AVINAV Andrey (Andrey Avinoff)

14 февраля 1884 (Tulchin, Podolia) — 16 июля 1949 (new-Йорк)

graphic artist, painter, art historian, entomologist, lepidopterist, botanist

From a noble family. He studied at Moscow University (graduated in 1905). Formal artistic education is not received; since childhood, fond of painting and drawing.

Lived in St. Petersburg. He served as assistant Secretary-General of the Senate (1905-1911); worked with the correspondence of Russian immigrants suspected of revolutionary activities abroad. 1911 — cameras-юнкер of Emperor Nicholas II. During the First world war was responsible for the procurement of ammunition, medicines and food for the Zemstvo Union; in 1916 on business trip to Union made its first trip to the USA.

In his childhood began to collect and study butterflies. In the summer of 1908 to this end he took an expedition to the Pamirs. Between 1908 and 1914 he organized the forty-two TRANS-Asian expedition (India, Tibet, the Himalayas, Ceylon, Turkestan), the participants were entomologists: Н. М. Романов, А. Г. Якобсон, М. С. Мамаев and others. Discovered and described a previously unknown species of butterflies. The correspondent of the Imperial Russian geographical society (awarded the gold medal of the Society), London entomological society, entomological society of new-Йорка.

in Parallel with the scientific activities engaged in the arts. He painted landscapes, performed sketches of butterflies in expeditions; worked a lot in watercolors. A member and Exhibitor of Moscow Association of artists (1904 — Moscow, 1905 — Petersburg; member since 1902).

In September 1917 to the business of the Zemstvo Union went to the USA; to Russia has not returned. Then it became the official representative of Provisional government in Washington. Member of the Congress of Versailles (1919).

he Lived in Washington, then — long-Айленде (state of new-Йорк), from 1922 — in Pittsburgh. Worked as curator of the Department of entomology (1922-1926) in the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh; in 1926-1945 —, the Director of the Museum. In 1931-1940 directed organized five scientific expeditions to Jamaica.

Performed a naturalistic drawings of flowers, butterflies, birds log for "Country Life", "Century Magazine", "Asia", "Carnegi Magazine". Has performed more than 250 drawings for an Atlas of "Wildflowers of Western Pennsylvania and the Upper Ohio Basin" ("wild flowers of Western Pennsylvania and of the basin of the upper reaches of the river Ohio"), and Atlas of exotic landscapes and plants of the Himalayas and Bermuda. Created illustrations for the book "the Magic bird of Chomolungma" С. Ноеля (1931). Designed the "Russian class" in Pittsburgh University (1938). Developed advertising for companies "Colgate" and "Chevrolet".

the Author of a number of portraits (С. В. Рахманинов, 1945), symbolic-мифологических songs ("Birth of Atlantis"), mystical landscapes, an extensive cycle of erotic graphics.

a member of the Pittsburgh watercolor society of artists and the American Federation of art. In 1921 he received the prize of the new-йоркского watercolor club for a great series of pictures of Tibet. His personal exhibitions were held in new-Йорке (1921, 1947).

he Taught at the Department of fine arts at the University of Pittsburgh, the Carnegie Institute; lectured on Russian, Farsi, Flemish art, delivered lecture series "Nature in art". Member of the Pushkin Committee in new-Йорке (1937), involved in the events in memory 100-летнего anniversary of the death of А. С. Пушкина.