VLADIMIR TRETCHIKOV
Portrait Lenka (Red Jacket)
canvas. 102,5 x 87
Bonhams. 17/10/2012. Lot 342
Estimate: 50-80 thousand pounds
Result: 337,250 pounds
Source: bonhams.com

Last week at the auction of South African art auction house Bonhams in London, set a world record price for a work by Vladimir Tretchikova, artist of Russian origin. Vladimir G. Tretchikov (1913-2006) was born in Kazakhstan and after the revolution along with his parents emigrated to China. During the Second World War, two and a half years he spent in a prison camp on the island of Java, where in 1946 he moved to South Africa, where he lived until his death in 2006. In South Africa Tretchikova (or, as it was called, "Tretchi") included in the top ten national artists.

During a short stay in Java Tretchikov, shared with his wife and daughter, chose his muse Lenka - Molten Leonora (Leonora Moltema), the beautiful European-Malay origin. In it he saw a wonderful fusion of East and West, which tried to reflect in the portrait of Lena "Red Jacket". Topless muse dressed in red, sewn by European fashion jacket, and next to it is the Eastern Kris dagger with a wavy blade. After the war Tretchikov learned that his family is in South Africa and went there looking for him. Reunited with his wife Natalia, he told her of his Javanese novel. His wife forgave him and even, according to the Cape Town researcher Yvonne Dutoit (Yvonne du Toit), took a portrait of the "Red Jacket" from him as a gift and hung it in the living room.

at Bonhams auction 17 October Lenka portrait in a red jacket was displayed the artist's heirs. Painting was estimated at 50-80 thousand pounds, but left it three times as much - for 337.25 thousand pounds. This is not the first success Tretchikova works at auction Bonhams. In March 2012 his work "Fighting Zebras", while the estimate 15-20 thousand pounds was sold for 58,000 pounds.

Prepared Maria Onuchina, AI

Sources : bonhams.com , artdaily.org , artinvestment.ru