Scene At The Grand Casino Of Monte Carlo By Alexandre Serebriakov (1907–1995), Attr.to

This scene at the Grand Casino in Monte Carlo was painted around 1930, and—based on its perfectly identical composition, date of creation, and signature monogrammed A.S.—it has been attributed to Alexandre Borissovich Serebriakov (1907–1995). A Russian painter, watercolorist, and decorator, he is best known for his striking “portraits” of interiors in Paris and elsewhere, as well as for his landscapes of striking photographic realism. The young artist developed a personal technique: a precise pencil drawing, which he then covered with a layer of watercolor or gouache, accentuating architectural elements, figures, reflections, the rippling of the water’s surface, and other details with subtle brushstrokes.

His mother, Zinaïda Serebriakova, was the first Russian female painter to be recognized as a major artist. She is related to the Benois family, a famous dynasty of Russian artists who emigrated from France in the 18th century. Alexandre is, notably, the nephew of Albert Benois. Alexander Serebriakoff was seven years old when the October Revolution broke out. All of his family’s property was then confiscated, including the estate in Neskuchnoye (Sans Souci), his native village. Her father, Boris, was imprisoned by the Bolsheviks and died in 1919 of typhus contracted in prison. Her mother took her children to Petrograd in an attempt to survive, but, faced with hardship, she decided to emigrate alone to Paris in 1924. Alexandre and his sister Catherine joined her later. It was there that Alexandre began his career as an interior designer. He spent several summers in the following years in Camaret-sur-Mer and Concarneau with his family. At first, Alexandre had to juggle several activities: designing ballet sets (with his uncle A. Benois and his son N. Benois), illustrating books and fashion magazines, and designing typefaces. In the early 1930s, under the influence of his great-uncle, the painter Schildknecht, he worked in film, collaborating notably with directors Abel Gance and Alberto de Almeida Cavalcanti.

He specialized in interior portraiture, a rare discipline, leaving a meticulous record of the interiors and receptions of French high society. He often signed his works jointly with his sister, Catherine Serebriakoff. He worked for patrons from Parisian and London high society, depicting their residences, townhouses, and castles: among them were Mr. and Mrs. Arturo Lopez-Willshaw, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Baron Alexis de Redé, Charles de Beistegui, the Rothschilds, the Schneiders, and Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Tree at Ditchley. He contributed to the decoration and notably produced a series of drawings of the Oriental Ball hosted by Baron Alexis de Redé on December 5, 1969, at the Hôtel Lambert in Paris.

Provenance: collection of an Italian architect.

Bibliography: Thieme/Becker art dictionaries; Bénézit (online).

Inscription: monogram “A.S.” in the lower right corner.

Technique: watercolor on paper, gilded frame.

Dimensions: image 37 x 28.5 cm, framed 53.5 x 45 cm.

Condition: very good.