22. Dmitri Plavinsky (Russian, 1937-2012) Panagia signé du monogramme et daté "73" (en haut à droite); signé en cyrillique et daté "73" (verso) techniques mixtes sur toile 35 x 50cm (13 3/4 x 19 11/16in). sans cadre signed with monogram and dated "73" (upper right); further signed in Cyrillic and dated "73" (verso) mixed media on canvas unframed Provenance Acquired by the present collector directly from the artist Private collection, Europe Exhibited Venice, La nuova arte sovietica. Una prospettiva non ufficiale a cura di Enrico Crispolti e Gabriella Moncada (Il Dissenso culturale [the Dissident Biennial]), 15 October - 17 November 1977, N2 (according to label on verso) Literature Exhibition catalogue, La Nuova Arte Sovietica, La Biennale di Venezia, 1977, p.220 listed Soviet underground art or 'non-conformism' is a movement that existed to oppose Social Realism – the official style of the Soviet state. Non-conformist artists looked to their historical, philosophical, religious, and national roots as well as to radical Western art. For these artists, the creation of art meant risking harassment, repression, loss of employment or even imprisonment as well as life under constant surveillance. The unofficial exhibitions that were aimed at increasing their visibility were usually shut down by the hostile bureaucracy since their art didn't fulfil the ideals of Communism. Dissidents faced isolation and almost always financial sacrifice. Mostly unknown to the general soviet public, dissident artists nonetheless gained appreciation and fame in the West, largely due to the Dissident Biennale in Venice in 1977 and the support of Western diplomats. When Carlo Ripa di Meana became President of the Venice Biennale, the artistic programme of the world-famous exhibition drastically changed. The Biennale became a politically and socially engaged place with cross-disciplinary programmes. The apogee of his presidency was the so-called Bienniale of Dissidents which was held from 15 October to 17 November, 1977 in Venice (1977 was a year between the main exhibitions) to mark the 60th anniversary of the October Revolution. Numerous events explored the phenomenon of Soviet dissidence as an alternative movement to state ideology. The exhibition was curated by the Italian curators Enrico Crispolti and Gabriella Moncada and the programme of the Biennale of Dissidents was varied and consisted of three exhibitions. Events featured a festival of Eastern European cinema, conferences, a retrospective of films by Sergei Parajanov, and the main hit, the exhibition New Soviet Art. An Unofficial Perspective, held at the Sports Palace near the Arsenale (Arsenal). Soviet art included the work of artists from the Lianozovsky group to Sots Art, metaphysicians, and abstract artists. A total of 90 artists participated in the exhibition. The Dissidents' Bienniale was unusual not only because of its political status but also because of its curatorial programme. To show as much unofficial art as possible, curators presented not only the works themselves but also photographs of the works that remained in the USSR. The exhibition caused so much controversy that President Meana had to temporarily leave his post. Severe criticism towards the initiative originated from communist politicians and its opposition as well as cultural intellectuals circulated in the media for months. If the reaction of the Soviet State was simply negative, the Italian feedback was ambiguous. The event prompted various boycotts by both Italian politicians and the intelligentsia. Nevertheless, the Bienniale of Dissidents was an important event that constituted one of the very few cases of cultural representation of dissidence at an international level and that revealed the deep-rooted problems in contemporary politics.