Kirill Protopopov
Member of Union of Artists of the USSR (1984).
Member of Union of Artists of the Russian Federation (1992).
Protopopov was Born in 1959 in Moscow, former USSR.
Graduated from the Russian State Stroganov University of Industry and Applied Arts in 1982.
He is a successor of an artistic dynasty -- his father was a renowned sculptor A. V. Protopopov (1916-1961).
Creative development
Kirill Protopopov begun his journey in the art of making medals, and for many years was a member of the Moscow Club of Medalists. In 1991 he created a double-sided medal with the symbol of The Banner of Peace for the Nikolas Roerich Museum in New York.Protopopov claimed that the art of design helped him quit two-dimensional art forms and move to three-dimensional sculpture artwork.Since 1988 the artist has been using various materials such as ceramics, wood, metal and acrylic during his profound work inspired by The Old and The New Testament.His sculptures were first shown at the Mars Gallery in 1993, at the HAS Multicult Gallery in Frankfurt am Main and later in the Badisches Landesmuseum in Karlsruhe. The artist continued to create art collections: «People and Lions» (1993-1995), «Birds-of-paradise» (1996), «Objects from the sky» (1997), «Walkers through the Time» (1999-2000), «Rhine Angels» (2001-2002).
Art styles and techniques
Experts rank Kirill Protopopov's style as a "romantic direction of postmodernism".
Protopopov, as a postmodernism master, alludes to the art forms from different eras: the statics of ancient Eastern and African sculpture, the colorfulness of medieval barbaric decorations and exquisite pasticcios of art deco.
His creative style is distinguished by sleek, stream-lined shapes, smart forms, the finest work in tinted and polished bronze processing. The synthesis of ancient cultural heritage and modern civilization discoveries is one of his main characteristic features.
The sculptor uses kinetic elements and mixed color tonalities of bronze and stone, which symbolizes the circle of life and its eternal immutability in «City Guardians», «Sacred Animals» and «Walking Figures».Since 2004, the author has been creating sculptures from the thematic collection «People of the World». The focus of that collection is a personal struggle with matters of existence and eternal, universal values.Sculpture Department Staff Member of the State Tretyakov Gallery Natalya Rosenvasser commented on the artist:
«Everything he does in his art reflects the wonder of existence. Kirill Protopopov truly feels the influence of the earthly world; its static force but vibrating dynamics, its energy aura, all that makes the world timeless and eternal.»
Kirill Protopopov's artworks can be found:
Since 2000, the artist participates in charity auctions for children in need of American organizations «Operation smile» and «Diema’s Dream» with the support of Christie’s auction house.
His artworks are presented in museum collections:
The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.
The State Historical Museum, Moscow, Russia.
Nikolas Roerich Museum, New York, USA.Museum of the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoye Selo, Russia.
Post & Tele Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Medal Museum, Telšiai, Lithuania.
The works of Kirill Protopopov can be found in private collections of Russia, Germany, Canada, France, Sweden, Spain, Great Britain, New Zealand, the USA.
Major solo exhibitions:
1988 The Millennium of Russian Culture, Moscow, Russia.
1989 Eberle Gallery, Stuttgart, Germany.
1990 IX Biennale Internationale Dantesca, Ravenna, Italy.
1991 Nikolas Roerich Museum, New York, USA.
1993 MARS Gallery, Moscow, Russia.
1993 Badisches Landesmuseum, Karlsruhe, Germany.
1993 XAC Moclott Gallery, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
1994 «Russian Collection» part I MARS Gallery, Moscow, Russia.
1995 Gallery St. Eberhard, Stuttgart, Germany.
1995 California Museum of Art, Santa Rosa, USA.
1995 «Russian Collection» part II, MARS Gallery, Moscow, Russia.
1996 Russian Gallery on Vozdvizhenka, Moscow, Russia.
1996 Inter ART Manege 96', Moscow, Russia.
1996 Post & Tele Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark.
1997 Inter ART Manege 96', Moscow, Russia.
1998 Moscow Inter ART Salon, Moscow, Russia.
1998 EUROART 98', Barcelona, Spain.
1998 Pan Dan Gallery, Moscow, Russia.
1999 Moscow Inter ART, Moscow, Russia.
1999 EUROART 99', Geneva, Switzerland.
1999 Galerie D’ART Contemporani, Costa Brava, Spain.
2000 Moscow Inter ART, project: «CINEMA 2000», Moscow, Russia.
2000 RINGSPIEL Gallery, Hannover, Germany.
2000 WILL’S ART WAREHOUSE, London, the United Kingdom.
2001 Moscow Inter ART, project: «WORLD LAKE 2001», Moscow, Russia.
2002 Moscow Inter ART, Moscow, Russia.
2003 The 70 years of Moscow Union of Artists Manege, Moscow, Russia.
2003 Peter Batkin and operation smile-benefit auction of contemporary Russian art, Moscow, Russia.
2004 Charity Auction with the support of Sotheby’s Contemporary Russian art, Moscow, Russia.
2005 Historical charity exhibition in Tsarskoye Selo. Transferred the sculpture «Family» to the collection of the Museum of the Alexander Palace.
2005 Group exhibition, Noordeinde Gallery, The Hague, Netherlands.
2005 Moscow Inter ART Salon, Moscow, Russia.
2005 Hummer center, Moscow, Russia.
2006 Gala and Live Auction, Moscow, Russia.
2006 Diema’s Dream Foundation live auction, Moscow, Russia.
2006 Sculpture at Winter Garden. Moscow, Russia.
2006 Benefit Auction with the support of Christie’s contemporary Russian Art, Moscow, Russia.
2006 Voorwoord Holland Art Fair.
2006 Art fair Naarden, KUNST & ANTIEKWEEKEND NAARDEN VESTING, Narden, Netherlands.
2007 Art fair Naarden, KUNST & ANTIEKWEEKEND NAARDEN VESTING, Narden, Netherlands.
2007 PRIMAVERA, Rotterdam art fair, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
2008 Inter ART Manege 08', Moscow, Russia.
2008 Diema’s Dream auction, Moscow, Russia.
2008 Return of Treasure project, Tsarskoye Selo, Russia.
2008 ALEXANDER PALACE Return of the treasure, Tsarskoye Selo, Russia.
2009 Diema’s Dream Diema’s Dream auction, Moscow, Russia.
2010 Diema’s Dream Diema’s Dream auction, Moscow, Russia.
2010 3D Gallery solo exhibition, Moscow, Russia.
2010 Muzeon Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts. Bestaria: From Fantasy to Reality, Moscow, Russia.
2010 Inter ART Manezh 10', Moscow, Russia.
2011 Moscow Inter АРТ, project: «Artist and city», Moscow, Russia.
2011 Diema’s Dream auction sponsored by Christie’s, London, UK.
2012 Volkhonka Center of Fine Arts, Moscow, Russia.
2012 ARS LONGA College of Fine Arts, Moscow, Russia.
2012 80th anniversary of the Moscow Union of Artists, Manege, Moscow, Russia.
2012 Muzeon 100th anniversary of Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts. Music and form, Moscow, Russia.
2013 MUST ART Gallery, Moscow, Russia.
2014 JART Gallery, Moscow, Russia.
2014 Nikolas Roerich Museum, Moscow, Russia.
2015 «Burganov's House» museum. Art of sculpture: New format. Moscow, Russia.
2015 «From the Volga to the Danube» international project. Russian Academy of Arts, Moscow. Russia.
2015 ARS LONGA. Geology museum, Moscow, Russia.
2016 «Sculpture and Tapestry», Moscow, Russia.
2016 Moscow Inter ART, project: «People and Symbols», Moscow, Russia.
2016 «Signs and symbols» Open Club Gallery, The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.
2016 «Burganov's House» museum. Art of sculpture: Elements, Moscow, Russia.
2017 «Signs and symbols». Open Club Gallery, Moscow, Russia.
2017 ART Pampelonne, Saint-Tropez, France.
2017 85 years of MSH, Manege, Moscow, Russia.
2018 «Burganov's House» museum. New Romanticism, Moscow, Russia.
2019 «Burganov's House» museum. Modern sculpture, Moscow, Russia.
2020 «Burganov's House» museum. Art of sculpture, Moscow, Russia.
2020 «Stepan Erza and us», Moscow, Russia.
2021The State Darwin Museum, «Bestarium», Moscow, Russia.
2021 «Burganov's House» museum. Art of sculpture, Moscow, Russia.
2022 90 years of MSH, Manege, Moscow, Russia.
2022 «Burganov's House» museum. Art of sculpture, «Space and time», Moscow, Russia.
2022 MustArt Gallery, «Development», Moscow, Russia