(Russian, b. 1960) Recognized master of miniature, painter Alexander Zakharov was born in 1960 in Moscow. In 1980, the artist graduated from the Moscow State Academic Art College. In 1982, Zakharov was admitted to the Artists’ Union of the USSR (Youth Section). In the late 1980s, Alexander Zakharov, having signed a contract with the Stuart Levy Gallery in New York, left for the USA. In the 1990s, Soho galleries regularly held his solo exhibitions. In 1998, Alexander Zakharov resumed his artistic and exhibition activities in Russia. One of the main themes of his work is the returning to his lost paradise of childhood with its phantasmagoric landscapes and tiny inhabitants — little pink bears, warlike Barbie dolls, crocodiles, winged Pegasus. Zakharov works as a painter and graphic artist, experimenting with lenticular printing, translating pictorial miniatures in 3D. The artist currently lives and works in Moscow, Berlin and New York.
“I believe that in every one of us lives a child, and my paintings are about what that child loves and accepts. In my works, I talk to him in the language he and I can understand. Even the size of my works - it's memories of childhood, where all the important things in life can fit in a pocket or under a pillow, so that you don’t have to part with them even for a minute. Every time, starting a little story in paint, I let go of everything that's "grown up", that bothers and nags me in real life. I travel to this reality, where good defeats bad, where life has a meaning, and cynicism doesn't have the last word; where we are never lonely and nobody can hurt us. These little characters open me to new beginnings, and however bad it is, it's still all good, even though often sad. I invite you, my viewers, to take a step into the world of childhood dreams and living toys, so that a little me can meet a childhood you, and, as peers, we will continue the journey together.” - Artist statement
