As the most requested magazine in the industry, Art Business News stays true to its mission of reporting the latest industry news and emerging trends driving the fine art market. ABN: The art industry's news leader since 1977.
BY JENNIFER M. WOOD ABN
COUNTING DOWN THE ARTISTS OF TOMORROW WHOSE NAMES YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY
A
rt may be subjective, but talent is not. Nor is passion. But strong technique means noth- ing to an artist if he or she doesn't have the
fi re to back it up. Whether one learns to paint before he or she learns to walk or discovers the passion later on in life is ir- relevant. All that matters is the strength and persistence of one's vision. As the individuals profi led here indi-
cate, no two artists share the same path to success. Some are born with an innate desire to create while others discover the meditative qualities of artmaking in their darkest hours. While our top 50 Emerging Artists share an abundance of ability, their styles, philosophies and paths to being recognized by ABN's edi- tors could not be more unique. In the November/December edition,
we introduced you to the fi rst half of our top 50 emerging artists of 2012. (Read all about them again toward the end of this article.) Since the release of that issue, our editorial team has had the pleasure to meet and hear from hundreds of tal- ented emerging artists the world over, and speak with dozens of art industry insiders, who have shared with us their own choices for the accolade. Narrowing the fi nal list down to 50
was no easy task, but we're thrilled with the fi nal lineup—and can't wait to watch these talented artists' careers grow over
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the next year and beyond. So without further delay, we present to you the sto- ries and work of the Top 50 Emerging Artists of 2012.
AGEGHAM LEKSANYANGEGHAM ALEKSANYAN WWW.GEGHAM.COM
Born in Armenia, Gegham Aleksan-
yan's artistic education and career began in his home country, where he made his debut as a professional artist aſt er earn- ing a master's degree from the Yerevan Academy of Fine Arts in 1984. Twenty years later, his ongoing search for new inspirations and challenges brought him to the U.S., where he has been working steadily ever since. "In my work I try to explore the ambiguity of the world beyond reality," says Aleksanyan. "T e abstraction of lines and objects aims to obliterate the physical meaning of the images, thus taking my art adriſt into the world of imagination—a world as real to me as the reality we physically live in." Aleksanyan's pieces have found homes in private collections and gal- leries across Armenia, Russia, France, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Italy and the U.S.
EDUARD ANIKONO
EDUARD ANIKONOV WWW.ANIKONOV.COM
Born in the Russian steel-making
town of Magnitogorsk, it should prob- ably come as no surprise that industrial objects (think blast furnaces and giant
steel pipes) are a recurring theme in the work of Eduard Anikonov. "All my works are self-expressions using the means of art," says Anikonov, an alum of the prestigious Russian Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. "Art does not 'invite' anyone. A serious artist is dis- tinguished and determined by the fact that he does not follow anyone and fol- lows no one's focus. One must look for those complex metaphors with... which one can reveal [himself] and excite and arouse the viewer. T is is the most im- portant task of the artist."
DARIA B GRINTSEV WWW.DARIART.COM
A BRIA AGRINTSEVA Upon earning her MA degree from
one of Russian's most celebrated art academies, Daria Bagrintseva decided to use her education as a license to break all the rules. "I have deliberately refused to follow many principles that we were taught at the Academy," says Bagrintseva of her rebellious tendencies. "Having the professional background allows me to play with forms, colors and composition, to go beyond the rules and deliberately allow incorrectness." Bagrintseva's star has been on the rise for a decade now, but the past year has been a particularly fruitful one; her work has been exhibited in the U.S., France, Spain, Italy, India, Sweden and Bulgaria, while the price of her paintings have doubled as a result of increased demand.
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