Art was simply an expression of beauty to Russian painter Alexander Glickmann. It was his way of singing a song for someone else with color.

Glickmann survived political tribulations and moved to the United States to continue his artwork. According to Glickmann’s close friend, Fred Sanchez of Overland Park, the Russian artist was forced to go underground in the former Soviet Union after his wife had published politically dissenting writings. He was forced out of his job as a gallery curator and hid his wife and daughter from authorities. At one point, he walked 25 miles from the end of a train line just to see them and feed them, according to Sanchez.

As democracy swept the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, Glickmann and his family were allowed to leave Russia and settle in the United States. His daughter soon married bringing Glickmann to Manhattan where he exhibited his impressionistic work at the Poyntz Gallery. Some of his paintings were later purchased by C. E. Denman and later found their way to the Shafer Gallery as part of his collection.

About 600 articles were published in Europe on Glickmann’s art throughout the course of his career. He also wrote two books on 17th-century artwork.

Glickman died in 1991 at age 72.