Double portrait

Yuri Nikiforov is a unique figure for Russian art. He has been called "the last true stronghold of modernism" or "an abstract expressionist who relied on spontaneity." As is always the case with extraordinary people, no definition is exhaustive. Working with very specific materials (burnt boards, old mattresses, wire, cigarette butts, whitewash, dirt...), Nikiforov seemed to reinvent "poor art."

Text: Anna Matveeva