Andrey Poletaev

Andrey Poletaev is an internationally published fine artist recognized for his extraordinary mastery of monochrome drawing in ballpoint pen and graphite pencil.

Working exclusively by hand — no digital tools, no shortcuts — Poletaev builds his works through hundreds of individual layers of ink, pen strokes, and cross-hatching. His portraiture and cityscape works achieve a precision that reads as photorealistic, while his imaginative Art Mechanica series explores the same technical mastery in an entirely invented visual language. In ballpoint pen, there is no erasing and no revision — a single misplaced mark on a work representing hundreds of hours of sustained precision irrevocably destroys the piece. This absolute commitment to craft defines every work regardless of medium.

Poletaev first gained international recognition through his ballpoint pen art — a discipline he helped elevate from novelty to recognized fine art medium. His work spans iconic Hollywood portraits, dramatic cityscapes across Europe and America, and whimsical surreal compositions of the Art Mechanica series.

His work has been published in Ballpoint Art: Complexity from Simplicity (Gingko Press), Above Art Magazine, Nashville Arts Magazine, Italia Art Magazine...

Poletaev brings to fine art a foundation shaped by years of work as an interior designer in Europe — an experience that sharpened his eye for spatial composition, precision, and craftsmanship that remains embedded in every work he creates today.

Ukrainian National Museum of Chicago — Solo Exhibition, February 2018
ARTLightenment Art & Film Festival — Nashville, Tennessee, 2016
Bennett Gallery — Nashville, Tennessee
Solo Exhibition — Baden-Baden, Germany
Solo Exhibition — Zurich, Switzerland
Private Invitational Exhibitions — Chicago, Brentwood, and Franklin, Tennessee