Naum Gabo: Why is the Artist Who Worked Abroad Important for Russian Art?

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the Naum Gabo’s heritage, which, in addition to the outstanding works of art and projects, includes several theoretical publications, as well as the artist's personal archive, namely diaries, autobiographical notes, and correspondence. In the article, there are examples and analysis of the artist's exhibitions in the UK, the United States, as well as a few exhibitions and other cultural events dedicated to the work of Naum Gabo in Russia. Based on the analysis of these events, the author concluded that the work of Naum Gabo is little studied and practically not represented in Russia, although even after emigrating from the country in 1922, the artist continued to identify himself as a Russian person and never lost his spiritual connection with the Motherland. Particular attention is paid to the exhibitions of Naum Gabo's works at the Tate St Ives gallery in Great Britain, as well as the activities of the Nikolai Roslavets and Naum Gabo International Festival of Contemporary Art in Bryansk. Also, the author described the history of the artist's life and work and cited excerpts from the Realist Manifesto by Naum Gabo, which later became a program document for constructivist artists, who marked the demise of Russian avant-garde art. The author summarized the information about the discrepancies in the artist's biographical data, namely, the birthplace of Naum Gabo. Based on all the collected materials, a conclusion is made about the importance of the personality and work of Naum Gabo in the context of world artistic processes, as well as the potential of using the artist's heritage in Russia in the museum and exhibition activities.