Kolodzei Art Foundation

Valeri Pianov (1940–2012)

Valeri Pianov (1940–2012) was a prominent artist and restorer whose life’s work represented a synthesis of ancient spiritual traditions and the modernist avant-garde. He maintained a prolific career in restoration, working on monumental 12th–17th-century paintings in historic centers such as Veliky Novgorod, Yaroslavl, and the Moscow Kremlin. Notably, while leading restoration efforts at the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior in Novgorod, Pianov uncovered previously unknown frescoes by the Byzantine master Theophanes the Greek. However, his professional trajectory was marked by personal conviction; in 1968, he was stripped of his leadership roles after publicly denouncing the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, though he continued to contribute to significant projects, including the restoration of Optina Pustyn and international efforts in Italy.