Andrey Sharov was born in Moscow in 1966. He began studying painting and drawing in the mid-1980s in the studios of S. Shlykov and S. Selitsky. He then studied at the Moscow Technological Institute, where he studied fashion design while continuing to paint. These two directions, perhaps, largely determined what he does to this day. After 9 years of study, he never received a diploma. But by the time he finished his studies, he had already exhibited in Moscow, Kiev, London, and Cologne, and worked with the Student Fashion Theater. In 1992, Sharov began collaborating with Roman Viktyuk's theater, followed by active work with the "Tabakerka", the Mossoweta Theater, and the theater on Malaya Bronnaya. In 1997, he was awarded the prestigious theater award "Seagull" for costumes for the play "Dear Friend" at the Mossoweta Theater. And a year later, his work was nominated in the same category for "The Adventurer Felix Krul" at the theater studio under the direction of O. Tabakov. In the mid-90s, he even worked for the circus. Over the course of almost 20 years, Sharov has created more than 45 theatrical performances. One of his latest works was at the Sovremennik Theater. Since the 90s, he has become a recognized fashion designer, showcasing his own collections in Russia and abroad. He has created designs not only for the runway, but also for famous personalities such as A. Pugacheva, G. Sukachev, A. Domogarov, L. Gurchenko, M. Terekhova, S. Bezrukov, A. Shirvindt, M. Kazakov, A. Sviridova, E. Beroyev, and E. Kryykova. Sharov even managed to bring visual art into the world of motor racing: in 2006, at the request of Renault, he designed the Formula-1 car for world champion Fernando Alonso. As a true artist, Sharov sees the extraordinary in the mundane. He constantly creates variations on favorite themes, repeating and at the same time changing, for example, the motif of a still life with pears. Here, the form seems to take a back seat, and the viewer finds themselves under the pressure of the element of color. IlluminatedHe fills simple objects with different meanings, conveying different states: from bright sunbeams to the darkness of the night, from flames to calmness. A completely different style of intonation can be seen in his portrait works. Sharov recently became interested in photography and enjoys taking pictures of friends, saying that he is interested in creating psychological portraits. His painted portraits are incredibly rich in color, bright and clean, where it seems that everything unnecessary has been cut off. Andrey Yuryevich Sharov is a painter, fashion designer, and theater artist. Born in Moscow in 1966, he worked in the field of avant-garde fashion and modeling of women's and men's clothing. Currently, he mainly engages in oil and watercolor painting and collaborates with leading Moscow theaters as an artist. He works and lives in France and Russia. Andrey Sharov has been involved in painting since the mid-eighties, his work can be characterized as emotional and energetic canvases, which are astonishingly created and conveyed through color and brushstroke. Andrey Sharov can be considered a multidisciplinary artist, as he works in a wide range of genres and art forms, not belonging to any specific artistic group, preferring the independence of an outsider. His works have been featured at exhibitions such as Art Palm Beach, Miami, USA in 2015, SELECT | Contemporary Art Fair Miami, USA, Art Hamptons, Bridgehampton, USA, Art Fair Paris, France, Silicon Valley Contemporary, USA, Art Monaco, Monaco in 2014, and Miami International Art Fair, USA in 2012. Andrey Sharov's works have also been lots at auctions such as Sotheby's Contemporary Art Day, New York, USA, Phillips, Under the Influence, London, UK, in 2014, and Christie's, Interiors, London, in 2011 and 2012. He also collaborated with the Formula 1 Mild Seven Renault F1 Team, on which the reigning world champion Fernando Alonso competed in the Formula 1 Turkish Grand Prix. The car was nicknamed the "Turkish comet" and was.Andrey Sharov can become the first artist-cosmonaut, if the head of the company Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson agrees to sell him a space tour for 25 paintings. At the same time, the total value of the paintings may exceed the cost of a shuttle ticket by three times. Artist and designer Andrey Sharov, whose works were successful at the Sotheby's auction in New York and Phillips in London, sent a letter to the English billionaire, owner of Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson, offering to exchange 25 paintings for a flight to space on a Virgin Galactic shuttle. The crash of the Virgin shuttle at the end of October last year did not scare Sharov. "To be the first artist in space is worth it. It struck me on April 12, Cosmonautics Day: I realized that I didn't really have anything to lose," the artist shared. The cost of Sharov's proposed paintings (if evaluated at current auction prices) can range from $1 to $1.3 million. There is a possibility that after the exchange with Branson, interest in the Russian artist will further grow. "I'm an artist, and I don't have the opportunity to accumulate $350,000, the amount estimated for the flight," says Sharov. "I've read a lot about Branson and his lifestyle, and I'm sure he's the one who can accept my offer. With my action, I also want to support his company after the failed launch. I'm sure that when the space program starts working, the flights will be completely safe."
Richard Branson, known for his unconventional actions, could easily accept such an offer, thereby demonstrating to the world that he still has customers despite setbacks.
As it turned out, Sharov already has experience in successful exchange of paintings for goods and services. For example, he recently purchased a business-class sedan for six paintings. And three years ago, the owner of one of the famous restaurants in Monaco opened a deposit of €15,000 to the artist, thus paying for a portrait of Al Pacino. By the way, at that time the painting cost €18,000, and now its price is approximately €35,000.
Joining Andrey Sharov on his orbital journey may be his friend and businessman Vasily Klukin, who bought a ticket to space at a charity auction amfAR, the goal of which was to fight AIDS. At that time, the bidding was for a seat on the shuttle next to actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
The Virgin Galactic program includes a three-hour flight on an eight-passenger spacecraft, with six passengers and two crew members. The launch is supposed to take place in New Mexico. The shuttle will rise to an altitude of over 100 km, where it will spend several minutes in zero gravity.
