Ülo Sooster and Mikhail Grobman. They were contemporaries and representatives of “unofficial, underground art.” They met regularly, spoke at length, and closely followed each other’s work.

Their works—carried out of the USSR in suitcases—found their way onto exhibitions across both Eastern and Western Europe.

In 1970, Ülo Sooster died at the age of 46.

In 1971, at 32, Mikhail Grobman emigrated to Israel with his wife and children.

Mikhail Grobman passed away on 23 November 2025.

Artist. Poet. Curator. Collector. Chronicler of the artistic life of his circle. Philosopher and theorist of art.

Together with Irina Vrubel-Golubkina, their home was always open and full of guests—both in Moscow and in Israel. It was they who convinced Lidia, Ülo Sooster’s widow, to undertake a book of memoirs.

Mikhail Grobman’s legacy is wide-ranging, substantial, and exceptionally valuable—and research on it will undoubtedly continue. Here we cite Dr. Lelya Kantor-Kazovskaya from her book “Grobman. Grobman,” a passage that pertains to both Mikhail Grobman and Ülo Sooster:

They “...regarded art itself as a special force and the most radical antithesis to the restriction of freedom.”

In the photo: the families of Mikhail Grobman and Ülo Sooster

Works: Mikhail Grobman, Untitled, 1960s; Ülo Sooster, “White Egg”, 1968–70 (TKM Collection)