Lydia Masterkova (Russian, 1927-2008)

Biography

Lydia Masterkova was one of the most important artists-women of non-conformist or unofficial art in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s. While her work is sometimes seen as associated with Abstract Expressionism, she was one of the first to develop a Metaphysical Abstraction, endowing abstract motifs with a sacred meaning. Her most recognisable form is a circle, often with a three- dimensional texture achieved through a mixed-media approach. Masterkova was part of the Lianozovo Group: a group of non-conformist artists founded in 1958 who worked in and near Lianozovo (a village near Moscow). The group included other artists such as Oscar Rabin and Vladimir Nemukhin. The collaboration between the practitioners of the various unofficial art forms like visual arts, poetry, literature and music was important in the creation of an atmosphere of creativity and political resistance among them. Together they published Samizdat books, journals, essays and organised exhibitions in private flats and outdoors, as they were excluded from exhibiting in dedicated gallery and museum spaces. Alongside other non-conformist artists, Lydia Masterkova participated in the Bulldozer Exhibition in 1974.

In 1975, Lydia Masterkova emigrated to France, where she remained for the rest of her life. Her works are represented in some of the most important collections of Modern and Contemporary Art including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, Zimmerli Art Museum, New Jersey, the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow and Tate, London. 

Available works

Please see below the selection of available original artworks by Lydia Masterkova.