Constantin Kousnetzoff

LOT 420 PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, FRANCE KONSTANTIN PAVLOVICH KUZNETSOV 1863-1936 VIEW OF NOTRE DAME 10,000—12,000 GBP 73 by 100cm., 28 3/4 by 39 1/2 in. DESCRIPTION signed, titled and inscribed in Latin and numbered N3 on the reverse oil on canvas PROVENANCE Collection of Arkady Stolypin, son of Petr Stolypin

a contemporary of konstantin korovine, kousnetzoff was born in nizhny novgorod into a noble and rich family. in 1896 he left russia to continue his education in the art centres of the world, came to london, paris, rome, and florence. he finally chose to settle in france where together with borisov-musatov and shervashidze, he attended the atelier of carmon. though he predominantly painted landscapes of france he exhibited regularly both in paris and in moscow and st. petersburg. the bolshevik revolution in russia cut him off from his country; he continued his work in france; in 1927 he settled in paris, painting its squares and embankments, which on his canvases look both lyrical and mystical. though his works are very little known in russia for obvious political reasons, his paintings are a fine example of true russian impressionism. provenance: family of the artist d'atelier 1926. inventory number 30 in the family archives of monique vivier-branthomme. numbered on the reverse 654. oil on canvas, 81 by 101 cm. signed.