art Foundation, a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit public foundation established in 1991, organizes art exhibitions in museums and cultural centers, often utilizing the considerable resources of the Kolodzei Collection of Russian and Eastern European Art. The collection was founded by Tatiana Kolodzei in Moscow in the 1960s and is continued today with her daughter, Natalia. It chronicles five decades of nonconformist and contemporary art from the Khrushchev Thaw to the present. The collection comprises over 7,000 works, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, videos, and new media, by more than 300 artists from Russia and the former Soviet Union. The Kolodzei Art Foundation also facilitates cultural exchanges, publishes books on art, and encourages a more diverse arts world.