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ARTinvestment.RU   19 августа 2010

ARTinvestment.RU tells about the original Russian painter, known for its views of Long Island

Nicholas Tsikovsky (1894-1987) is not among the most famous " Russian Americans; most remembered about him as party association "With Hampton Basil, whose leader was Burliuk . The fact that the artist was "not on the ear", does not detract from the merits of his paintings, but probably not without its influence on market price indicators works Tsikovskogo still low.

Tsikovsky famous for his calm, decorative landscapes and portraits, the style which can be described as "modernist realism." Biography of the artist on the site Spanierman Gallery says that a talent for art manifested itself in him in childhood. From 1910 to 1914 Tsikovsky studied at the School of Fine Arts in Vilna with Chaim Soutine Chaim , and from 1914 to 1918 - at the Penza Art School, where he met with Vladimir Tatlin . Then there was teaching at Ekaterinburg and studies in VHUTEMAS have Favorskogo and Mashkova . While the artist is actively absorbed the influence of the most progressive trends in art, trying to taste "literally everything - from Post-Impressionism of Cezanne and Matisse Fauvism to Cubism, Futurism and Constructivism.

In 1923-m Tsikovsky went to New York, leaving at home all his early works. First, the artist made a living from the creation of theatrical scenery and murals, and after the first show - at the Brooklyn Museum (1926) and Gallery Daniel (1930) - his work began to acquire private collections. Shortly after their arrival Tsikovsky met Burliuk, and several years later became friends with the other comes from Russia, Raphael Raphael Sawyer , under whose influence he began to paint in the style of social realism (not to be confused with the Stalinist socialist realism "). This is important during the Great Depression, has been adopted by many leftist artists, have been intended to draw public attention to the hardships of the working class. Tsikovsky and Burliuk were among those who exhibited in the gallery leftist Congress of American artists. Two decades later, during the "witch hunt", the head of the gallery Herman Baron was charged with aiding the Communists, and got his ward - the painters whose work is also investigated.

In 1941, Burliuk bought in the village called Hampton Basil (O. Long Island) a small house and several acres of land and built a studio and gallery. Impressed by a visit to him Tsikovsky decided to continue to relax on Long Island every summer. These places are ideal for arranging "bohemian paradise": first, to go there from New York were not very far, and secondly, Long Island could boast stunning landscapes that inspired painters in XIX century, and, thirdly , real estate, there was quite affordable - that was very important for artists who, despite their popularity among collectors, were far from rich. Create and discuss with friends, colleagues arrives Rafael and Moses Moses Sawyer, Arshile Arshile Gorky , George Constant ... Exhibited together in galleries, artists calling themselves "The Group of Hampton Basil", even though their team was not well decorated and had a strict program - rather it was a group of friends who loved to share with each other ideas.

1950 marked the heyday of abstract expressionism , making a career of some members of association, experimented with abstraction (Graham Avery), have gone up sharply. But Burliuk and Tsikovsky did not change his style. In fact, this period was the best in the career of the latter: the artist worked extremely efficiently, producing hundreds of colorful landscapes, which, incidentally, sold well and exhibited in many museums and galleries. As for the "Group of Hampton Basil", she finally broke up in 1967, after the death of Burliuk. However, the move away from each other participants were much earlier - many of them, winged financial success in New York, began to come to Long Island less and less. Tsikovsky same was still in love with those places, in the late 1970's he moved there permanently.

painter died in 1987 in Washington. His work can be found in the collections of important American museums as MoMA, the Whitney, the Metropolitan, the Brooklyn Museum, Art Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh.

vast majority of paintings Tsikovskogo included in the auction turn, are sold at auctions. However, its most expensive painting, "Red-haired beauty," Change owner to "Russian Market Data» Bonhams in London (9 June 2008). The picture was bought for 6,000 pounds (11,8 thousand dollars) in assessing the 6-8 thousand. In April of that year, "Vase with flowers on the table," went on the New York auction Gene Shapiro for 6,6 thousand dollars (estimate 6-8 thousand). But most of the paintings, exhibited at the auction in the past two years, sold in the thousands of dollars. Not by chance there is a belief that creativity Tsikovskogo today grossly underappreciated and his works have a rather serious investment potential.

Material prepared Yulia Maksimova, AI

Sources: spanierman.com , tfaoi.com , artinvestment.ru