Dimitry Gerrman

Dimitry Gerrman has developed his art utilizing the ever present energy of movement springing forth into two simultaneous directions: the search for order, and the chaotic destruction of order. He juxtaposes and interlocks rough and polished surfaces, geometric elements and rich textures, connecting chaos to harmony. His works breathe life, arousing keen emotional range.

Gerrman was born in 1955 in Gomel, Belarussia, USSR. He became interested in sculpture at a very early age. In 1970 he graduated from the sculpture department of the Glebov Art College in Minsk. At the age of 24, Gerrman moved to St. Petersburg and enrolled in the prestigious Mukhina Academy of Art and Architecture. He graduated in 1985 with a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Department of Monumental Sculpture.

Historically, St. Petersburg has had rich academic traditions and was considered as a cultural capital of Russia. The Mukhina Academy of Art, named after sculptor Vera Mukhina (1889 - 1953), was founded in 1879 by Baron Alexander Stieglitz, the prominent financier and philanthropist, and is seen as an active laboratory of recasting old traditions in a contemporary mold. Most of the time in the academy was devoted to the study of sculpting and drawing of the human body. Professor Valentina Rybalko, Gerrman's instructor, was a pupil of Alexander Matveev, who studied with Rodin. During his years at the Academy, Gerrman frequently visited the Hermitage Museum, where many works by Rodin were on display. Thus, in Gerrman's early works one can trace strong academic traditions based on Rodin's abstraction of form and expressionistic modeling. Later on he became inspired by the art of Henry Moore, Alexander Archipenko, Constantine Brancusi, and found further stimulus in primitive (Neolithic) art.

Gerrman belongs to a generation of nonconformist artists working at a time when styles not fitting the definition of Socialist Realism were banned in the former Soviet Union. During the Brezhnev era, artists faced tremendous difficulties in freedom of expression and self-realization. They had to fight for a place to work and for access to materials for their art. They were forbidden to openly organize exhibitions and show their work abroad. This is the context within which Dimitry Gerrman tried to express his artistic vision, never following the official path most other sculptors did simply in order to survive. It was indeed important for him to define himself through sculpture.

In 1990 Dimitry Gerrman arrived in the United States. Since then he received numerous commissions including a Lester Levy Humanitarian Award of which U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski became the first recipient. In 1994 Gerrman created the sculpture "Crying Violin" which became an International Elie Wiesel Holocaust Remembrance Award. It was presented to Steven Spielberg for his movie "Schindler's List." His sculptures "Circle of Time," 1999, (Beaux-Arts Building, New York) and "Reflection," 2000, (The State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg) reflect his philosophical point of view. Russian cultural heritage combined with classical tradition underlies his work. He constantly searches for self-expression by exploring variations on different themes and compositions, and by experimenting with plasticity of form and sense of rhythm.

Dimitry Gerrman's works can be found in many museums and private collections throughout the world: the United States, England, Canada, France, Israel, Brazil, Germany, Switzerland, and Japan.

"A human being in the process of creation comes closer to an understanding of Nature and his own duality," writes Dimitry Gerrman, "Art is the gateway to an unknown civilization. "

Natalia Kolodzei
Art Historian, curator

Selected Publications

Dimitry GERRMAN

PERSONAL BACKGROUND
Born in Belorussia in 1955. In 1980-85, attended Mukhina Academy of Art and Design Department of Monumental Sculpture. During the period of 1985 to 1988 worked on public art commissions, participated in national exhibitions throughout USSR. Immigrated to the United States in 1989. In 1995 became a member of the American National Sculpture Society.

EDUCATION
1980-85—Mukhina Academy of Art and Design, St. Petersburg, Master of Fine Arts
1970-74—Minsk State Art College, Bachelor of Fine Arts

EXHIBITIONS

2008 Moscow – New York = Parallel Play, Chelsea Art Museum New York, NY
2007 Toyamura International Sculpture Biennale Toyako Town, Japan
2007 "Poetry of Water in Russian Art", Palais Lumier Evian, France
2007 Brookgreen Gardens, Pawleys Island, South Carolina
2006 Thomas J. Walsh Art Gallery, Fairfield University Fairfield, CT
2005 "Collage in Russia XX Century”, The State Russian Museum St. Petersburg
2005 Museum of Contemporary Russian Art Jersey City, NJ
2003-2004 Chelsea Art Museum New York, NY
2003 Bergen Museum of Art & Science Paramus, NJ
2003-2004 Wally Findlay Galleries East Hampton, NY, Palm
Beach, FL, New York, NY
1998-2003 Grant Gallery Soho, New York
1999-2001 1100 Madison Galleria New York, NY
2000 Cortland Jessup Gallery Provincetown, MA
2000 Russian Consulate New York, NY
1997-2000 Powell Street Gallery San Francisco, CA
1997 Klim Fine Art Gallery Toronto, Canada
1997 Lumina Gallery Soho, New York
1996-2004 National Sculpture Society American Tower, NY
1996 Aaron Gallery Washington, D.C.
1996 Le De Gallery Boston, MA
1995 Gallery Lareuse Washington D.C.
1994 Watermark Gallery Baltimore, MD
1991 ZOA House New York, NY

AWARDS

2006 National Sculpture Society Award for a non-traditional sculpture.

MUSEUMS AND COLLECTIONS
Ministry of Culture of USSR, Moscow; Museum of Natural History in St. Petersburg, Zimmerli Art Museum of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, The State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, United States Senate, Kolodzei Art Foundation in Moscow and New York, Alexander Raydon Foundation in New York. Private Collections: Dr. Norton Dodge, Steven Spielberg, Evgeni Evtushenko, Ambassador Meir Rosenne, Mayor of Jerusalem Ehud Olmert, Senator Barbara Mikulski, Jennifer Lopez and other collections in United States, England, Canada, France, Israel, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Venezuela, Luxembourg, Russia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Taiwan, and China .