Valery Yakovlevich Levental (August 17, 1938, Moscow, USSR - June 8, 2015, Baltimore, Maryland, USA) - Soviet, Russian stage designer, painter, teacher. People's Artist of the USSR (1989). Laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation (1994)
Biography
In 1962 he graduated from the art department of VGIK in Moscow. He studied with Yu. I. Pimenov, B. V. Dubrovsky-Eshke, M. M. Kurilko-Ryumin.
In 1963 he made his debut as a theater artist, designing performances at the Moscow Drama Theater. M. N. Ermolova and at the Moscow Musical Theater. K. S. Stanislavsky and Vl. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko.
Since 1965 he was the production designer of the Bolshoi Theatre, in 1988-1995 he was its chief designer.
Starting in 1979, he worked a lot at the Moscow Art Theater, and after the division of the theater in 1987, at the Moscow Art Theater. Chekhov. He designed performances based on the plays by A. Gelman, M. Roshchin, S. Mrozhek, A. Ostrovsky, as well as Chekhov's productions by O. Efremov: "The Seagull", "Uncle Vanya", "The Cherry Orchard" and "Three Sisters".
He also designed performances abroad, both in drama and musical theaters, including at La Scala (Milan) and Communale (Florence).
He worked in easel painting: portraits, landscapes, still lifes. Executed decorative and pictorial panels for private collections in New Jersey (USA, 2003).
The works are in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery, GTSTM them. A. A. Bakhrushin, Museum of Musical Culture. M. I. Glinka.
