artists
Ruslan Gudiev
Ruslan Gudiev is a prominent figure in contemporary abstract art, celebrated for his profound exploration of metaphysical dimensions through abstraction. Born in the mountainous village of Kobi in Georgia in 1944, Gudiev’s artistic sensibility was deeply influenced by the dramatic landscapes of the Caucasian mountains. His early artistic training began at the Tskhinvali Art School, followed by studies at the Leningrad Vera Mukhina Higher School of Art and Design.
Gudiev’s creative journey is multifaceted; alongside his career as a painter, he explored architecture, design, and music, performing as a guitarist and bassist in various jazz and pop bands. His return to painting in the mid-1980s marked a decisive shift toward Abstract Expressionism, where his canvases began to reflect the tectonic shifts of Perestroika-era Russia through large-scale, monumental compositions.
Gudiev’s work is distinguished by its exploration of abstract landscapes, cosmic forms, and urban environments. His signature series, including A Fragment of the Big Diagonal, Moon Landscape, and City by Night, reveal a dynamic interplay of light and shadow, structure and chaos—mirroring the artist’s philosophical meditations on space and temporality.
Gudiev’s creative journey is multifaceted; alongside his career as a painter, he explored architecture, design, and music, performing as a guitarist and bassist in various jazz and pop bands. His return to painting in the mid-1980s marked a decisive shift toward Abstract Expressionism, where his canvases began to reflect the tectonic shifts of Perestroika-era Russia through large-scale, monumental compositions.
Gudiev’s work is distinguished by its exploration of abstract landscapes, cosmic forms, and urban environments. His signature series, including A Fragment of the Big Diagonal, Moon Landscape, and City by Night, reveal a dynamic interplay of light and shadow, structure and chaos—mirroring the artist’s philosophical meditations on space and temporality.
Artistic Philosophy
For Gudiev, abstraction is not merely a visual expression but a metaphysical exploration of existence. His canvases act as metaphysical maps, tracing the pathways of thought and emotion as they ripple across the surface of consciousness. Influenced by the philosophies of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, and Camus, his work navigates existential questions through fluid forms and expressive brushwork.
His paintings are described as “environmental landscapes,” fragments of a vast cosmic tableau, where form and color transcend their physical boundaries. Gudiev’s layering technique, inspired by L’art Informel, reveals dimensions of chaos and order, evoking the sensation of floating through landscapes that defy conventional cartography. His fascination with architectural precision and cosmic vastness is evident in large-scale works like Dynamic City (2022) and City by Day (2021).
Selected Solo Exhibitions
• 2025: A Network of Raindrops, Nadya Kotova Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
• 2024: Evolving Aesthetic, RARARES Gallery, Dubai, UAE
• 2023: A Fragment of the Big Diagonal, Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMOMA), Moscow, Russia
• 2019: Eastern Bazaar, Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMOMA), Moscow, Russia
• 2011: Breakfast in Rublyovka, Galerie Mitte, Bremen, Germany
• 2000: Abstract Paintings, Gallery on Madison Avenue, New York, USA
• 1999: The OTHER: From Moscow Underground Art to Art for the Sake of Art, Grant Gallery, New York, USA
• 1990: Hermitage Gallery, Centre of Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia
Selected Group Exhibitions
• 2023: In Dialogue: Abstraction & Figuration, Visioner Gallery, New York
• 2021: Cosmoscow International Art Fair, WHO I AM Gallery, Moscow
• 2020: Untitled, Art Miami Beach, WHO I AM Gallery, Miami, USA
• 2019: Abstraction. Return to the Future, IMDR Gallery, Moscow
• 2003: Moscow Abstraction, The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
• 1993: Objectless Traditions in Russian Art, Museum of Painting and Sculpture, Ankara, Turkey
• 1991: Contemporary Artists to K. Malevich, The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Collections
Gudiev’s works are held in prestigious public and private collections, including:
• The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia
• Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMOMA), Moscow, Russia
• The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation
• The Consulate of the Republic of Chile, Moscow
• Walter Bischoff Galerie, Stuttgart, Germany
• The Grand Duchess of Luxemburg
• Andrey Cheglakov Private Collection
• Private Collections in the USA, UK, UAE, Germany, Switzerland, and Norway
Notable Works and Series
• A Fragment of the Big Diagonal (2023), MMOMA, Moscow
• Moon Landscape (1991), MMOMA, Moscow
• Dynamic City (2022)
• City by Night (2019)
• City by Day (2021)
• Spanish Motifs (2020)
• The Modern Icon (2020)
Critical Reception
Gudiev’s work has been praised for its profound philosophical introspection and its mastery of abstract language. His ability to capture the metaphysical tension between chaos and order has been likened to the works of Antonio Tàpies, Jean Dubuffet, and Alberto Burri, whose influences resonate in Gudiev’s textural explorations.
For Gudiev, abstraction is not merely a visual expression but a metaphysical exploration of existence. His canvases act as metaphysical maps, tracing the pathways of thought and emotion as they ripple across the surface of consciousness. Influenced by the philosophies of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, and Camus, his work navigates existential questions through fluid forms and expressive brushwork.
His paintings are described as “environmental landscapes,” fragments of a vast cosmic tableau, where form and color transcend their physical boundaries. Gudiev’s layering technique, inspired by L’art Informel, reveals dimensions of chaos and order, evoking the sensation of floating through landscapes that defy conventional cartography. His fascination with architectural precision and cosmic vastness is evident in large-scale works like Dynamic City (2022) and City by Day (2021).
Selected Solo Exhibitions
• 2025: A Network of Raindrops, Nadya Kotova Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
• 2024: Evolving Aesthetic, RARARES Gallery, Dubai, UAE
• 2023: A Fragment of the Big Diagonal, Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMOMA), Moscow, Russia
• 2019: Eastern Bazaar, Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMOMA), Moscow, Russia
• 2011: Breakfast in Rublyovka, Galerie Mitte, Bremen, Germany
• 2000: Abstract Paintings, Gallery on Madison Avenue, New York, USA
• 1999: The OTHER: From Moscow Underground Art to Art for the Sake of Art, Grant Gallery, New York, USA
• 1990: Hermitage Gallery, Centre of Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia
Selected Group Exhibitions
• 2023: In Dialogue: Abstraction & Figuration, Visioner Gallery, New York
• 2021: Cosmoscow International Art Fair, WHO I AM Gallery, Moscow
• 2020: Untitled, Art Miami Beach, WHO I AM Gallery, Miami, USA
• 2019: Abstraction. Return to the Future, IMDR Gallery, Moscow
• 2003: Moscow Abstraction, The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
• 1993: Objectless Traditions in Russian Art, Museum of Painting and Sculpture, Ankara, Turkey
• 1991: Contemporary Artists to K. Malevich, The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Collections
Gudiev’s works are held in prestigious public and private collections, including:
• The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia
• Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMOMA), Moscow, Russia
• The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation
• The Consulate of the Republic of Chile, Moscow
• Walter Bischoff Galerie, Stuttgart, Germany
• The Grand Duchess of Luxemburg
• Andrey Cheglakov Private Collection
• Private Collections in the USA, UK, UAE, Germany, Switzerland, and Norway
Notable Works and Series
• A Fragment of the Big Diagonal (2023), MMOMA, Moscow
• Moon Landscape (1991), MMOMA, Moscow
• Dynamic City (2022)
• City by Night (2019)
• City by Day (2021)
• Spanish Motifs (2020)
• The Modern Icon (2020)
Critical Reception
Gudiev’s work has been praised for its profound philosophical introspection and its mastery of abstract language. His ability to capture the metaphysical tension between chaos and order has been likened to the works of Antonio Tàpies, Jean Dubuffet, and Alberto Burri, whose influences resonate in Gudiev’s textural explorations.
Artist's works