Bazilev, Nikolai

Nikolai Ivanovich Bazilev (1914-1988)

Nikolai Bazilev was born in Yuzovka, Ukraine in 1914 and studied at the Kyiv Art Institute from 1931-1940. He remained active in Kyiv, where he began exhibiting in 1946. Best known as a Social Realist, Bazilev was a graphic artist who painted on a monumental scale. His most important show was in 1949 in Moscow at the ‘All-Union Art Exhibition.’ Created by the USSR, the Union of Artists served USSR agendas by evoking nationalistic pride. These artists used realistic depictions of healthy Russians gleaming in their fruitful habitats. The Union itself functioned to improve artistic skill and excellence while financing creative endeavors like the All-Union Art Exhibition. Nikolai Bazilev died c. 1980 and is remembered today for his impressionistic scenes of Russian life.

Kyiv International Gallery owns a collection of Social Realist paintings, as well as some of Bazilev’s smaller oil paintings. Please contact the gallery for more information on his work.