IGOR VASILIEV
(Belgrade, 1928 – Cupria, 1954)
Igor Vasiliev was born in 1928 into a family of Russian emigrants Valentina Kovalskaya Yustinova and Alexei Alekseevich Vasiliev, who met in Belgrade, at an art school. Since he lived in a family of artists, Igor began to paint early. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade in 1948. For him life was a constant thrilling experience. He lived a tumultuous, fast life, in a hurry to do everything in this world as soon as possible, so he married a school friend, even before they finished school. Soon he becomes the father of a girl named Svetlana. At the Academy of Arts, his free and unrestrained spirit is constantly confronted with the socialist-realist views of professors.
„Enemy activities aimed at terrorism and various acts of sabotage, illegal possession of weapons, reading and distribution of anti-communist literature, membership in the illegal organization called Democratic Youth of Yugoslavia”, – says the indictment, according to which Igor and his friends were sentenced by the Belgrade District Court to one year in prison. The Supreme Court overturns the sentence on the prosecutor’s appeal and commutes the sentence to three years in prison. Eleven months later, an amnesty followed.
In 1952, he enrolled in the Faculty of Philosophy, in the history of art section and constantly painted. Soon he organized a personal exhibition of paintings and drawings and was admitted to the Association of Artists as its youngest member. He died tragically under unexplained circumstances, falling off the train on an excursion on the way to the Ravanitsa monastery on April 10, 1954.
