Lot Essay
Alexander Kosolapov belongs to the group of artists responsible for the development of the Russian Pop Art movement, known as Sotsart. This artistic trend developed in the Soviet Union in the 1970s as a reaction to the academic doctrine of Social Realism and was further fuelled by the exposure of Soviet society to Western branding and consumerism in the late 1980s.
Kosolapov's use of iconic symbols of Soviet mass culture is reminiscent of Andy Warhol's treatment of American consumer culture. From 1985, Kosolapov used the image of black caviar, a clichéd symbol of excess, in his paintings. With a model sprawled over a can of caviar produced for export, Caviar girl is both humourous and arresting; the question it poses as provocative as its voluptuous nude.
Kosolapov's use of iconic symbols of Soviet mass culture is reminiscent of Andy Warhol's treatment of American consumer culture. From 1985, Kosolapov used the image of black caviar, a clichéd symbol of excess, in his paintings. With a model sprawled over a can of caviar produced for export, Caviar girl is both humourous and arresting; the question it poses as provocative as its voluptuous nude.