Early years
Sandor Robert Zicherman was born in 1935 in Uzhhorod, Transcarpathia. His early years were spent in Beregszasz (now Bereghovo), where, in addition to attending school, he devoted most of his free time to various sports. It wasn’t until after his compulsory military service that he turned his attention to fine art. In 1957, he participated in his first art exhibition at the Gallery of Fine Arts in Uzhhorod.
In 1958, Sandor was admitted to the College of Arts and Crafts in Lvov, joining the faculty of monumental painting. A year later, he transferred to Leningrad to continue his studies at the Vera Mukhina Higher School of Art and Design (now the Saint Petersburg State Art and Industry Academy), within the monumental painting department. During this period, he began experimenting with several techniques, including sculpture, graphics, ceramics, and more.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
Upon graduating in 1964, Sandor relocated to the Ural region, settling in the city of Perm. There, he undertook commissions for the Fine Art Foundation, producing a diverse array of works including frescoes, mosaics, sgraffito, ceramic high reliefs, and tapestries. In addition to these commissions, he closely collaborated with the Permian Television and Theatre.
Following his participation in the first Russian Republican Fine Art exhibition in 1967, Sandor was inducted into the Association of Soviet Creative Artists initially as a pledge member, and later, in 1975, as a full member. From 1969 to 1972, he worked across various cities and regions of the USSR, including Lvov, Jurmala, Riga, Elista, and Moscow.
In 1972, the city board of Togliatti (the automotive industry city of Lada) invited Sandor to contribute to the cultural development of the rapidly expanding city. During his tenure in Togliatti, he was instrumental in establishing the Fine Art Foundation and later, the city’s own Association of Creative Artists. At his behest, the city constructed several art studios to attract new talent, a fine art gallery, and a unique art school (where he himself also worked as a teacher).
In 1987 he organized (and participated in) the First Russian Stone-carving Sculpture Symposium in Togliatti. The 10 big granite sculptures created during the symposium were presented to the city.
SUMMARY OF TIME IN THE USSR
By 1986, Sandor had participated in 29 All-Soviet and All-Russian exhibitions, showcasing Soviet fine art internationally in countries such as Hungary, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, and Poland, with works ranging from paintings and graphics to medals, ceramics, sculptures, and tapestries.
In addition to group exhibitions, by 1989, Sandor had held over 30 solo exhibitions across the Soviet Union and had taken part in 13 different art symposiums, including graphic, medal-art, statuette, and painting symposiums.
His monumental artworks, including mosaics, sgraffitos, and memorials, continue to be featured prominently in various Russian cities such as Togliatti, Moscow, Izhevsk, Perm, and Krasnokamsk.
MOVING TO HUNGARY
In 1989, Sandor, along with his family, moved to Budapest, Hungary. After relocating, he participated in over 100 group and solo exhibitions not only in Budapest and other Hungarian cities but also in Germany, France, Denmark, Belgium, Russia, Ukraine, England, Austria, Portugal, and Romania.
His works are held in private collections worldwide and in public collections at prestigious museums such as the the Hermitage (St. Petersburg), the State Fine Arts Museum (Samara), the Theatre Museum (Samara), the Memorial Museum of Lenin (Samara), the Togliatti Art Museum, the Museum of Regional Ethnography (Perm), the Museum of Fine Arts of Udmurt Republic, the Museum of Avtovaz (Togliatti), the Museum of Fine Arts of Mari El Republic (Joskar-Ola), the Joseph Boksay Fine Art Museum of Transcarpathia (Uzhhorod), the Kalmyk Fine Art Museum (Elista), the Museum of Medal Art (Wroclaw), the Petofi Museum of Literature (Budapest), the War History Museum (Budapest).
He was affiliated with several professional organizations, including the Association of Hungarian Creators (MAOE), the Association of Hungarian Fine and Applied Artists, the Association of Russian Fine and Applied Artists, AIAP (International Association of Art), and the International Art Medal Federation (FIDEM).
Sandor Zicherman passed away in Budapest in 2021, at the age of 86.
