Natalya Nesterova (1944–2022) is a prominent Soviet and Russian artist whose works are preserved at Russia’s major museums, such as the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. Nesterova was born into a cultured family of Moscow architects and graduated from the prestigious Surikov Art Institute, where she studied under Alexei Gritsai, whose works can be found in the permanent collection of TMORA. Nesterova’s creative career was marked with steady and resounding success. Even as a young artist and a member of the Youth Section of the Moscow Branch of the Soviet Artists Union, she became famous as one of the three “Amazons of the Moscow Branch’s Left.” The other two were Tatyana Nazarenko and Olga Bulgakova. Each of the young “amazons” developed their individual approaches to art-making unconstrained by the demands imposed on Union members during the Soviet era. When asked what her paintings are about, Nesterova would say, “They are about what you see in them.” And indeed, the subjects are easily understood by the viewer; it is the specific tension and energy of the line and color that make Nesterova’s work so memorable — an imprint of the artist’s whole personality. Nesterova had her first exhibition in the US in 1988 and the remainder of her life was shared between Moscow and New York.
Natalya Nesterova: Artist and Academician is on view in the the Robert J. Brokop Gallery June 28 – September 28, 2025.
Blindman’s Bluff, 1996
Oil on canvas, 64 x 52 in
On loan from The Estate of Natalya Nesterova, courtesy Hal Bromm Gallery/New York
Cakes, 2021
Oil on canvas, 24 x 18 in
On loan from The Estate of Natalya Nesterova, courtesy Hal Bromm Gallery/New York
Blue Dish, 2022
Oil on canvas, 24 x 20 in
On loan from The Estate of Natalya Nesterova, courtesy Hal Bromm Gallery/New York
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