In the reading hall of the Arts Department there is a book exhibition "Kazakstannyn khalyk suretshisi", devoted to the 90th anniversary of the graphic artist, people's artist of the Republic of Kazakhstan Evgeny Matveyevich Sidorkin (1930-1982).

Sidorkin Evgeny Matveyevich, is a Soviet graphic artist, honored art worker of the Kazakh SSR (1965), Laureate of the State Prize of the Kazakh SSR named after Chokan Valikhanov (1979), people's artist of the Kazakh SSR (1981), born in 1930 in the village Lebyazhye of Kirov region. International awards: the bronze and gold medals of the book exhibitions in Leipzig, I prize and a gold medal of the International Biennial of Graphic Arts in Krakow, diplomas of exhibitions in Venice, Budapest. Graduated from the Kazan N.I. Feshin Art School, then the Academy of Arts in Riga, Repin Art Institute in Leningrad (1957).

In Leningrad he studied with Gulfairus Ismailova and followed her to Kazakhstan. Since 1957 he worked in Alma-Ata. Among Sidorkin's works in book graphics the most known are illustrations to the Kazakh national epics and fairy tales "Cheerful Deceivers" (1958), "The Kazakh Epic" (1959) for which he received a bronze medal at the International book exhibition in Leipzig in 1959.

In 1963 Sidorkin created a large series of easel autolithographs "Kazakh National Games", in 1964 - a series of "Reading Saken Seifullin" (gold medal in Leipzig-1965), in 1971-1979, a series of autolithographs "Aksakaly" and illustrations for the novel of M.O.Auezov "Way of Abay" (State Prize of Kazakh SSR named after Chokan Valikhanov, 1979).

One of the most expressive and evocative series called "Out of the Gloom of the Centuries" was created by the artist in the course of 8 years from 1971 to 1979. In 1970 up to the early 80s he created illustrations for the works of F. Rabelais and M. Saltykov-Shchedrin. Satirical talent of the master can be seen in these works, all his characters are endowed with a very bright character and a special expressiveness. Yevgeny Sidorkin's collection includes works devoted to the people of labor, and of different professions, from astronauts to grain farmers. Autolithograph "Lullaby", created in 1964, is central in the exposition of the artist, the size of the canvas is 44 x 72 cm.

Е.Sidorkin also worked in the field of monumental-decorative art, where his tendency for monumental-generalized form was especially pronounced. He executed a large composition of multilayered colored sgraffito for the foyer of "Tselinniy" cinema in Almaty. Е. Sidorkin together with O. Bogomolov is the author of the mosaic panel on the pediment of the Theater for Children and Youth.

The works of Evgeny Sidorkin are exhibited in the Tretyakov Gallery, Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Oriental Art (Moscow), the Russian Museum (St. Petersburg), national galleries in Warsaw, Havana, Leipzig, Baghdad and Skopje. 

Evgeny Sidorkin’s works are exhibited in the Tretyakov Gallery, Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Oriental Art (Moscow), the Russian Museum (St.Petersburg) and national galleries in Wassaw, Havana, Leipzig, Baghdad and Skopje.

The book exhibition presents materials about the life and work of E.M. Sidorkin from the collection of books and periodicals of the National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Welcome to the book exhibition!