Beyond the Line: Oleg Prokofiev’s New York Years at Prokofiev Studio
Paintings, drawings and sculptures inspired by Oleg Prokofiev’s first visit to New York go on show at Prokofiev Studio in Hackney, tracing a pivotal moment in the artist’s career through works rarely seen together.
A new exhibition at Prokofiev Studio turns the spotlight on a defining chapter in Oleg Prokofiev’s career. Beyond the Line, which opens on 24 July, brings together paintings, drawings and sculptures from the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the artist’s first trip to New York prompted a striking shift in the way he worked. Visitors can follow that transition through a sequence of works that move from paper to canvas and into painted wood, revealing how ideas developed across different materials.
Among the highlights are the Stripes drawings, inspired by the city’s vertical skyline and created after Prokofiev’s visit to the United States in 1977–78. They introduce a body of work shaped by encounters with the paintings of Mark Rothko, Sol LeWitt, Barnett Newman, Helen Frankenthaler and other leading figures of post-war American abstraction. Alongside them are paintings built from bold bands of colour and wooden reliefs and freestanding sculptures that use balance, rhythm and open space to create a surprising sense of movement.
Rather than presenting each medium separately, the exhibition places drawings, paintings and sculptures in conversation, allowing visitors to see how a single set of ideas unfolded across Prokofiev’s practice. Together, the works capture a period when his art became more distilled, while retaining the sense of energy and experimentation that runs through his work.
The exhibition is staged at Prokofiev Studio, the exhibition space founded earlier this year by composer Gabriel Prokofiev to preserve and share the work of his father. Located in Hackney, where Oleg Prokofiev lived and worked after settling in Britain, the studio also holds the artist’s archive and was established as a place where his work can be seen alongside a wider programme of artistic activity.
Although Oleg Prokofiev was the son of the composer Sergei Prokofiev, he established an independent career as a painter and sculptor, first in the Soviet Union and later in London. Beyond the Line focuses on one of the key turning points in that career, bringing together works that show an artist responding to a new environment and pushing his practice in unexpected directions.
Beyond the Line runs from 24 July to 28 August 2026 at Prokofiev Studio, 13 Ramsgate Street, London E8. The gallery is open Wednesday to Friday, 3–6pm, with visits at other times by appointment.
Elena Leo is the Culture & Lifestyle Editor of Ikon London Magazine.
