Property of a Lady Boris Smirnoff (1903 - 2007) At Juan-les...

Hammer

£5,500

Property of a Lady

Boris Smirnoff (1903 - 2007)
At Juan-les-Pines
Signed, lower right
Oil on board

Boris Smirnoff, the Franco-Russian Cubist and Avant-Garde painter, was born in Russia in 1903. Following his family's escape to France during the 1917 Russian Revolution, he pursued his artistic journey with determined flair. Smirnoff admired Pavel Filonov's 'Analytical Art' and moved to France in 1927. Despite creating numerous oil paintings and pastels, they were destroyed during World War II as so-called "degenerate art" by the German invaders. Post-war, he exclusively worked with watercolours due to their portability, and the lasting scars resulting from the relative destruction of his oeuvre. Smirnoff refused to sell his art, traveled extensively, and later returned to Russia. He lived until the age of 104, adhering to his artistic habits. His collection is now managed by the Boris Smirnoff Foundation.

Dimensions:
(Board) 7 in. (H) x 9 in. (W)
(Frame) 8.25 in. (H) x 10.5 in. (W)