Michael Cheval

Michael Cheval is a contemporary artist celebrated for his “Absurdist” paintings, drawings, and portraits that turn reality on its head. Born in 1966 in Kotelnikovo, Russia, Cheval grew up surrounded by creativity—his grandfather was a professional artist and sculptor, his grandmother wrote children’s poetry, and his father was both a soldier and artist. This artistic heritage sparked his passion for drawing at an early age.
In 1980, Cheval’s family moved to Germany, where the museums, castles, and scenic landscapes of the south inspired the storybook quality of his work. After serving two years in the Soviet Army, he moved to Turkmenistan in 1986 and trained at the Ashgabat School of Fine Art, where he absorbed Eastern philosophy. He held his first solo exhibition in 1990 at the Turkmenistan National Museum of Fine Art. In 1997, Cheval immigrated to the United States, where he developed his distinctive style influenced by Lewis Carroll, Salvador Dalí, and René Magritte.
Cheval’s absurdist approach presents each painting as a puzzle filled with metaphorical references and hidden meanings. He has won numerous awards, including Best of Worldwide Oil Artists by Kennedy Publishing in 2009, and is a member of the National Arts Club in New York City and the Society of Art and Imagination in London. Represented by Park West Gallery, Cheval invites viewers to become “co-authors” by discovering their own interpretations of his intricate visual stories.