Lukashenka’s portrait selling for Euro 100 at Slavyansky Bazar :: Charter'97 :: News

It is Euro 100 that is demanded for Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s portrait by amateur artist Aleg who has exhibited his works in the City of Masters. The Belarusian President’s portrait is a piece of the 7 pictures’ set under a complicated common title “Collapse of the Union. Betrayal of socialist ideals. Is it the 50th Victory anniversary or a complete failure?” The portrait presents Lukashenka’s official image in a suit and tie.

Other pieces of the cycle are nothing but a mixture of primitivism and political collage. There are Stalin, Hitler, Lenin and Eltsin with Gorbatchiov and many others there.

The cycle about the betrayal of socialist ideals is the only Aleg’s work. The artist told the Euroradio that the pain caused by the Soviet Union’s collapse made him take the paintbrush.

After finishing the work he never painted again. Several times he used to display his works at the amateur artists’ exhibitions but he named his farther as …the author of his works. He was the veteran and thus was allowed to participate in exhibitions. And after the father died the paintings have been kept under Aleg’s bed. Lukashenka has also been kept there.

Not a single museum has accepted his paintings .It is only the City of Masters where he was allowed to but only to its neglected little nook where even on the festival days there aren’t many passer-bys.
Lukashenka has not been bought, yet, but only been asked the price of .But the most popular of the pictures is that of the Tsar family’s execution by a firing squad.

By the way, the President has become a very good commercial: almost every passer-by pays attention to the portrait. Some people are showing their surprise, others are swearing, still others are praising the artist.
According to Aleg, one of the Russian guests is going to buy it as an icon. The only thing left is to bargain the price.