A striking work by famed Armenian artist Martiros Sergeevich Saryan will highlight Trinity International Auctions’ upcoming 20th Century art sale.
Still Life with Flowers and Fruits, an impressive oil on canvas, is expected to make upwards of $100,000 at the February 20 sale in Avon, Connecticut.
The 1952 piece, which Saryan has signed and dated in the bottom right, has a starting bid of $70,000.
It comes with a certificate of authenticity from the Cultural Ministry of Armenia.
Saryan (1880-1972) is among the leading figures in eastern European art, and is known for the vibrant colour of his works.
"Color is a genuine miracle. In combination with sunlight, it expresses the spirit of object’s shape and the essence of universal existence," he once said.
Saryan’s works have a strong track record of selling well. His View of Mount Ararat from Yerevan sold for £265,875 ($404,662) at Christie’s London in 2013.
Keeping with the Armenian theme are two oil on canvas pieces by Minas Avetisyan (1928-1975).
Parenthood, a 1964 work, is expected to make $20,000 to $30,000, while Lenigrad has a $18,000 to $24,000 valuation.
Rumours abound regarding Avetisyan’s death. He was killed by a car that mounted the pavement, with suggestions he was murdered by the KGB for appearing in a censored documentary The Color of Armenian Land.
Elsewhere in the sale, two works by German Americans catch the eye.
Adolf Fleischmann’s Composition #107, a 1958 oil on canvas, is estimated at $30,000 to $50,000. Lyonel Feininger’s 1944 watercolour and ink is expected to make $20,000 to $40,000.
