Eduard Steinberg (Russian, 1937-2012)

Eduard Steinberg was a Russian Non-Conformist artist, part of the second wave of Russian avant-garde. Steinberg grew up in Moscow and Tarusa, a small town just over 100 kilometres from Moscow. Specifically because of its location in relation to the capital, Tarusa became a vibrant community of artists, poets and scholars who opposed the Soviet regime. Eduard Steinberg never received a formal artistic education, however, his environment both social and natural in Tarusa played a very important role in the development of his artist self.

Steinberg rejected Socialist Realism and instead drew on the creative heritage of the avant-garde abstract artists of the early 20th century. His most important influence was Kazimir Malevich. To the suprematist repertoire of shapes, Steinberg adds the cross - an indicator of the spiritual component in his abstract compositions.