Anastasia Lopoukhine is a member of the Demidoff family, her grandmother’s father being Georgiy Vasiliyevich Demidov. Anastasia’s ancestral grandfather was Carl Andreas Koefoed (1855-1948), originally from Denmark, but who lived in Russia for fifty years, and who was instrumental in driving agricultural reform in Russia with Count Sergei Witte (1849-1915) and Pyotr Stolypin (1862-1911). It was Koefoed’s daughter, Nina Andreyevna (1888-1975), who married Georgiy Vasiliyevich Demidov.
Anastasia is an Artist who lives and works in New York City. Since graduating from her MFA in 2021 she has participated in 9 group shows, and 3 solo shows in London, Paris, Venice, and New York. We are pleased to announce that Anastasia is having her fourth solo show, titled “On Line” in London on the week of the 27th of November. “On Line” is hosted by Randle White Fine Art at Gallery Different, 14 Percy Street, London W1T 1DR. There will be a private view for members of the European Demidoff Foundation on the evening of the 30th of November 2023.
A true polyglot, Lopoukhine was born Parisian, to French and Russian parents, and educated in the UK with her graduate studies at the New York Academy of Art.
This is an extract from the frontispiece of the catalog, written by Randle White.
‘I was lucky enough, this spring, to be introduced by my godson to his old friend,’ Anastasia Lopoukhine.
What followed was a series of trans-Atlantic telephone conversations. These were cemented in our first chat, by discovering we had a mutual adulation of the Austrian artist, Egon Schiele. Particularly his drawing of hands. “Those hands”, Anastasia exclaimed.
Like car journeys, where eye contact between driver and passenger is rare, telephone conversations have a more fluid texture, based on the flow of the word rather than the image of the other. Curiously, this provided more clarity when choosing the works for the show.
I was immediately excited by Anastasia’s drawings. Even though some pieces touch upon darker themes, her work is always full of life and humour.
I soon discovered that Anastasia had chosen to become a draftswoman for many reasons, one of which is practical. Living in two countries and schooling in a third, the portability of light drawing materials allowed Anastasia to always have her tools at hand and never have an excuse not to make art.
In an interview for a US publication, Anastasia opens up about her process. Be it, pen, ink, charcoal, or collage, she starts each drawing by writing a story.
“Once long ago, I asked a taxi driver about what the worst thing about his job was. I expected him to complain about the long hours or mechanical problems. Waiting to stop at a red light before answering, he said, ‘The worst thing about my job is that I never hear the end of the story. People get into my taxi halfway through their conversation and leave without finishing it off.’ I often think about that taxi driver and how it is the fragments of a story that inspire me the most. I want my work to feel open-ended, like a snapshot of a much bigger tale, a springboard for one’s imagination to go on an unexpected ride.”
Anastasia begins to sketch the image and considers what textures and patterns she will use for each section. Once she feels that the composition has a compelling flow, she switches on an audiobook or podcast and tries not to interfere with the instinctive movements of her hand. When she loses track of time, she knows the drawing is working.
Talking about the charcoal series “You Are Welcome,” Anastasia opened up about her process:
“Vasily Kandinsky used to paint while 
listening to the music of Arnold Schoenberg. The idea that sound and its symbolism could somehow prompt, permeate, and enrich visual art inspired my “You Are Welcome” project last year. Instead of music, I made recordings of chatter, laughter, and clinking glasses emanating from New York restaurants and gallery openings that I would later listen to as I worked. Letting myself draw freely allowed the exploration of how personal memories intertwined with the events I had recorded.”
In these non-visual conversations, we also discussed the problems of bringing large works from the States to show in Europe, so the 3 expanded works were born.
Truly wonderful and they are definitely “the snapshot to a bigger tale”.
Her work is fresh, upbeat, and witty, so it is my pleasure to be allowed to put on this show for such a young, unique, and truly international artist.’
See Anastasia’s show ‘On Line’ at Gallery Different from 27 November until 3 December 2023.
Anastasia’s contact:
Instagram@anastasialopalopa and website alopoukhine.com
