R. Nicolay & Sohn

Semenyuk, Yuri I., Yaroslavl

*1922      +2006
Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, People’s Artist of the Russian Federation
Yuri Ivanovich Semenyuk was born in 1922 in Zavalino in the province of Vladimir. He studied at Yaroslavl Art College until 1941 and it is believed that he continued his art education at the Surikov Institute. Known primarily for his landscapes and still lifes, Semenyuk began exhibiting in 1951. Important shows include "All-Union Art Exhibition," Moscow, 1955.
Represented in many private collections in Asia, Africa, Europe and North America, Yuri Semenyuk’s landscapes, portraits, genre and historic paintings have received many honors and have been acquired by the USSR Ministry of Culture, by the State Russian Museums, State Tretyakov Gallery and other galleries throughout Russia, the United States and Western Europe.
Semenyuk was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation in 1978 and the title of People’s Artist of the Russian Federation in 1982. In 1986 he was awarded a Distinguished Order of Friendship of Nations for his substantial contribution toward the development of fine arts in the USSR. His personal exhibitions were held in 1972, 1982 (Yaroslavl and Rybinsk), and 1985 (Moscow and Leningrad) and 1996 (Yuriew-Polski ).
Yet all of this acclaim was preceded by a much darker time. Yuri was born in the village of Zavalino, in the Kolchuguin District of the Vladimir Region of Russia in 1922.