Lot 172: ALEXANDER BASHBEUK-MELIKIAN

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION 1891-1966 NUDE, 1932 signed with artist's initials in Armenian and dated 1932 on the reverse; bears exhibition labels on the stretcher oil on canvas 43 by 37cm, 17 by 14 1/2 in.

Moscow, The State Tretyakov Gallery, Collection Basmadjian, July - August 1988 Leningrad, The State Hermitage Museum, Collection Basmadjian, August - September 1988

Basmadjian Gallery, Paris Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

The Armenian artist Alexander Bashbeuk-Melikian, considered one of the most important painters of his generation, was born in Tbilisi in 1891 and briefly studied in Moscow before returning to Georgia, where he remained until his death in 1966. A severe perfectionist, Bashbeuk-Melikian was known to destroy works he considered subpar, and thus his paintings are incredibly rare to find at auction. His painterly style is distinct, and his works are at once romantic and captivating, effortlessly conveying a world of fantastic circus creatures, beautiful women, and mystical scenes. Lado Gudiashvili especially admired Bashbeuk-Melikian, and together they participated in a joint-exhibition organized by ARS magazine in 1918 which was met with great success. The critic Sergey Gorodetsky wrote: 'The exhibition of paintings by Lado Gudiashvili and Alexandre Bajbeuk-Melikov was one of the first triumphs of Georgian painting' (as quoted in H. Igityan, Alexandre Bajbeuk-Melikian, Yerevan, 2002, p. 86). The artists Martiros Sarian and Minas Avetisian both thought highly of Bashbeuk-Melikian, and Avetisian declared: 'I do not know any other artist, any art critic for that matter, with such a profound knowledge of fine arts and painting in particular. He is a painter by calling' (as quoted in My Minas, Yerevan, 1996).