Ivan Garikow

Biography: Ivan I. Garikow 1918-1982, Listed Russian Artist.
Revised by Steven M. Nesbit, March 2010.
On June 12, 1918, in the village of Belaya Glina, county of Krasnodar, in the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union, Ivan Ivanovitch Garikow (The Russian spelling, Iwan, appears on some of his paintings) was born, the fourth child of six (five brothers and one sister), to Anna (née Tschaiczkina) and Ivan Garikow.
World War I ended but civil war continued to rage throughout Russia. After Lenin’s takeover of the Russian government became a reality, Joseph Stalin’s ascension to power soon followed. Stalin implemented numerous purges upon the Russian people; victimizing, ostracizing and executing millions of anticommunist dissidents. Through all of this turbulence, Ivan spent his youth on a small, impoverished farm and probably attended one of two schools in Belaya Glina at that time (CITE).
Upon completion of his primary education, his artistic ability was noticed, and Ivan was sent to painters’ school. At the age of eighteen, Garikow submitted his art work for consideration to the Repin Academy of painting, sculpture and architecture in Leningrad. Ivan was accepted as a student there. Repin Academy was the most prestigious art school in the Soviet Union. Built by Peter the Great, construction of the Academy began in 1706 and was completed in 1741. The fortress was built on a small island on the Neva River which was in fact, the start of St. Petersburg.
In 1937, Ivan made the thousand-mile pilgrimage to Leningrad from Belaya Glina to study art. This trip was quite a challenge for a young man who had no money. There was a railroad in the town of Belaya Glina at that time.It is believed that he used the train, but probably walked much of the trip. Garikow was undoubtedly offered an occasional ride on a horse and/or wagon as he headed to Repin Academy.
Eventually, Garikow arrived at Repin Academy in time for his studies. While he attended the Academy (1937-41), there were many times he had no food. Soup and an occasional piece of bread were the extent of his meals. Garikow had no housing. He spoke with his relatives about the difficulties he had at school just to survive. In order to have a roof over his head, he along with a few other students would have to sneak back into the Academy's classrooms during the night, and most of them slept on the floor. Academic life was not easy for Garikow.
Ivan completed his studies at REPIN ACADEMY in the late spring of 1941. He was, perhaps, one of the last students to successfully complete his formal classical art training at REPIN. Garikow studied and was taught the art of painting from some of the best teachers/artists in the World. Unfortunately, during the months that followed, the Nazi regime destroyed and demolished the original REPIN ACADEMY, and most of the school's records and documents were also destroyed.
On June 22, 1941, Adolph Hitler’s armies invaded the Soviet Union and the siege of Leningrad ensued. Along with hundreds of thousands of other Slavic people, Ivan Garikow was taken prisoner. He, along with the others, was considered to be an “untermench” (sub-human). As we now know, these people were designated to be exterminated by the Nazi regime. As a prisoner of those occupation forces, he asked to speak with the officer-in-charge. Knowing that death was an imminent certainty, he requested a piece of charcoal. Upon receiving the charcoal, Ivan proceeded to draw a large portrait of Christ on his cell wall. The officer was so impressed with Ivan’s drawing that he assigned him to a compulsory labor factory in Krems, Austria, rather than being shipped off to a camp where invariably he would be put to death.
He was sent to Krems where he spent the next four years of his life as a captive. Suddenly, without warning Garikow was transferred to the infamous Mauthausen camp, presided over by Franz Ziereis, where thousands of prisoners were put to death. In March 1945, the camp which held Ivan was liberated by U.S. troops. The Allies immediately placed Garikow in Salzburg, Austria. Salzburg was within the United States’ zone of occupation. There, he would find freedom when World War II finally ended.
Ivan survived the early post-war years by painting people’s portraits, farms and homes. An opportunity for Garikow occurred between August 14-19, 1948, when his oil painting, Salzburg (City By The River), was exhibited in the very first and largest art exhibit of its kind following World Word II. Hundreds of paintings were shown at this Grosse AUSTELLUNG. The directors of the exhibit admired his work so much that they featured it prominently in the vestibule.
As his reputation grew, photographic reproductions of his art were sold to tourists as postcards. On June 6, 1951, Ivan applied for a United States Visa. One month later, July 5, 1951, he was granted an Immigration Visa. On August 21, 1951, Ivan Garikow sailed to the United States from the German port of Bremenhaven aboard the USNS General Harry Taylor. He arrived in New York City on September 10, 1951 and disembarked on American soil at Ellis Island as passenger #126. On Tuesday, September 18, 1951, he left New York City and arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the 30th Street Station. Soon, he accepted a job with Newman Art Galleries, 1625 Walnut Street,Philadelphia, PA. which he kept until his death in 1982.
Ivan continued to paint on his own time. On July 7, 1952, less than one year after entry to the United States, his photograph appeared on Page B-3 of the PHILADELPHIA EVENING BULLETIN. For weeks, Ivan stood on a traffic island on the intersection of South Broad and Pine Streets, ignoring his own safety while painting a view of Philadelphia’s city hall. In 1954, Ivan joined the Art Talents Association of Philadelphia. His painting, LETTER, was accepted for exhibition in New York City at the Barbizon-Plaza Art Gallery from May 8 to May 20 of 1954. With success and encouragement, he saved enough money to open his own studio/gallery in Philadelphia at 530 West Girard Avenue. Two weeks later, an article in the PHILADELPHIA MIDTOWN CRIER reported that several more of his paintings were accepted for the exhibition at Barbizon-Plaza in New York. News articles of his works started to appear in local papers in and around Philadelphia.
Ivan moved his studio/gallery to 989 North 6th Street and continued to await further success, which he now felt was inevitable. Unknown to him, he exercised poor judgment in choosing the location of his new studio. On February 16, 1962, as he was walking along the Philadelphia streets, Ivan was mugged and all his money and personal identification was taken - an omen of things to come; however, by April 5, 1962, he saved enough money to place a five hundred dollar down payment on his own house at 1238 North 5th Street. This move, a joyous occasion for him at the time, proved to be disastrous and the beginning of the end for Garikow. The neighborhood in which he had invested his hard-earned money continued to deteriorate. Ivan continued working for Newman Galleries, but his personal habitat was one of squalor, constant vandalism and degeneration.
On September 25, 1971 Garikow fell victim to another mugging. In 1972, his home and art gallery was broken into, and three of his oil paintings were stolen. Another burglary occurred in 1974 with six more paintings stolen. In March and April 1978, the break-ins continued and his home suffered continued vandalism. Finally, Ivan became totally despondent and reclusive. The only journeys from his home were to work. On April 26, 1982, at the age of 64, hopelessly defeated and completely bed-ridden from ill health, Ivan Garikow died in his sleep. The death certificate cited “dehydration and malnutrition” as the cause of death. If it is true that great artists experience a troubled life, then Ivan Garikow was one of the greatest.
REFERENCES:
Garikow, Arnold, son of Ivan, personal interviews 2008 to present;
McCullough, (Schneider), Lana, Ivan's Sister-in-Law, personal interviews 2008 to present;
Rozumny, Fatina, personal friend, personal interview January 2010

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