Alexander Kaletski

Alexander Kaletski is a Russian-American artist born in Soviet Russia in 1946. Before his artistic career, Kaletski pursued acting in Moscow, where he composed political protest songs and underground concerts. Despite his success in the Russian film industry, he emigrated to the United States in 1975 in fear of political prosecution. During his first years in the US, Alexander couldn’t afford expensive art supplies for his artworks. Hence, he collected cardboard boxes from the streets, using them as canvases. Striving away from the dogma of Socialist Realism, he created playful, thought-provoking collages with a humorous tone. Since the opening of his first exhibition “Cardboard People” at the Dillon Gallery in NYC in 1996, Kaletski has had numerous exhibitions worldwide. While he is best known for his cardboard series, his other projects range from concert tours to book illustrations.