'SUPERPUTIN' exhibition gives Russian leader a pop-art make over

[December 08, 2017]    MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen riding a brown bear in medieval armor, cuddling a puppy and dressed as Santa Claus - it's not his latest series of publicity photos, but rather artwork at a new Moscow exhibition focused on Russia's leader.

A woman looks at a mobile phone as she stands in front of a painting depicting Russian president Vladimir Putin at the "SUPERPUTIN" exhibition in UMAM museum in Moscow, Russia, December 6, 2017. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

The exhibition, dubbed "SUPERPUTIN", features around 30 paintings and sculptures of the Russian leader in a variety of different styles, all of which were made by Russian artists.

In a happy accident of political theater, the exhibition opened on the day that he announced his bid for a fourth term as Russia's President.

The exhibition runs from today in the UMAM museum in Moscow until Jan. 15.

(Writing by Mark Hanrahan in London; Editing by Toby Chopra)

[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.