To produce the images that convey his fatalistic and ironic approach to life, tinged with hope, he needed the environment and knowledge of Mother Russia, oiled with a bit of bribery to certain circus trainers. Enter the Great Russian Bear, the personification of Russia for the last several centuries, onto center stage and into his studio. The bear is recognized as both brutish and cute – Misha was the mascot for the 1980 Olympic Games – and has remained a symbol of Russia since Tsarist times. In 2009 it is the symbol of the United Russia Party.

Londoners walking through Potters Field Park were surprised to see a “money tree” blooming with £9820 in £10 notes, the average amount a working British family has in savings, on July 24, 2014 in London, England. The tree was planted by Sunlife to encourage the nation to start saving at least £10 a month for a brighter future. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for SunLife)

Beekeeper and Chairman of The London Beekeepers Association John Chapple installs a new bee hive on an urban rooftop garden in Hackney on July 1, 2009 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg's 'Stranger Visions', comprising of 3D printed faces extracted from DNA taken from discarded cigarette butts and chewing gum, is displayed at the Big Bang Data exhibition at Somerset House on December 2, 2015 in London, England. The show highlights the data explosion that's radically transforming our lives. It opens on December 3, 2015 and runs until February 28, 2016 at Somerset House. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images for Somerset House)

Gorillas sit next to a ruler during a photocall for the annual weigh-in at London Zoo in London, Britain August 24, 2017. During the weigh-in, animals across the zoo have their vital statistics recorded including their height and weight and the information is then shared with zoos across the world to help zookeepers compare important information on thousands of endangered species. (Photo by Neil Hall/Reuters)

Playboy Bunny, Penny (surname not given), is helped into her costume as she prepares herself before starting work at the Playboy Club on July 26, 2016 in London, England. The Playboy Club London is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and will mark the event with a “Touch of Gold” party on July 29. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

A sculptural artwork depicting former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and headless presidents shot by a hooded high school student (not pictured) is seen at the Contemporary Art Museum in Santiago, December 2, 2014. The artwork, part of the “El ladrillo angular” (The angular brick) exhibition, portrays a student fighting against the ongoing continuity of dictatorship because of a political and economic system which has been impossible to destroy, according to “Papas Fritas” the artwork's creator. (Photo by Ivan Alvarado/Reuters)