of Kazakhstan,the laureate of the Ch. Valikhanov State Premium
of the Kazakh SSR
One of the first of kazakh artists, Abylkhan Kasteev, by his talent and creative selflessness embodies the bright phenomenon in the history of fine art of Kazakhstan. Abylkhan Kasteev was born on January 1, 1904 in the village of Chizhin, Dzharkent region of Taldy-Kurgan oblast into the family of a poor shepherd. In 1929, destiny brought him to Alma-Ata, where within two years he was studying at the art studio of N. Khludov.
In 1930, Abylkhan Kasteev made his first trip to Moscow. In 1934, he participated in an amateur painting contest in Alma-Ata and in the Republican contest for the creation of the Abai portrait and illustrations of his works. For the first time, he participated in the exhibition of Kazakhstan artists at the State Museum of Arts of the Peoples of the East in Moscow. From then on, Abylkhan Kasteev is a regular participant of the all-union, republican and city exhibitions.
Through the 1934-1936 period Abylkhan Kasteev lived in Moscow and attended the N. Krupskaya art studio of folk creative art. In 1937, he joined the Union of Artists of the USSR. In the 1930s and 1940s, he worked over the “Old and New Life” series of watercolors, which reflected the artist’s thoughts about the "leaving" past. In 1942, the artist’s first personal exhibition was held in Alma-Ata dedicated to the 15th anniversary of his creative art. The same year, A. Kasteev was awarded the title of the Honored Artist of the Kazakh SSR. In 1944, he received the title of the People’s Artist of the Kazakh SSR.