Vitaly Komar

Russian painter and performance artist Vitaly Komar is primarily known for his collaboration with Alexander Melamid, which lasted from 1973 until 2003, when the duo split and began to pursue individual artistic careers. Komar was educated at the Stroganov School of Art and Design, where he received his MFA in 1967. Shortly thereafter, Komar and Melamid established the Sots Art Movement (Soviet pop/conceptual art) and explored political and humanitarian themes.

Komar has lived and worked in New York since 1978. He has had solo exhibitions at the Moscow Biennale and the Galerie Sandmann in Berlin.