The exhibition of sculptures and graphic works by Mikalai Kandratsieu (1925–2001) is dedicated to the artist’s 100th anniversary. Kandratsieu, veteran of the Great Patriotic War, sculptor and graphic artist, designed the memorials “Brytsalavichy” (Magiliou region) and “We’ll Always Wait for Those Who Died” in the village of Dory (Minsk region), as well as sculptural compositions “Children Playing” and “Motherhood” in Minsk.
Mikalai Kandratsieu belongs to a generation of artists who had to spend their youth fighting in the Great Patriotic War instead of going to university. The professional coming-of-age of these young people was delayed until after the war ended.
Mikalai Kandratsieu, who was born in Altai region, graduated from the Ilya Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture of the USSR Academy of Arts in Leningrad. He made a name for himself in Soviet Russian and Belarusian art of the second half of the 20th century.
The artist’s life and career were vivid and diverse: among his creations were not only sculptures and graphic works, but also poetry; another important aspect was social work. His life’s experience alone would’ve been enough for a hundred people. Kandratsieu’ works reflect his childhood impressions, war memories, views on life, personal philosophy, as well as the theme of good vs. evil. He travelled extensively through the USSR and abroad, bringing entire new series of new graphic works and sculptures back from his trips. Stone, metal, wood, clay, plaster – Mikalai Kandratsieu could master any sculpting medium he wished. Pastel, watercolour, pencil, sanguine, charcoal and oil – any new technique could pique his interest. Among the preferred genres were portraiture, historical painting, genre painting. Mikalai Kandratsieu was able to find inspiration in many things, and he always had something to say with his art.
The anniversary exhibition “Mikalai Kandratsieu. Story of a Life” at the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus showcases the artist’s progress from 1949 to 1997 – from a student of great promise to mature artist, revealing his key artistic pursuits in several stages. The exhibition presents sculptures from the collection of the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus, Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War, State Museum of the History of Belarusian Literature, Yakub Kolas State Memorial Museum of Literature, Belarusian Union of Artists and the Museum of the Minsk Tractor Plant, sculptures and graphic works from the collection of the artist’s family (his daughter, Natallia Kandratsieva), as well as photographs and documents from the family archive and the archive of the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus. The display is complemented by interior pieces from the collection of the Minsk History Museum and the artist’s family.
The exhibition will be open from 28 June to 17 August 2025 in the exhibition building of the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus (24 K. Marx St., 4th floor).
Exhibition curator: Anastasia Karneiko, senior researcher at the Department of Belarusian Art of the 20th–21st centuries, curator of the Belarusian Sculpture collection.
