Spirin, Gennady, illus.

Father Christmas in Paris, ca. 1999–2000

A fine gouache drawing, signed "Gennady Spirin" in pencil in the bottom margin. Matted, glazed, and framed, and inscribed on the back "Merry Christmas always | Gennady Spirin" and further annotated in another hand "Father Christmas France | #14"; frame scratched along inner edge.

A fine gouache drawing, signed "Gennady Spirin" in pencil in the bottom margin. Matted, glazed, and framed, and inscribed on the verso "Merry Christmas always | Gennady Spirin" and further annotated in another hand "Father Christmas France | #14"; frame scratched along inner edge.
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The drawing was executed for Ann Keay Beneduce's Joy to the World: A Family Christmas Treasure (2000). Gennady Spirin was classically educated at the Moscow Art School at the Academy of Arts and at the Moscow Stroganov Institute. Influenced by Russian Renaissance painters, Mr. Spirin has developed his own unique style of illustration using traditional Russian art techniques. His work appeared four times on the annual New York Times Ten Best Illustrated Books of the Year list