Lot 7: * BORIS NOVIKOFF (Russia, 1888-1966) View of Bikfaya

Boris Novikoff (Russia, 1888-1966)
View of Bikfaya
oil on canvas, framed
signed (lower left), executed circa 1950's
40 x 60cm (15 3/4 x 23 5/8in).
FOOTNOTES
Provenance:
Commissioned from the artist by G.Chikhani, circa 1950's
Thence by descent to the present owner

"Nature is my only master" - Boris Novikoff

Born in Tiflis in 1888 in the Caucasus, Boris Novicoff attended painting classes at the Leningrad Fine Arts Academy while at the same time pursuing his career as an engineer and naval officer.

After fleeing the Russian Revolution, he sought refuge in Lebanon where he became naturalized and was appointed municipal engineer for Beirut, and all this without abandoning his artistic activities. In 1916, his drawings were published in "L'illustration". Later, he organized various exhibitions in Lebanon and abroad. In 1963, he was decorated by the Lebanese Government with the Ordre National du Cèdre for services rendered to the arts.

Impressed by the picturesque charms of the Lebanon of yesteryear, he gives a nostalgic recreation of the picturesque mountain villages characteristic of Beirut and its surroundings