LONDON, October 22. /TASS/. The Manicure Lady (Portrait of Mademoiselle Girmond) painting by Russian artist Nicolai Fechin (1881-1955) will be the centerpiece of the Russian Art Week sale organized by the British Christie’s auction house in London on November 25, the auction house told TASS on Tuesday.
The painting is auctioned by the painter’s family from its personal collection and is estimated to sell for between 2-3 million pounds ($2.6-3.8 million).
"Manicure Lady (Portrait of Mademoiselle Girmond) is a true climax of Fechin’s art of that important time period," the house underlined. "This undisputed masterpiece is the quintessence of talent and artist’s technique. Painted in 1917 when Russia’s history changed dramatically, this portrait is a landmark in the painter’s life and art."
According to the auction house, the portrait is one of Fechin’s masterpieces he painted during the Kazan period, with its other paintings are still stored in private collections. The portrait is auctioned for the first time since its creation.
The Russian Art Week is a major international art fair traditionally held in London two times a year - in May-June and November-December. Apart from Christie’s, other auction houses like Sotheby's, MacDougall's and Bonhams take part in it. The Russian Art Week held in June 2019 raised more than $45 million, while the sale itself was one of the most successful in many past years.