Bibliography

Clayton Press, Georgy Frangulyan: Off-Modern. Milan: Skira editore, 2022

The release of the first important English language monograph written by Clayton Press and published by Skira marks a significant step in introducing Frangulyan's unique artistic perspective to a broader global audience. This volume is the first to consider the artist’s life and career within the context of Social Realism, the Cold War and the international avant-garde.

From a review of Alison Pearlman, a Los Angeles–based art historian and cultural critic:

“Anyone interested in the history of modern art, cultural modernism, and contemporary art; Russian history of the Soviet and post-Soviet eras; or the story of an astonishingly skilled and imaginative artist who combined cultural traditions; and anyone in search of a gorgeous and amply illustrated book to present as a fine gift to such a person will find what they're looking for in it.”

“As the book points out, the lack of dialogue between the Soviet art world and the West that persisted from the 1960s through the 1980s led to blind spots with regard to Russian art history on the part of Western art historians and a tendency to frame contemporary Russian art misleadingly by Western anti-establishment narratives. Meanwhile, the book also shows significant points of contact between Soviet artists and Western modernism that contributed to the development of post-Soviet as well as Soviet modern art.”

“The case of Georgy Frangulyan--a Russian citizen of Armenian heritage via Georgia, educated in Russian schools, with a career spanning Soviet and post-Soviet eras--allows us to understand the broader sweep of Russian artists' combination of varied cultural influences and calibration of those depending on the type of commission. At the same time, the case of Frangulyan stands out as extraordinary due to his privileged upbringing, prolific production, magnificent stylistic range, and technical virtuosity--most dazzlingly on display in large-scale, complex programs of public sculpture.

The book is full of terrific images that allow you to appreciate Frangulyan as both exemplary and extraordinary; while the text gives substantial, crucial insights into the broader contexts of Russian artistic education, patronage, politics, censorship, and periods of international interchange and isolation over the turns in Russian history that Frangulyan's career spans.”