Born: Russia, 1963Gentle Surrealism by Sasha Bassari Sasha was born in Gorkij, Russia in 1963. In 1982 he graduated from the School of Art in his native city. In 1991 Sasha graduated from the Art College named after world famous sculptor V.I. Mukhina in St.Petersburg, Russia. From 1992 he is a member of the Union of Artists of Russia.Sasha is of the same school as famous Russian artist Sergei Smirnov, who achieved global recognition for his angel-like figurative paintings. It is very difficult to name the style. Enchanted Realism comes to mind, Naïve Surrealism is another option. We decided to call it Gentle Surrealism.Welcome to the Enchanted World of Sasha Bassari. Here you will find peace, relaxation, creativity, and love. The artist paints children playing, peaceful townscapes, angels and fairies. The paintings are soft and gentle. All his work is immersed in the ideal of unity throughout the Universe. The artist combines carefully placed, soft, diffused colors contrasting with graceful yet bold brush strokes - a unique blend of the essence of the subject - and the spirit of the artist. The figures in his paintings appear as if they are angels: divine souls, completely innocent and pure. Those angels are almost floating in an atmosphere of melancholy happiness.If you want to bring home something that will make atmosphere at home peaceful, something that will start slowly changing everyone’s mood to “light” and “warm” then you shall have Sasha’s paintings on your walls.It is a truism to say that someone is a “child inside.” It is a truism with others but Sasha is an embodiment of a child. I am sure he believes in tooth ferries and if he will tell you that he is not it is only because he wants to make you feel good.Sasha’s is a child who doesn’t understand a concept of lying. He believes anyone and everyone. He becomes attached to places and things. He can’t leave a small one-room apartment that was built above the top floor of an old building in the historical center of St Petersburg. It is so small, it is impossible to cook and paint at the same time. But Sasha knows every roof and chimney that he sees out of the only window the apartment has and can’t part with them.When asked how his style was born, Sasha first is trying to avoid the question, but then says looking directly at you with his huge innocent eyes that one night he was lying awake and a nymph of an unbelievable beauty flew into his room. She smiled at him but when he extended his hand to touch her, she disappeared.He also will say that he have heard music and saw in his head this wonderful world he is trying now to depict. He says, this is not a separate world. I am not talking about magic kingdoms or other galaxies, he will say, I just see that others for some reason do not see – we are sharing our world, our streets and our forest and rivers with creatures that are afraid of us and not making themselves visible. The creatures, Sasha would continue, are asking us not to destroy the world we live at… it is their world as well.Sasha’s works sold in London and in St Petersburg. He has devoted fans that love his work and say that they also from time to time see those wonderful creatures that share our world and afraid to make themselves visible… but chosen to be seen only by the eyes of wonderful artist Sasha Bass and those that love him.If you will have Sasha’s work at home, the tooth ferry might decide to visit you as well.Important group exhibition1989 - Exhibition of the group "Battle elephants" at “Gallery Ariadna", Leningrad1990 - I Biennale of Contemporary Art. Leningrad1991 - "Leningrad Painters". Svolver, Norway1991 - "Battle elephants" group show in Leiden, The Netherlands1991 - "Leningrad Painters". Hamburg, Germany1992 - II Biennale Contemporary Art. St.Petersburg1993 - "All Petersburg". St.Petersburg1994 - III Biennale Contemporary Art. St.Petersburg1995 - "Art Reality 1995". St.Petersburg1995 - Gallery Festival in The Hague, The Netherlands1996 - "Neo-symbolism". Osnabruck, Bremen, Berlin, Germany1998 - "Anatomy of Contemporary Art” 1st show, gallery "Art Collegium", St.Petersburg1998 – Museum of Contemporary Russian Art, New York State, USA1999 - "Anatomy of Contemporary Art" 2nd show, gallery "Art Collegium", St.Petersburg1999 – Gallery of Private Works of Art, De Viik, The Netherlands1999 – Artists Manifesto, Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia2000 – Festival of Russian Modern Art, Luke & A Gallery, Southwalk, London, GB2001- Art of St Petersburg, Mayfair, London, GB2005 – March Cats, Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia2007/ 2012 – Art Auctions in St Petersburg & London, & TV Live Art Auctions in Los Angles.2009 – Art on the Roof, Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia.2011 – Art of St Petersburg, Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia2013 – Cats on the Roof, Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia2014 – 2018 Series of exhibitions throughout Russia, Poland and Belorussia.2015 – 2018 Participation in TV live actions in the US and Europe.Solo exhibitions1993 - Museum of the City of St. Petersburg1995 - Museum of the City of St. Petersburg1998 - Gallery "Art Collegium", St. Petersburg1998 – Museum of Contemporary Russian Art, New York State, USA1999 – Gallery “SPAS”, St Petersburg1999 – Gallery “White Lights”, Tver, Russia2000 – Gallery “TVTz”, Novgorod, Russia2000 – The St Petersburg State University exhibition hall, St Petersburg2001 – Frants Gallery, New York, NY2001 – Exhibition Hall of the United Nations, New York, NY2001 – Gallery of Session House Garden, Tokyo, Japan2002 – Gallery “Anya Tish”, Houston, TX2002 – Exhibition Hall of the United Nations, New York, NY2002 – Like & A Gallery, London, G.B.2012 – Contemporary Art Museum, Novgorod, Russia2014 – Museum of ethnography, St Petersburg, Russia2017 – City art gallery and museum, Pskov, RussiaWorks placed at:Museum of Contemporary Russian Art, New York State, USAArt Museum of the Leningrad Region, RussiaPrivate collections in Russia, USA, Great Britain, France, Japan & Germany