VESHCHILOV Konstantin Alekseyevich

May 15, 1878 (St. Petersburg) — April 4, 1945 (New York)

Painter, graphic artist, scene-designer

Konstantin Veshchilov was born to a merchant family. In 1893–1896 he studied in the Drawing school under the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (OPKh); in 1896 he attended the Drawing School of Princess M. K. Tenisheva in St. Petersburg. In 1898 Veshchilov entered the Higher Art Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (VKhU) under the Academy of Fine Arts, studied in the workshop of I. E. Repin. At the same time he attended the Higher Art and Pedagogical Courses under the Academy of Fine Arts (1902–1903). In 1904 Veshchilov was conferred title of an artist and pensioner’s trip abroad for the painting Ivan the Terrible after his Victory over Kazan. From 1904 till 1917 the artist took part in all exhibitions of the Society of Russian Watercolorists (ORA), since 1911 he was a member of the Society.

In 1905–1906 Veshchilov lived in Italy and France as a pensioner of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (OPKh). In 1905 he was awarded the Kuindzhi Prize for his painting Forgiveness Sunday in Rus in the 18th Century, in 1908 — the Prize of the OPKh for the painting Stepan Razin on the Volga River. In 1908 he graduated from the Archaeological Institute. In 1912 Veshchilov made a trip to Egypt and Palestine, where he worked on the sketches for his painting Caesar and Cleopatra; he also visited Italy and France. Since 1912 he worked as an artist under the Ministry of the merchant marine.

Since 1910 Veshchilov was engaged in scene design; he designed a play by A. S. Suvorin Tsar False Dmitry and Tsarevna Ksenia for the Theatre of the Society for Literature and Arts. In 1913 the artist created scene and costume designs for the operas La Bohème by G. Puccini and Carmen by G. Bizet for the Musical Drama Theatre. Since 1914 he headed scene design department in the Suvorin’s theatre.

Since 1914 (till 1918) the artist showed his works at the exhibitions of the Society of Travelling Art Exhibitions (TPKhV), took part in the exhibitions of the Association of Artists and the A. I. Kuindzhi Society of Artists. In 1916 Veshchilov was elected academician of the Academy of Fine Arts.

Later Veshchilov joined the Society for mutual aid of Russian artists (1918). In 1919 he took part in the First State Independent Art Exhibition in Petrograd. In 1920 he drew sketches of the participants of the 2nd Congress of the Communist International (Comintern).

In 1922 Veshchilov immigrated to France, lived in Paris. In 1927 and in 1928 the personal exhibitions of the artist were held in the gallery Charpentier in Paris. In 1927 he showed his works at the Exhibition of theatre and decorative art 1917–X–1927 in Leningrad. In 1928–1930 the artist worked as a stage designer and stage director in the D. Kirova’s Russian Intimate Theatre. In 1933 Veshchilov became a board member of the artist’s section under the Union of Leaders of Russian Art in France. He participated in many group exhibitions of Russian art abroad, in particular in 1930 — in Belgrade, in 1931 and 1932 — in Paris.

In the mid-1930s Veshchilov moved to the USA, organized his personal exhibition in the gallery Metropolitan in New York.

Works by Konstantin Veshchilov can be seen in many museums, including the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg and the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.