Philippe A. Maliavine
(1869-1940)

Think that you may own a painting by Philippe Andreevitch Maliavine? We authenticate, appraise and issue Certificates of Authenticity (COA) to all paintings by Philippe Andreevitch Maliavine.

A Laughing Woman
 

Philippe Andreevitch Maliavine emerged from a peasant background  to become one of the most original Russian artists of the early years of the 20th Century. At 16 he left his home for Mt. Athos in Greece, having met traveling monks who encouraged his interest in iconic painting. Maliavine worked in the icon workshop at Mt. Athos, but found that the monks merely copied Russian examples. By 1892 he was studying art in St. Petersburg, and in 1894 attended the studio of Ivan Repin, the Russian master who fostered some of the greatest talents in Russian art.

A Peasant Family

Jolly

Laughing Girls
 

Maliavine was soon recognized as a startling and brilliant autodidact, breaking away from academic tradition well before most of his contemporaries. His swirling canvases, dominated by red, were exhibited at the famous Tretyakov Gallery. Inevitably, Maliavine's radicalism was controversial, though he enjoyed much success before 1910, when tastes changed. His Klimt-like exuberance was less in demand as spare, analytic and abstract concepts swept across Russia. Maliavine was never going to be a Cubist.

Male Nude

MorskayaTzarevna

Nude
 

Maliavine’s fine painting of the ballerina Balashova shows his mastery of academic skills, yet still demonstrates fidelity to his early palette and robust style. In later life he tended to more academic, realist portraiture. In 1922 he left Russia, no doubt fortunately as he was spared the cruel fate that awaited all artists under Stalin: death or Socialist Realism. He died in Nice in 1940.

Two Girls

Woman Resting in Costume

Young Peasant Girl
 

Still wondering about a Russian painting in your family collection? Contact us...it could be by Philippe Andreevitch Maliavine.

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