Jeers, Cheers Greet Kandinsky Winner, Painter Beliayev-Guintovt
By John Varoli
Dec. 11 (Bloomberg) — Alexey Beliayev-Guintovt took Russia’s top contemporary-art award, the Kandinsky Prize, with a series of nationalist paintings “Motherland-Daughter,” winning 40,000 euros ($52,500) — and jeers from sections of the audience.
Beliayev-Guintovt’s detractors in the audience yelled and booed when his name was announced, calling him an ultra- nationalist, while his supporters cheered. Last year’s winner Anatoly Osmolovsky led the protest, screaming, “Disgrace!” for several minutes. Beliayev-Guintovt was shouted down when he tried to make his acceptance speech. Guests at last night’s ceremony included billionaires, such as Shalva Chigirinsky, an owner of Sibir Energy Plc, and Petr Aven, president of Alfa Bank.
“The problem is not just that the artist is ultra-right, but that he tries to make an artistic career on his political views,” said Marat Guelman, whose gallery M&J Guelman Gallery represents Osmolovsky. “This decision could hurt the prestige and influence of the Kandinsky Prize.”
The prize, in its second year and named after Russian abstract painter Wassily Kandinsky, aims to raise the profile of new art in Russia. It is sponsored by Art Chronika Foundation, Deutsche Bank AG and the Moscow-based holding company, IFD Kapital.