Kliun Obsession

“He wasn't chasing after names. Costakis discovered much less famous artists such as Rozanova, Popova, Stepanova, Enders, Kliun, Lissitzky - he gave each one of them a special place in the structure of the avant-garde . He believed that the backbone of the avant-garde was made up of at least seventy names, despite the fact that the famous Moscow art critic, avant-garde specialist N.N. Khardzhiev limited this circle to ten or twelve artists. " (from an interview with Natalia Kostaki).

In his mission, George Costakis saw the return of the names of undeservedly forgotten masters. The most striking example is Ivan Kliun (1873-1943). The collector persistently sought after and acquired the works of Kliun, who was considered a "second-tier artist.". But it was Costakis who was able to prove and show innovative features in the art of Kliun; today Kliun’s 1913 "Running Landscape" from the Costakis collection is considered an absolute masterpiece of the early twentieth century (it is kept at the Tretyakov Gallery). Thanks to Costakis, a "second life” was given to many artists’ works and the attention of art critics was turned to the brilliant works by Mikhail Matyushin, Alexander Drevin, the Ender dynasty and others. In addition, it was Costakis who opened the world to the "younger generation" of avant-garde artists, whose careers began in the 1920ies and 1930ies, but were interrupted by Stalinist repressions (Ivan Kudryashov, Kliment Redko, Solomon Nikritin, Gustav Klutsis, etc.).