Mikhail Fedorovich Larionov

A gift from the artist to the ballet dancer Irina Grjebine, Paris

Acquired from the above by a Soviet diplomat in Paris in 1986

Acquired from the above by the present owner

Executed in France, Still Life with Cornflowers is a quintessential example of Larionov’s mature style and is testament to his great skill as a still life artist, a genre he regularly explored throughout his œuvre. The delicate cloud of bright blue cornflowers fills the present composition, evoking the warm atmosphere of a summer meadow. The work’s relaxed, informal quality is further enhanced by the artist placing the bouquet in a white enamel watering can positioned on a humble wooden table.

The painting’s first owner was Irina Grjebine, the Paris-based Russian ballet dancer and founder of her own school of choreography and ballet company, and daughter of the celebrated book and magazine publisher Zinovii Grzhebin.