Bejuk-Aga Mirzazade Sold at Auction Prices

Figure painter, Painter, Portrait painter

(b Fatmia, Azerbaijan, 1921) Boyuk Aga Mirzazade was from a very large family in the village of Fatmia, near Baku. His family did not have the means to support his love for art, but he continued to work very hard to pursue his passion. In the thirties, he and his family relocated to Baku and he attended Baku Art School where he graduated with honors. That same year he competed with hundreds of other applicants to be accepted to the Moscow Art College. He was accepted and during his time there he was greatly influenced by French Impressionists and Post-impressionists, whose collections are represented in the Moscow museum collections. In 1941, he returned home and began teaching at the same art school he graduated from in Baku. During the 1940s he focused on landscapes, both urban and rural. He also captured images of his 'heroes', the hard working citizens, soldiers, and peasants. During the fifties a new generation of artists and intellectuals came into the forefront in Azerbaijan, and Mirzazade captured many of their portraits. He also exhibited in the All-Union Art Exhibition in Moscow which included his series from the Caspian Sea. The exhibition was very well received and was a milestone in Mirzazade's career. Throughout his life he continued to explore subject matter and vivid color palettes. Mirzazade was a prominent artist who put Azerbaijan on the map of Soviet art. (Credit: Heritage Auctions, November Signature Russian Fine & Decorative Art Auction, November 14, 2008, Lot 65115)