Zagrekov, Nikolay Aleksandrovich

Russian period

Born into the family of a Saratov lawyer, Aleksandr Nikolaevich Zagrekov (1870–1905), and his wife, Maria Petrovna, née Tokareva (1870–1936). Brother Boris and sister Natalya ^{[2] were} also brought up in the family.

He studied in Saratov in the Bogolyubov Drawing School in the class of F. M. Korneev (1914-1918) and in the Higher Free State Art Studios (SVOMAS) under A. E. Karev and Professor A. I. Savinov (1918-1921). Received in 1919 the title of scientist draftsman, he married the Volga German German Gertrude Haller, which turned out to be important for his future life ^[1] .

He continued his studies in Moscow at VHUTEMAS in the workshop of P. P. Konchalovsky and I. I. Mashkov , and here he received the basics of architectural education (1919-1921). At the end of 1921, he went to Germany to continue his studies with his wife. Stayed there for the rest of his life ^[1] .

German period

In Berlin in the years 1922-1925. studied at the Vocational School of Arts and Crafts (Gewerbeschule für kunst und Handwerk) under Professor Harold Bengen, then from 1925 to 1933. He taught in the same portrait painting and nude ^[1] .

The artist's heyday is at the end of the 1920s - the beginning of the 1930s. In the early 1920s, the artist signed his works Nikolai Sagrekoff , later he would change the signature to Nikolaus Sagrekow ^[2] . He participates in many art exhibitions in Berlin, Munich, Paris, Vienna; Exhibitor of the Prussian Academy of Arts, the Munich and Berlin Secession, the Union of Berlin Artists. The works of this period - “The Girl with the Reshing” (1929), “Labor Rhythm” ^[3] (1927) - have something in common with Soviet painting of the 1930s. ( Alexander Deineka , etc.) ^[4] .

In 1929, Zagrekov became a full member of the Union of Berlin Artists. In 1930, he exhibited the work "Labor Rhythm" in Charlottenburg Town Hall and presented this picture to the mayor of Berlin (the work died during the war).

In 1933, the artist was dismissed from college without giving reasons for the "cleaning staff" on a national basis. In 1934-1944 he taught at the private school of painting in Zimenstadt, headed by the artist Eugen Shpiro . After the forced emigration of Shpiro from Germany in 1937, he became the school director and managed it until 1944.

In the 1930s, he maintained contacts with his homeland, corresponded with his family, friends and mentors who remained in Russia. In 1936, he received news of the arrest of his brother Boris and the death of his mother, after which he ceased correspondence with his relatives in the USSR, fearing for their lives ^[1] .

From 1938 to 1944 Zagrekov was a member of the group of artists “Inselgruppe” ( Island Group ), who were not exhibited under Nazism. The group also included Karl Hofer , Max Pechstein , Ernst Frisch, Willy Ekel, and Albert Klatt ^[1] .

Post-war period

With the arrival of the Soviet Army in Berlin, the Soviet commandant's office was located in the house of the artist in the Spandau area; He received an order for the execution of 12 portraits of marshals , including G. K. Zhukov and K. K. Rokosovsky . After the division of Berlin, the district of Spandau with its inhabitants went to the western sector. In 1952, Zagrekov received German citizenship. In the same year, he became Deputy Chairman of the Union of Berlin Artists for many years and his honorary member ^[1] .

In 1960-1970, Zagrekov was a freelance artist, author of numerous portraits, landscapes, and still lifes. Created a number of portraits of prominent German political figures, including Friedrich Ebert , Gustav Stresemann , Willy Brandt , Walter Scheel ^[1] . In 1991, Zagrekov's last lifetime exhibition was held in Berlin.

Zagrekov was married three times (from 1919 to 1942 - to Gertrude Galler, from 1944 to 1946 - to Anna Maria Khan ^[5] , from 1948 to Rosa Duler, the artist's widow Bugle), but he had no children ^[1] .

The artist died on July 13, 1992 in his own home in Berlin at the age of 95. He was buried in the In-den-Kisseln cemetery in the Spandau district of Berlin ^[1] .

After the artist’s death, the Zagrekov Friends Society was created, and the house became the acting house-museum of the artist, which is a unique event for the Russian diaspora ^[1] .

From the mid-1930s, Zagrekov began to engage in architectural activities.

The most famous of his buildings, still preserved today, are:

• own house of the artist in Berlin in the Spandau area (Berlin-Spandau, Seegefelder Str., 216; 1930s). On the ground floor of the three-storyed mansion there is an art workshop and an art gallery. At the moment - the house-museum .
• The House of the Union of Berlin Artists on Lutzplatz (Lützowplatz, 9; 1945-1949) - Haus am Lützowplatz (Lützowplatz, 9; 1945-1949), almost destroyed during the Second World War. On the initiative of Zagrekov and under his leadership, the House of the Union was reconstructed and became a major cultural center of Berlin;
• Another significant architectural and urban planning work is the master plan and the construction of a residential block on ul. Glokenturmstrasse, 20-28 (Glockenturmstrasse, Berlin-Charlottenburg), implemented in 1958-1964. The quarter consists of 5 two-storey blocked houses such as townhouses. The quarter is completely preserved.

Unrealized projects:

• the project of the station Heerstraße (1939);
• 5 design options for our own art school in the Glockenturmstrasse area (1933, 1948, 1952, 1953, 1966);
• sketches of Charlottenburg Palace (1952) and Bellevue Palace in Berlin (1957);
• multi-family home on Lauterstraße (1954);
• production facilities in Glazover-Strasse (1959) ^[1] .

Zagrekov also participated in the architectural competition for the design of the German Museum in Munich (1927) and in the development of sketches of townhouses in Bildhauer (corner Fontzettserveg, 1956, reworked by another architect) ^[1] .

For many years the artist remained unknown at home. In the XXI century begins his return to Russia. In the fall of 2005, five works by Zagrekov were donated to the State Russian Museum (“Gert attacked. With a ball, Hanna.” (1930); “Portrait of the Wife” (early 1930s); “Peasant with a Scythe” (1927), the graphics - “The spear thrower at the Olympic Games” (1930s) and “Hanna with the ball” (1930). ^[6] Author's repetition of this picture is in the private collection of Shalva Breus .

Since 2004, the following Zagrekov's solo exhibitions have been held, as well as group exhibitions in the participation of his works:

• In 2004, as part of the Year of Culture of Germany in Russia - a retrospective exhibition "Nikolai Zagrekov: Return to Russia" , the State Tretyakov Gallery and the State Russian Museum ;
• 2005 - exhibition at the Museum of Russian Art (TMORA) ;
• 2006 - an exhibition at the Alexander Solzhenitsyn House of Russian Abroad ;
• 2007 - “New materiality of Nikolay Zagrekov and Russian artists”, gallery “Our artists” (Moscow);
• 2008 - “Glamor! The girl becomes a lady ”, Georg-Kolbe-Museum, Berlin (Germany);
• 2011 - “Mashkov - Zagrekov. Teacher and student ", Volgograd Museum of Fine Arts. I.I. Mashkova;
• September 23, 2011 - closed show “Zagrekov Returned” as part of the parallel program of the International Art Fair Art-Moscow
• Summer 2012 - “ Nikolay Zagrekov and Russian Berlin ”, Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow ;
• 2012–2013 year - “ Körperkultur. Body culture in Germany and the USSR, 1910–1930s , Art Deco Gallery (Moscow);
• 2013 - “ Russian Expressionism: Grigoriev, Annenkov, Lanskoy, Zagrekov ” , International Art Gallery 'Heritage (Moscow);
• 2013 - exposition in the framework of Art Paris Art Fair 2013 (Paris);
• 2013 - “ Sport. Health. Beauty ” , State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan (Kazan);
• 2013 - a series of exhibitions within the framework of the All-Russian exhibition project “ Art to be first ” (under the auspices of the Year of the Museums of the Cultural Olympiad “ Sochi 2014 ”);
• 2013 - the exhibition “The Image of the Epoch”, State Historical Museum-Reserve “Gorki Leninskie” ;
• 2014 - “Soviet Sport”, Institute of Russian Realistic Art / GUM .

Today, the works of Nikolai Zagrekov are stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum, the Volgograd Museum of Fine Arts, the Berlin Gallery, the N. Zagrekov House Museum in Berlin, private collections in Germany, Russia, England, France, Italy, the USA and other countries.

At the same time, there are evaluations of Zagrekov’s creativity as “an absolutely compromise”, where “it is equally suitable for Stalin and Willy Brandt, you can express everything that is needed by any one who has come to hand” ^[8] .

• Olga Medvedko. “ Artist Nikolai Zagrekov ”, Moscow: 2004.
• “Nikolai Zagrekov: Return to Russia”, the State Tretyakov Gallery. Exhibition Catalog, 2004.
• “New materiality” by Nikolay Zagrekov and Russian artists ", gallery" Our artists ". Exhibition catalog, 2007.
• "Mashkov-Zagrekov: teacher and student," VMIA them. I.I. Mashkov. Exhibition Catalog, 2011.
• “Körperkultur. Body culture in Germany and the USSR, 1910–1930s, Art Deco Gallery. Exhibition Catalog, 2013.
• “Russian Expressionism: Grigoriev, Annenkov, Lanskoy, Zagrekov”, International Art Gallery 'Heritage. Exhibition Catalog, 2013.
• “Nikolai Zagrekov and Russian Berlin”, MAMM. Exhibition Catalog, 2013.
• “Sport in Art”, the State Russian Museum. Exhibition Catalog, 2013.

• Official site
  • Gallery of works
• Society of Friends of the artist Nikolai Zagrekov on facebook