GLADSTONE fine jewelry and fine art gallery is pleased to be showcasing the work of Zufar Bikbov, an acclaimed plein air painter, in conjunction with the upcoming Cape Ann Plein Air Competition and Festival in October. The exhibition opened on August 20 and will be on view through October 12.
Zufar Bikbov is passionate about oil painting and the dynamic nature of the plein air art form. He has been traveling and painting landscapes throughout the United States for over a decade and is the recipient of multiple prestigious plein air awards at national competitions of juried artists.
A native of Russia, Zufar was influenced by his father’s unrealized dream to become a professional artist in the Stalinist era, post-WWII Soviet Union. Zufar trained from the age of 9 at Zelenodolsk Youth Art School in Kazan in the Russian realism tradition. He embraces evolution and growth in his work and presently, his landscape painting style leans towards “realism with a touch of impressionism.”
As a young adult, Bikbov’s desire to help others led him to embark on a career in medicine. During his years in medical school and residency, art remained an important constant in his life. He was honored to participate in the 2002 exhibit, Doctors Paint, at the State Museum of Fine Arts in Kazan, Russia where he made a connection which ultimately brought him to Yale to further his medical studies. He relocated to the United States in 2004 and continued to work in the medical field through 2016, painting and participating in plein air competitions all the while. Zufar became a full-time artist and art teacher in 2017.
Zufar’s work is represented in private collections throughout the United States — from New England to California — as well as the UK, Spain, and of course, Russia.
While he continues to avidly explore the American landscape, Zufar teaches painting in studio and online at the www.confidentartist.com project.
This is Zufar’s first exhibition at GLADSTONE and the second year he will be competing in Cape Ann Plein Air. He was the recipient of the Second Place Award at Cape Ann Plein Air 2018.
GLADSTONE is located at 36 ½ Union Street. Gallery hours are Tuesday–Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. You are invited to meet the artist at a reception in his honor on Saturday, October 5, from 4–6 p.m.
