The BIArt gallery of our Baltic International Academy has organised a fascinating, bright and informative exhibition. At the initiative of its curator, Valentin Danilenko, a member of the Artists’ Union of Latvia, a memorial exhibition dedicated to the outstanding artist-monumentalist Vladimir Kudoyar has been opened. The exhibition features his works and paintings by his friends and acquaintances. Among them are works by Artur Nikitin, Ivan Pustoshkin, Edgars Mikelsons, Valery Makovoy, Nikolai Krivoshein, Lyudmila Perets, Babken Stepanyan, Pavel Tyurin and other well-known Latvian artists.
-He was a truly talented and selfless person and artist, emphasised Valentin Danilenko, the exhibition’s organiser, at the opening of the exhibition. - Vladimir Kudoyar was one of the best graduates of the Janis Rozentals Art School, and already in his youth, he achieved fame for his work on the mural “Song Festival” in the building of Spilve Airport. It was well-deserved that he was entrusted with painting the upper tier of the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ. His murals can be found in other churches in Riga, and he also participated in the restoration of Dome Cathedral. He is the author of dozens of large and small paintings, several of which are presented in this exhibition.
Among them is a portrait of his wife, Valentina Kudoyar, in her youth. Despite her advanced age, she attended the opening of the exhibition. In her speech, the widow of the legendary artist said: “And the most important painting by my husband, Vladimir Kudoyar, is the park in Darzini, which bears his name. He dedicated three decades of his life to its creation”. He cleared the space for it with his own hands, planted over a hundred trees, laid the paving stones, and hired specialists and various equipment at his own expense. And today, the people of Riga are grateful to him”.
Artists Grigory Aleksikov, Dmitry Paramonov, Valery Makovoy, and other participants in the exhibition opening also expressed their gratitude to Vladimir Kudoyar. They agreed that he was a remarkable person and artist, and that the memory of him will live long in the hearts of not only his friends and students.
The exhibition at the BIArt gallery undoubtedly makes a worthy contribution to preserving this memory. It will run until the Christmas holidays and is located in the BIA academic building at 1/4 Valerijas Seiles Street. Admission is free during the working hours of the academy.
In the photos: Portrait of Vladimir Kudoyar. Valentin Danilenko and the artist’s widow, Valentina Kudoyar, at the exhibition opening. Works by Valentin Kudoyar.
Photos by Vladimir Starkov and Georgy Kozlov.
