Vitaly Viktorovich Peskov (russian: Вита́лий Ви́кторович Песко́в, May 12, 1944 – March 12, 2002) was a Russian cartoonist who also worked as an

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

and an animation director. In 2000, Vitaly Peskov was recognized as the best Russian caricaturist of the 20th century (according to the magazine ''“Faces”'' (ru: ''Лица'') published in Russia). He was a cartoonist of the democratic trend and did not serve the Soviet Communist authorities. As a result, he was summoned to the KGB, he did not publish personal books of his works and had no personal exhibitions. In all, Peskov authored about 15,000 cartoons. His first cartoon was published in ''Smena'' in 1967, after which he was invited to the ''

Literaturnaya Gazeta ''Literaturnaya Gazeta'' (russian: «Литературная Газета», ''Literary Gazette'') is a weekly cultural and political newspaper published in Russia and the Soviet Union. It was published for two periods in the 19th century, and ...

''. In the following years, he worked for a variety of other publications. However, Peskov's cartoons never had an official support by the Soviet authorities, and unlike with other well-known artists, no exhibition of Peskov's works had ever been organized during his life. Vitaly Peskov, during his lifetime, issued copyright for his works to his wife Irina Korshikova. She later wrote in her memoirs: he was afraid that outsiders (KGB) would get his drawings and wrote powers of attorney for his wife. After Peskov's death in 2002, his apartment was looted. Official structures of Russia began to pursue Vitaly Peskov's family, and his drawings, including political cartoons as his widow considers, were destroyed. And his wife Irina Korshikova with her son

Viktor Korshikov The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

(1983-2006) received numerous threats and emigrated to the United States soon after. One month after Peskov's death, an exhibition of three hundred cartoons was organized by Leonid Tishkov in his private gallery in Moscow.Ru: The News for April 2002: anexhibition of drawings in private gallery of L.Tishkov
/ref> The questions of how Tishkov got a hold of the stolen cartoons and where the remaining drawings and other property are was never answered. Leonid Tishkov is the younger brother of a Communist and a high-ranking official Valery Tishkov. The widow of Vitaly Peskov, Irina Korshikova, who emigrated to the United States with the copies of 3,000 of Peskov's drawings, held two exhibitions of her husband's cartoons on Broadway in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

(2004 and 2005) and later created
commemorative website
and published his biography ''To Vitaly from Irina'' (Mir Collection NY, 2007, ; available a

. In the meanwhile, the threats and harassment against the artist's family continued. Three hundred drawings re-appeared in Moscow in various publications and at exhibitions attended by Russian artists and senior officials of the Moscow Government and the Ministry of Culture. Even though a criminal case was opened, it was stalled, allegedly due to corruption. In relation to this,

, a musical critic and writer and an author of various articles on the history of opera, committed suicide. No arrests have ever been made.

Filmography

Vitaly Peskov is the author of several animated films (director & artist filmography): *''Cowboys in town'' (ru
«Ковбои в городе» online
(1973) *'' Vladimir Mayakovsky, Mayakovsky laughs'' (ru: «Маяковский смеется») (1975; director Sergei Yutkevich) *''It's in the Bag'' (ru: «Дело в шляпе», 1975) *''A Stadium topsy-turvy'' (ru: «Стадион шиворот-навыворот») (1976) *''To You — attacker class!'' (ru: «Тебе — атакующий класс!») (1977) *an animated film-parody to film-comedy '' The Irony of Fate'' (1975) *''Dima hits the road'' (ru: «Дима отправляется в путь») (1978) *a film-parody ''Pif-paf, oï-oï-oï!'' (ru: «Пиф-паф, ой-ой-ой!»), with Garri Bardin
Пиф-паф, ой-ой-ой online
*the drawings comic in the film ''The dear boy'' (ru: «Дорогой мальчик»)

Selected works

File:Vitaliy Peskov-001.gif File:Vitaliy Peskov-009.gif File:Peskov Birds02.jpg File:Vitaliy Peskov-013.jpg File:Vitaliy Peskov-014.jpg File:Vitaliy Peskov-003.gif File:Vitaliy Peskov-006.gif File:Vitaliy Peskov-004.gif File:Vitaliy Peskov-005.gif File:Vitaliy Peskov-010.gif, Painkiller File:Vitaliy Peskov-012.gif, Tax audit File:Vitaliy Peskov-011.jpg, — Password?
— Putin!

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peskov, Vitaly 1944 births 2002 deaths Russian caricaturists Russian cartoonists Russian illustrators Russian animators Russian animated film directors