“Counterform 1959” oil on canvas by Valery Yurlov The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, will continue its series of one-person shows devoted to Soviet nonconformist artists with its presentation of “In the Search of an Absolute: Art of Valery Yurlov,” on view through June 3.
Yurlov stands out as one of the earliest proponents of analytical abstraction within Soviet nonconformist art and was among those brave artists who, as early as the 1950s, defied the harsh restrictions placed on artists by the Communist government.
The exhibition focuses on works from the late 1950s and 1960s, with a few later pieces from the artist.
However, in order to pursue his artistic journey, he chose to live in a self-imposed exile, away from any art community that might drag him into politics.
Yurlov was born in 1932 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, near the border with China, and studied at Moscow Polygraphic Institute, where he developed a lifelong search for an absolute, or a form, constructed in accordance with universal principles.
As early as 1959, Yurlov began experimenting with the concept of a para-form, or a pair of forms, which has significantly defined his artistic path.
Throughout his career, he has explored and continues to analyze the endless possibilities of para-forms and their interrelationships, ranging from harmony to conflict. Duality, the union of opposites that underlies the universe, constitutes the deeper meaning of Yurlov’s paintings, drawings and reliefs.
The exhibition was made possible by the Avenir Foundation Endowment Fund.
The public is invited to meet Yurlov, who is based in Moscow, during Art After Hours from 5-9 p.m. April 4.
In addition to a discussion with the artist, the evening will feature an exhibition tour of “In the Search of an Absolute” with Julia Tulovsky and a performance of contemporary Russian music by Mason Gross School of the Arts students.
The Zimmerli Art Museum is at 71 Hamilton St., New Brunswick, on the College Avenue campus.
Admission is $6 for adults; $5 for adults over 65; and free for museum members, Rutgers University students, faculty and staff (with ID), and children under 18. Admission is free on the first Sunday of every month. For more information, visit www.zimmerlimuseum.rutgers.edu.