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Vladimir Kush was born in Russia, near Moscow.
At the age of seven Vladimir began to attend art school until late evening where he became acquainted with the works of great artists of the Renaissance, famous Impressionists, and Modern Artists.
Vladimir entered the Moscow Higher Art and Craft School at age 17, but a year later he was conscripted.
After military service and graduating the Institute of Fine Arts, Vladimir painted portraits on Arbat Street to support his family during the hard times.
In the year 1987, Vladimir began to take part in exhibitions organized by the Union of Artists. At a show in Coburg, Germany in 1990, nearly all his displayed paintings sold and after closing the exhibition, he flew to Los Angeles where 20 of his works were exhibited and began his “American Odyssey.”
In Los Angeles, Kush worked in a small, rented home garage, but was unable to find a place to display his paintings. He earned money by drawing portraits on the Santa Monica pier and eventually was able to purchase a ticket to his “Promised Land,” Hawaii.
In 1993, a dealer from France noticed the originality of Kush’s work and organized an exhibition in Hong Kong. Success surpassed all expectations. In 1995, a new exhibition in Hong Kong at the Mandarin Fine Art Gallery brought more success. In 1997 he had a new start in the USA exhibiting in the galleries in Lahaina, Hawaii and in Seattle. In 2001 Kush opened his first gallery, Kush Fine Art in Lahaina, Hawaii. He now has 4 gallery locations in the USA with future plans to open more galleries around the world.

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When asked in an interview how he would describe his work to someone who had never seen it, Russian-born surrealist painter Vladimir Kush responded,

“I would describe my work with the quote from William Blake:‘If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite…'”

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Salvador Dalí inspires Vladimir, and according to experts, Kush might be called one of the greatest surrealistic painters of our time. No doubt, he manages to combine reality and fantasy quite well due to his magnificent metaphors!

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Kush sees art as an opportunity to turn his dreams into reality. He says, metaphor allows to see through centuries, but, at the same time, reflects complexities of modern life.

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In his paintings, Kush is known for depicting seemingly realistic scenes that contain hidden images or impossible elements.

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I strongly believe, Vladimir will keep going.
“I do not think that I reached the ‘ceiling;’ new unexpected analogies and associations in the life of people and in the surrounding world will always attract my attention. My slogan: ‘The world is the mirror of Metaphor.'”

— Vladimir Kush

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“Metaphor leaves the mind open to grasp onto the hidden likeness of things and events. And the more distant these things are, the greater the effect. The unexpectedness of the connection and sudden insight, which takes your breath away, is the true measure of the painting’s value.”

— Vladimir Kush