The Russian Academy Of Arts

The Russian Academy of Arts, the Academy of Graphic Design, Artists’ Union of Russia, Moscow Artists’ Union and the Moscow International Biennale of Graphic Design “Golden Bee” – 9 present an exhibition of works by the Honored Artist of Russia, Winner of the State Prize of the Russian Federation Valery Akopov.

Valery Akopov graduated from the Moscow State University of Printing Arts in 1961. When a student he began working at the creative Workshop of Applied Graphic Art of the Graphic Art Center where tried their hands artists oriented to searches, renovation of the plastic language, adoption of new tendencies in the world graphic design. Due to his outstanding avant-garde works Valery Akopov became one of the leaders of Russian graphic design.

He was a member of the USSR Artists’ Union, the Designers’ Union of Russia. For many years Valery Akopov chaired a subsection of applied graphic art and was a Secretary of the Moscow Artists’ Union. Later he was the first among the artists of his generation to set up his own studio “Akopov Design” and after the establishment of the Academy of Graphic Design Akopov became its first President.

Since 1960 he has been an exhibitor in many shows in Russia and other countries, a member of the jury of a number of international and national exhibitions-competitions in graphic design including Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, New York, as well as Biennale of Posters in Moscow, St. Petersburg, International Biennale of graphic art “Golden Bee” and others.

In the activity of the Workshop of Applied Graphic Art have been organically combined some traditions of the Russian applied art with its decorativeness, wealth of textures and western design distinguished by its functional suitability. Team projects implemented in the Workshop have impressed the public by their innovations including a system of pictograms designed by Valery Akopov for the Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980, series of house styles for home foreign-trade organizations such as “Sudoimport” and “Prommashimport” that went down in the history of world design, design of the Soviet pavilions for international exhibitions, complexes of graphic works for the Bolshoi Theater, K. Stanislavsky and V. Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Musical Theater, design of various trade marks and many other things.

Drawings play a significant role in the artist’s creative work especially black and white graphic sheets which often have something in common with his early works. These are portraits, still lifes, landscapes.

Valery Akopov is actively involved in teaching being a Professor of the Chair of Communicative Design at S. Stroganov Moscow State University of Arts and Industry, as well as a teacher of the Higher Academic School of Graphic Design.

He has been honored with many awards, diplomas, first prizes, gold medals, Grand Prix of the international exhibition in Brno, Czech Republic.

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