Boris Chetkov (1926-2010)

Biography

Boris Aleksandrovich Chetkov (27 October 1926 — 6 September 2010) was a Soviet artist, a member of the Artists' Union of Russia, a founder of the Saint Petersburg wave of the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism. A friend of the founder of the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism, Ernst Fuchs, who himself was a follower of Salvador Dalí.

In 1967—1979, he was the chief glass artist at the Art glass factory named after the First Communist Volunteer Detachment (1st KDO) in Bolshaya Vishera (Novgorod Oblast).

In 1970–1990, Chetkov took part in a substantial number of art exhibitions both in the USSR and abroad. Personal exhibitions took place in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg (1973, 1979); at the Manege of St. Petersburg (1980, 1989, 1991); and in Finland (1991). His works received high appreciation at the Worldwide exhibition in Osaka and Sapporo (Japan, 1974–1975); Chetkov also participated in the art shows in France (1978, 1995), Austria, Germany (1978), the USA (1978, 1992), Australia (1989), and Venice (1994).

After quitting glass manufacturing, he was enthusiastically engaged in surrealistic painting and graphics. In 1994, during his journey to Vienna, he met Ernst Fuchs, the acknowledged leader of the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism. Fuchs exhibited appreciation for Chetkov's talent and mastery; he was captivated by his sense of color, and as a sign of his high appreciation, Fuchs gave his album "Fire Fox" a dedication. On the recommendation of Fuchs, Chetkov went to Venice, where his works were exhibited at the prestigious Alborelli Gallery.