Woman and the Swan

The son of Feodor Chaliapin, an important Russian opera singer with a considerable international reputation, Boris Chaliapin received his formal artistic education in Russia and Paris. He first exhibited his work in the foyer of the London Covent-Garden Theatre in 1927 while his father was on tour there. In Russia, Chaliapin painted a series of pictures of his father on the stage and in life titled the 'Chaliapiniana' series and was a popular portrait painter of many important Russian figures in the 1920's and 30's. After living in Paris briefly, Chaliapin moved permanently to New York and went to work for Time Magazine. 'Between 1939 and 1970, [Chaliapin along with colleagues Boris Artzybasheff and Ernest Hamlin Baker] completed over half of the covers published by the magazine.' (www.time.com/time75/covers) Chaliapin himself completed over 400 cover illustrations for Time and this significant body of work is now in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution. Works such as Woman and the Swan, demonstrate Chaliapin's diverse artistic capabilities and his command of the human form and unique composition.