Lot Essay
Having been sent to train as an icon-painter at Mount Athos, Maliavin was discovered by the sculptor Beklemishev, returned to Russia where he became a student of Repin at the St. Petersburg Academy. His originality and synthesis of Impressionism and Expressionism proved extremely popular for its originality. His portraits of peasants are typical and were highly praised when seen at an interantional exhibition. These portraits in oils are now seldom found on the market.