AVINOFF, Andrey, (Russian/American, 1884-1949): Still Life with Butterfly and Flowers in a Pot, Watercolor, sight size 18'' x 15'', signed lower right, encased in fine gilded gesso frame, 26'' x 23''. Botanical paintings are valued for both aesthetic beauty and scientific merit. As an artist, Andrey Avinoff's best known works are his flower paintings and his passion for science provided him with fascinating subject matter. The artist's niece, Antonia Shoumatoff, noted in a 2014 article for The Millbrook Independent that her uncle ''...was renowned for his artistic talents as well as his scientific expertise and especially for his paintings of butterflies and flowers...''. His accurate yet beautiful depictions of flora have made his artwork highly sought after by private collectors and major art institutions. The Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Carnegie Museum of Art are among the institutions boasting works by Andrey Avinoff in their permanent collections. Avinoff was a prolific artist but, outside of his commercial illustrations and artistic personal gifts, his artwork went largely unnoticed for years. So much so that, after Avinoff's death in 1949, it was discovered that over 400 botanical watercolors were owned by Carnegie Museum of Natural History where Avinoff had been the museum's director from 1926 to 1945. Posthumous exhibitions of Avinoff's works have received great acclaim and have generated a new interest in his art.
CONDITION: Frame shows signs of wear and missing gesso, not examined outside of frame. Sold as is.