Timur Novikov Russian artist. Date of Birth: 24.09.1958 Country: Russia

Biography of Timur Novikov

Timur Novikov was a Russian artist and the founder of the New Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. He was born on September 24, 1958, in Leningrad. At the age of seven, he began attending an art club at the House of Pioneers in the Dzerzhinsky District of Leningrad. In 1967, he participated in an exhibition of children's drawings in New Delhi.

In 1969, Timur's family moved to Novaya Zemlya, but they returned to Leningrad in 1972. In 1973, he entered the Club of Young Art Historians at the State Russian Museum and joined the Club of Young Art Lovers at the Hermitage in 1976. It was during this time that he started painting his first artworks. He also formed the ensemble "Monsters" with his friend Kotelnikov.

In 1977, Timur joined the art group "Letopis" and participated in his first apartment exhibition. In 1978, he curated his first project by renting a space in the former church of St. Cyril and Methodius, where he organized creative workshops. The opening of his apartment exhibition in the workshops on June 2, 1978, was dispersed by the police and turned into a street exhibition. In 1980, Timur opened the "ASSA" gallery in his communal apartment, which hosted the "I Biennale of Timur Novikov's Portraits." The gallery ceased to exist in 1987.

In 1982, Timur Novikov formed the group "New Artists," with the first members being E. Kozlov, I. Sotnikov, Khazanovich, Kotelnikov, and Guryanov. In 1983, he organized the avant-garde music group "New Composers" and collaborated with Sergei Kuryokhin's "Popular Mechanics" orchestra. He also worked as a stage designer for the band "Kino."

In 1985, he established the Academy of Various Arts. In 1987, Timur Novikov acted as an artist and actor in the film "ASSA." In December 1988, he opened the Free University, where he lectured at St. Petersburg State University and other institutes in the city. In 1990, he co-founded the journal "Kabinet" with Sergey Bugaev Africa, Irina Kuksenaitė, Olesya Turkina, and Viktor Mazin.

Timur Novikov faced a serious illness during a trip to New York in 1997, which resulted in him losing his vision. However, he continued to lead the New Academy after leaving the hospital. He also gave lectures at St. Petersburg State University and other institutes in the city. In 1998, he published the newspaper "Khudozhestvennaya Volia."

In 1999, Timur Novikov organized the festival of Petersburg Decadence called "Dark Nights" together with Marusya Klimova. On May 23, 2002, Timur Novikov passed away and was buried at Smolenskoye Cemetery in St. Petersburg.

Throughout his career, Timur Novikov had numerous solo exhibitions, including retrospectives of his works and thematic exhibitions. Some of his notable exhibitions took place at the State Hermitage Museum, the State Russian Museum, and international galleries in cities such as Moscow, Berlin, New York, and Amsterdam.