Russian Bookie

Yuri Masnyj's sculptures and watercolors at Metro Pictures gallery give a flirtatious wink to Russian Constructivism and Cubism. The perceptive in the watercolors is charmingly just a bit off; reds, pinks, and blacks are the dominant colors; and the silhouette of a guitar pops up again and again. Almost all of the works depict bookshelves full of thick tomes with Cyrillic lettering on their bindings. Some of the imagery almost border on those still life models created by art teachers in which various incongruous objects crowded a space. Unlike most contemporary artists who make assemblages, Masnyj seems more interested in capturing a bygone mood that in creating an exact replica. (Image via Metro Pictures gallery)