A group of friends, colleagues, and family of Vladimir Radunsky (CRF 2009) is raising money to complete a documentary film about his life and art. Watch a teaser of the documentary here.
Born in the Soviet Union and trained as an architect and graphic designer, Vladimir made his way to New York in the early ‘80s and became an artist. In the colorful New York art scene, he discovered his niche, a genre that always fascinated him — childrens’ books. An incredibly talented artist, designer, author, and illustrator, Vladimir illustrated 33 childrens’ books, some of which he also wrote. Brilliantly funny and with absurdly good taste, Vladimir enriched the lives of all who knew him. “Books for children must be funny, because funny things are always sincere,” he often said.
Vladimir established his artistic language by constantly scrutinizing the world around him, drawing inspiration from what he found beautiful, and ruthlessly banishing all the ugliness. His obsession with beauty and aesthetic perfection, made him an interesting, and occasionally, very uncomfortable man. This obsession, along with his humorous approach to life, is the subject of our posthumous exploration.
Since 2001, Vladimir and his family lived in Rome, where his career culminated in his last project – designing the costumes and set for the ballet production of Don Quixote, inspired by Baryshnikov, at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma for its 2017-2018 season. Sadly, it was to be his first and last work for the theater.
Andrei Zagdansky, the filmmaker behind documentaries including “Vagrich and the Black Square” and “Interpretation of Dreams,” has agreed to helm the project if the fundraising campaign is successful. The film will span Vladimir’s life in Moscow, New York and Rome, and will feature interviews with his collaborators and friends, such as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Boris Akunin, Maira Kalman, Maria Sozzani-Brodsky, Masha Gessen (DG 2019), Chris Raschka, Henrik Drescher, Peter Sis, Alexander Brodsky, and more. Click here to help fund the project.