Dmitry Vladimirovich Vrubel was born on July 14, 1960, in Moscow, USSR, into a family of engineers. For many years, he believed his surname’s connection to the famous painter Mikhail Alexandrovich Vrubel was just a coincidence. Only later in life did he learn that his paternal grandfather was in fact a grandnephew of the renowned artist.

Vrubel studied under several artists, including Mikhail Epstein, Andrei Panchenko, and Vladimir Ovchinnikov. In 1979, he entered the Moscow State Pedagogical Institute’s faculty of arts and graphics but later dropped out. By 1983, he had already established himself as a professional and became a member of the Union of Artists. A turning point in his life came in 1986 when his wife left him and took their children. For nearly a decade afterward, Vrubel avoided romantic relationships and fully immersed himself in his art. This became one of the most productive periods of his career — his small studio gradually transformed into a true gallery.

In 1990, Vrubel moved to Berlin, where he created his most iconic work: The Fraternal Kiss, painted on a surviving section of the Berlin Wall. It depicts Leonid Brezhnev kissing the East German leader Erich Honecker. Today, it remains one of Berlin’s most famous landmarks and one of the most recognized graffiti artworks in the world. Many of Vrubel’s works are rooted in photorealism — he did not paint from life, but rather from photographs. He described himself as a “political painter.” Vrubel was also deeply involved in social causes and philanthropy. In 2004, he donated a substantial sum to help establish a children’s art school in Beslan. In 2007, he funded the construction of an orphanage in Suzdal.

His works are held in major collections, including:
– State Center for Contemporary Art, Moscow
– New Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
– Berlin National Gallery, Berlin
– East Side Gallery, Berlin
– P. Nowicki Collection, Warsaw, Poland
– W. Wittrock Collection, Düsseldorf, Germany
– P. Sprovieri Collection, Rome, Italy
– Galina Osetsimskaya Collection

Ostrovskiy st.98
Open daily, 12:00-20:00

Entry: 200 RUB. We look forward to seeing you!