Arsen KURBANOV ✿

Arsen Kurbanov - Арсен Курбанов was born in 1969 in Makhachkala, republic of Dagestan, in the USSR. His mother and father were artists as is his brother. In 1988, Kurbanov completed his education at the Jamal Dagestan Art College, receiving a red diploma of scholastic excellence. He was immediately accepted into one of the most prestigious art academies in the world – the Repin Institute of the St. Petersburg Academy of Art. After graduating in 1994, Kurbanov exhibited his final artwork to the graduation committee and was accepted into the “Union of Russian Artists.” Kurbanov combines the techniques of the Old Masters (particularly Pieter de Hooch and Vermeer) with a contemporary, personal sense of imagery. Biblical and historical references appear alongside modern elements in his paintings, introducing a feeling of mystery. While Kurbanov’s portraits represent precise, almost photographic likenesses of his sitters, they are also created as compositions in their own right. Since graduation, Kurbanov has been painting in Russia and abroad. He has participated in Artists’ Union exhibitions in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Makhachkala. His work has also been exhibited in Germany, the United States, China, Holland, Norway and Finland. In 1997 he won the exhibition/competition My Russia…My World, at the United Nations information center in Moscow. Kurbanov currently lives in St. Petersburg and paints full time.