ABOUT ARTIST
Viktor Gontarov (1943-2009) is well known across the world as a master of composition and allegory. A skilful drawer and mural painter, educated in the world famous Mukhina Art College in St. Petersburg, Russia, he had a rewarding career of an art professor in his native Kharkiv National Academy of Art and Industrial Design. Viktor was a correspondent member of Ukrainian National Academy of Art and received a highly prestigious official standing of the Honored Artist of Ukraine in 1995. In 2009, in the year of his passing, Viktor was awarded the highest honor in his country – a title of National Taras Shevchenko Prize laureate. His characteristic style is minimalistic and deliberately simplified depictions of people and landscapes that render deep philosophical meaning and are full of irony and wit. In landscaped, Viktor was able to capture the captivating beauty of his home land in simple but unforgettable images. A collection of his paintings was donated by a Ukrainian charity to Kyiv International Airport in Boryspil, allowing anyone who comes to visit Ukraine an insight into the very sole of his land and its people.