Alexander Kosolapov

Private collection, Germany (acquired directly from the artist in 1990)

Thence by descent to the present owner

Alexander Kosolapov became fascinated with American Pop Art and Andy Warhol in particular when still living in Moscow. He knew that he would not be able to realize his own artistic vision within the confines of the Soviet ideological system, and therefore applied for an exit visa. He was granted permission to emigrate to Israel, yet drawn by the possibilities offered in America he settled in New York City instead, where he has been living and working since 1975. A leading representative of Sots Art, also referred to as Soviet Pop Art, Kosolapov combines images drawn from Soviet propaganda with those from American popular culture.

Executed in 1989, the present work is based on Andy Warhol’s iconic Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, with the portrait of Marilyn Monroe replaced with that of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union. Just as Marilyn came to symbolize the glamour of Hollywood of the post-war era and was the embodiment of the American Dream, Gorbachev became the face of a new era, both in Russia and abroad. While he remains a controversial figure in Russia and other ex-Soviet countries even after his recent death, in the West he is seen as one of the greatest statesmen of the 20^th century, having been instrumental in ending the Cold War. Like Marilyn Monroe, he came from a humble background.