Alexander Bashbeuk-Melikian

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

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

Original canvas. There is a light layer of surface dirt. The surface is covered with a layer of slightly yellowed varnish. There are a few minor spots of paint loss to the middle left of the sitter and the upper left corner. There are vertical lines of craquelure to the left quadrants, further areas of fine craquelure to the bottom half of the canvas, with further lines in places elsewhere. UV light reveals areas of infilling to the chest of the sitter. An uneven layer of varnish prevents further investigation. Held in a gold painted frame with mouldings. Unexamined out of frame.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

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).