Tahir Salahov is an Azerbaijani-born Russian painter, draughtsman, theatre artist and educator. He is one of the founders of the so-called Severe Style in Russian Realist movement of the 20th century.
Background
Tahir Salahov was born on November 29, 1928, in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union (present-day Baku, Azerbaijan) into a family of Teymur Salahov and Sona khanim Salahova. Tahir has two sisters and two brothers.
Tahir's father was the First Secretary of Lachin District committee of the Communist Party. In 1937, he was arrested as he was accused of being a member of the counter-revolutionary organization in the Soviet Union. On July 4, 1937, Teymur Salahov was shot. Tahir's mother, Sona, was a housewife, who had to raise her five children alone after the death of her husband. In 1956, Teymur was acquitted of the charges due to the absence of a crime.
Education
In 1945, Tahir finished a secondary school in Baku. The same year, he entered the Azim Azimzade Art School in Baku, where he studied until 1950. Between 1950 and 1951, Salahov attended the Leningrad Vera Mukhina Higher School of Art and Design (present-day Saint Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Design). In 1951, Tahir enrolled at the Surikov Moscow Art Institute, graduating in 1957. Peter Pokarzhevsky was one of Tahir's mentors at the institute.
In 1955, Tahir Salahov created his first works "Dalga" and "Estakada". Between 1957 and 1959, he participated in different exhibitions in Moscow. In 1958, the painter created his work, titled "Morning Echelon". A year later, he painted "Rezervuar parkı" and "Neftchi". Also, it was in 1959, that Tahir took part in the exhibition "Art in Socialist Countries", which was held in Moscow. In 1960, Salahov created the works "Repairmen" and "Portrait of Composer Kara Karaev".
From 1960 to 1961, Tahir acted as an executive secretary and then as an associate professor at the Union of Artists of Azerbaijan. In 1960, Tahir finished working on his work, entitled "At the Caspian Sea".
In 1963, Tahir Salahov was elected a member of the Soviet Peace Committee and that of the Artists' Union of the USSR. The same year, Tahir also presented his works at the exhibition of young artists in Paris. Between 1963 and 1967, he served as a deputy of the Supreme Council of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.
Also, in 1963, Tahir was appointed an assistant professor at present-day Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts, a post he held till 1973, when he was promoted to the position of a professor there. In 1974, Salahov left Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts and moved as a professor to the Surikov Moscow Art Institute the following year in 1975.
In 1964, Tahir became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. In 1966-1974, he was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union of the seventh and eighth convocations. It was in 1967, that Salahov participated in the All-Union Art Exhibition, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution, where he presented such works, as "Women of Apsheron", "Portrait of the Composer Fikret Amirov" and "Aydan".
In 1972, Tahir was elected Vice-President of UNESCO International Federation of Artists. From 1973 to 1992, Tahir was the first secretary of the Artists' Union of the USSR. In 1975, he was elected a full member of the USSR Academy of Arts. In 1977, he participated in the exhibition, dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the October Revolution. The following year, in 1978, his personal exhibition was held in Moscow. Since 1979, Tahir was a member and academician of the Presidium of the Academy of Arts of the USSR, present-day Russian Academy of Arts, of which he was made vice-president in 1997.
In 1980, Tahir's personal exhibition was held in Prague. The same year, in 1980, he was appointed head of the Art and Composition Department at the Surikov Moscow Art Institute, a post he continued to hold till 1992. In 1986, Salahov finished his work "Morning in the Caspian Sea". During a short period of time, namely between 1990 and 1991, Tahir served as a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
Later in his lifetime, in 2011, the painter was appointed a full member of the Art Department of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. In 2012, Tahir Salahov's house-museum was opened in Baku.
Tahir Salahov is a prominent painter, who represents Realism movement. His well-known works include the portraits of Dmitri Shostakovich, Gara Garayev, Fikret Amirov, Robert Rauschenberg, Maximilian Schell and those of other famous figures.
Also, Tahir's series of works, dedicated to the oil workers of Azerbaijan, are also among his most important pieces. These include "Morning Echelon", "Repairmen", "At the Caspian Sea", "Women of Apsheron", "Morning in the Caspian Sea" and others.
During his lifetime, Salahov attained numerous awards and state prizes, including the Hero of Socialist Labour Award, Medal of People's Artist of the USSR, Medal of People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR, Medal of Honored Art Worker of the Azerbaijan SSR, Order of Lenin, Order of the October Revolution, Medal "For Distinguished Labour", Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" and many others.
On May 12, 2009, Tahir was made Officer of the French Order of Arts and Letters. Some time later, in 2015, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the Legion of Honour.
The painter's works are kept in the collections of different museums and galleries, including the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, State Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg, Institute of Russian Realist Art in Moscow, Moscow Museum of Modern Art, State Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow, National Art Museum of Azerbaijan in Baku and others.
In 1964, Tahir was made a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Between 1990 and 1991, he acted as a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
Membership
full member
USSR Academy of Arts
1975
corresponding member
USSR Academy of Arts
1966
member
Artists' Union of the USSR
1963
Personality
Tahir Salahov is a man of considerable social, cultural and political standing. He always finds inspiration in life and people around him.
Quotes from others about the person
"Tahir Salahov is the ruler of the world of colors!" - Kirill Lavrov, an actor
"Tahir Salahov always gladdens us with his art: you look at his workshop, the drawings, the palette and the people around him with his light-emitting eyes and you always feel astonished - all this is so beautiful." - Zurab Tsereteli, an artist
Connections
In 1947, Tahir Salahov married his first wife, Vansetta Khanum, a daughter of Tamara Khanum, a dancer. Their marriage produced three daughters - Lara Salahova, Alagöz Salahova and Aydan Salahova. Some time later, the couple divorced, and Tahir married his second wife - Varvara Salahova. Their son, Ivan Salahov, an art restorer, was born in 1977.
Tahir's grandson, Kaikhan Salakhov, is an artist, sculptor and architect.
Father:
Teymur Salahov
Teymur was the First Secretary of Lachin District committee of the Communist Party.
Mother:
Sona Salahova
Brother:
Sabirin Salahov
Brother:
Makhirin Salahov
Sister:
Zarifa Salahova
Zarifa is a founder of the Baku Museum of Miniature Books.
Sister:
Leyla Salahova
ex-wife:
Vansetta Khanum
Wife:
Varvara Salahova
Daughter:
Lara Salahova
Daughter:
Alagöz Salahova
Daughter:
Aydan Salahova
Son:
Ivan Salahov
Grandson:
Kaikhan Salakhov
ex-mother-in-law:
Tamara Khanum
mentor:
Peter Pokarzhevsky
References
"Servet" series of albums. The National Heritage project.
As part of The National Heritage project implemented by Xalq Bank, Azerbaijan National Museum of Art under the head of Chingiz Farzaliyev prepared the "Servet" series of albums dedicated to the masters of Azerbaijani art.
