Culver City,
California
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He Left Us...
Date Made: 1991
Country: Soviet Union
Measurements: 90 cm x 60 cm; 35 7/16 in x 23 5/8 in
Russian nuclear physicist Andrei Sakharov’s head is portrayed in the top left corner of the painting as a bright, shining cirle of light. Many smaller circles float around him, showering light on top of a crowd of fur-hatted spectators below. The quotation in the upper righthand corner of the composition reads: “He left us alarmed without full confidence that we have heeded him,” attributed to A. Gelman. The date in the bottom lefthand corner, “14.12.1989” is the date of Sakharov’s death. One of the leading scientists behind the Soviet atomic bomb project, he pioneered new techniques of nuclear fusion and the Soviet hydrogen bomb. In the mid-1950s, Sakharov became an important dissident figure in the Soviet Union, publicly protesting nuclear proliferation, the arms race, and government persecution of scientists. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975 but was not permitted to leave the Soviet Union to collect it, and was soon after exiled with his wife to Gorky (Nizhny Novgorod) from 1980-1986. Sakharov’s public dissent against show trials and anti-ballistic missile defense made him one of the most internationally visible public opposition figures in the Soviet Union.
Accession Number: 2009.053.094
Item Name: Painting
Credit Line: The Ferris Russian Collection, Donated by Tom and Jeri Ferris
Collection/Series: The Ferris Russian Collection, Donated by Tom and Jeri Ferris