FORA.tv Speaker - Vitaly Komar

Emigrating in 1977 from the Soviet Union to the United States, Vitaly Komar became known in New York City as a cynical Social Realist. In Spring, 1998, he and Alexander Melamid had a special exhibition of their work at Ronald Feldman Gallery in New York. Called "American Dreams," the two explored the cult of George Washington and compared it to Lenin. He is a graduate of Stroganov Art Institute in Moscow and in the early 1970s initiated in Russia the SOTS movement, which is the Soviet version of Western Pop Art.