Natalya Nesterova (Russian: Ната́лья И́горевна Не́стерова; 1944–2022) was a Russian artist who was an academician with the Russian Academy of Fine Arts. Her work has been described as "strik[ing] the kind of delicate balance between the real and surreal which can evoke a feeling that something is not quite right even before one has the chance to figure out why".[1] Because her works were painted "in a figurative primitivist manner while often depicting grotesque imagery, Nesterova was sometimes accused of undermining the foundations of Russian professional artistic training".[2]
Nesterova was born on April 23, 1944, in Moscow.[3] Her parents Igor Smirnov and Zoya Nesterova were architects.[4] Her first exhibition was with a young artists' group in 1966.[5] She graduated from the Surikov Art Institute in 1968, after which she became a professor at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts.[3] In 1969, she became a member of the Artists' Union of the USSR.[2]
Nesterova's first solo exhibition was held at the Artists’ House on Kuznetsky Bridge in 1974.[2] After traveling to New York City for an exhibition at the Hal Bromm Gallery in 1988,[1] she spent much of her life between Russia and the United States.[3] Her first exhibition in Chicago occurred in 1991, followed by an exhibition in Madrid in 1992.[5] During her career, she received the Russian National Award in Fine Art and was named an academician with the Russian Academy of Fine Arts,[3] among other honors.[5]
She had one son, Lev. She also cared for her grandson, David Nesterov-Rappoport.[5][6]
Fearing retaliation from the Russian government due to her criticism of the invasion of Ukraine, Nesterova settled in the United States in 2022.[1] She died on August 10, 2022, in New York.[3]
Nesterova's works are in many public collections, including the following: