Ivan Godlevsky

Ivan Godlevsky (1908–1998) was a Leningrad-based painter who produced landscapes, portraits, and still lifes. His creative maturation coincided with the period known as Khrushchev’s “Thaw”. First taking shape in the early 1950s, Godlevsky’s distinctive painting manner relied heavily on the use of the expressive techniques practiced by early 20th century French artists such as Maurice Denis, Henri Matisse in his late period, Albert Marquet and Maurice Vlaminck. Godlevsky’s talent manifests itself most convincingly in his landscapes. He loved to paint the landscapes of Pskov and Crimea.

From 1938 to 1941, Godlevsky studied under Alexander Osmerkin in his personal studio at the Leningrad Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. The two artists were friends for many years after, sharing a fascination with the painterly tradition of French Impressionism.

In 1991, Ivan Godlevsky and his wife moved to France, the home of the art tradition that inspired him more than anything. The Godlevskys lived in Paris and near the commune of Le Pradet. During this time, exhibitions of Ivan Godlevsky’s paintings were held in France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Sweden and Italy. Paintings by Ivan Godlevsky can be found in the Russian Museum, the Museum of the Academy of Arts (St Petersburg), the Metropolitan (New York), National Museum of Japan, Galerie im Elysée (Hamburg), Galerie des Victoires (Paris), art museums in Penza, Pskov and Khabarovsk, and private collections in Russia, the UK, France and elsewhere.

The current exhibition showcases some 70 artworks by Ivan Godlevsky from the private collection of Vladimir Kaplunov. The artist’s graphic works are on show for the first time ever. The exhibition also includes Godlevsky’s painting The Neva, donated to the Russian Museum in 1994, and two paintings by Alexander Osmerkin, as a tribute to the friendship between mentor and pupil.