Vladimir Tretchikoff (1913-2006) was one of the 20th century's most commercially successful, yet critically debated, artists. His peripatetic early life began in Petropavlovsk, Russia, from which his family fled the Russian Revolution to Harbin, China. As a young man, he lived in Shanghai and Singapore before being captured by the Japanese during World War II. He spent the war as a prisoner in Java, where he was allowed to continue painting, before finally reuniting with his family and settling in South Africa, which would remain his home.
Tretchikoff held his first solo exhibition in Cape Town in 1948 to immense public acclaim. Following successful shows in the United States, Canada, and England, he made the pivotal decision to mass-reproduce his works as affordable prints, making his art accessible to a global audience. This move brought him unprecedented popularity but also led to him being derided as ‘kitsch’ by the art establishment.
Despite this critical reception, Tretchikoff's work, characterized by its exotic subjects and hyper-realistic style, has maintained a powerful and enduring presence in popular culture. His life ended in 2006 after a stroke in 2002 left him unable to paint, but he remains one of the most recognized and admired artists of his time.
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Vladimir Tretchikoff (1913-2006) was one of the 20th century's most commercially successful, yet critically debated, artists. His peripatetic early life began in Petropavlovsk, Russia, from which his family fled the Russian Revolution to Harbin, China. As a young man, he lived in Shanghai and Singapore before being captured by the Japanese during World War II. He spent the war as a prisoner in Java, where he was allowed to continue painting, before finally reuniting with his family and settling in South Africa, which would remain his home.
Tretchikoff held his first solo exhibition in Cape Town in 1948 to immense public acclaim. Following successful shows in the United States, Canada, and England, he made the pivotal decision to mass-reproduce his works as affordable prints, making his art accessible to a global audience. This move brought him unprecedented popularity but also led to him being derided as ‘kitsch’ by the art establishment.
Despite this critical reception, Tretchikoff's work, characterized by its exotic subjects and hyper-realistic style, has maintained a powerful and enduring presence in popular culture. His life ended in 2006 after a stroke in 2002 left him unable to paint, but he remains one of the most recognized and admired artists of his time.
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