{"id":26058,"date":"2026-04-30T20:36:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T20:36:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/26058\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T20:36:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T20:36:34","slug":"new-space-dedicated-to-oleg-prokofiev-whose-abstract-art-was-censored-by-soviet-russia-opens-in-london-the-art-newspaper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/26058\/","title":{"rendered":"New space dedicated to Oleg Prokofiev\u2014whose abstract art was censored by Soviet Russia\u2014opens in London – The Art Newspaper"},"content":{"rendered":"

Abstract works created by the Russian artist Oleg Prokofiev in defiance of Soviet censorship in the 1950s\u2014and presumed lost for decades\u2014are to go on public display for the first time in London. The paintings, banned under the Soviet Union\u2019s strict cultural controls, will be unveiled in Bending Time, the inaugural exhibition at Prokofiev Studio in Hackney. The new space has been founded by Prokofiev\u2019s children, including the composer Gabriel Prokofiev, in collaboration with the curator Anzhela Popova.<\/p>\n

For Gabriel Prokofiev, the moment marks a personal and artistic milestone. \u201cIt\u2019s such a good feeling to have his works back in public, living and breathing on the walls, and being enjoyed by all who see them,\u201d he tells The Art Newspaper. \u201cThe response from everyone who\u2019s seen the work in the studio so far has been so positive; it feels like we\u2019re bringing his creative spirit back to life.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Oleg Prokofiev\u2019s archive, now housed at Prokofiev Studio in Hackney, London Courtesy of Prokofiev Studio<\/p>\n

Oleg Prokofiev was the son of Sergei Prokofiev, the renowned 20th-century Russian composer best known for the composition Peter and the Wolf and the ballet Romeo and Juliet. But Oleg’s work developed in opposition to the rigid doctrine of socialist realism imposed by Joseph Stalin\u2019s regime from 1932, which dictated that art be \u201csocialist in content, and realist in form\u201d.<\/p>\n

His romantic relationship with the British art historian Camilla Gray further shaped his artistic trajectory. For over a decade, Oleg hid his abstract work so the state would allow the couple to get married. The pair were eventually granted permission to marry in 1969, but Gray died two years later, aged 35.<\/p>\n

After her death, Prokofiev moved to the UK, believing the paintings he had left behind in Moscow were lost. However, when he returned to his former home in 1994, he discovered that every painting had been perfectly kept by the house\u2019s new artist owner, alongside a treasure trove of lost sketches.<\/p>\n

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Oleg Prokofiev’s sculptures hung at Prokofiev Studio in London Courtesy of Prokofiev Studio<\/p>\n

The archive\u2014featuring abstract artworks from the 1950s alongside letters, postcards, sketchbooks, sculptures and other lost paintings\u2014will now be housed at Prokofiev Studio, which aims not only to preserve his legacy but to create a new interdisciplinary arts space. \u201cFirst and foremost we are making Oleg Prokofiev\u2019s artwork available for the public to see in the flesh and enjoy, and with that we hope to reintroduce his work to the art world and have his unique artistic approach recognised,\u201d Gabriel says.<\/p>\n

He added that the family also hopes to revive a broader culture of collaboration. \u201cMy father and grandfather lived in eras when there was much more communication between different art forms; poets, composers, artists, filmmakers met up, shared ideas, inspired each other. We\u2019d love the new studio to be a meeting place for that kind of community.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Oleg Prokofev’s Color abstraction (1957-58) Courtesy of Prokofiev Studio<\/p>\n

The opening exhibition will include an immersive reconstruction of Prokofiev\u2019s 1990s studio in Hackney Wick. Explaining the timing of the project, Gabriel says: \u201cWe\u2019ve been wanting to bring the works out of storage for many years, but it took a while to find the right place. When I came across this studio in Dalston I got very excited; it has really great light and a very open and positive feel to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, he added: \u201cWe\u2019re also excited to show other artists’ work alongside Oleg\u2019s. I think he\u2019d like the spirit of us bringing together many local artists\u2014giving people a platform for their work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 Bending Time,<\/a> Prokofiev Studio, London, 1-29 May<\/p>\n