Anatole Krasnyansky (1930-2023) Ukrainian/American, Giclee. Depicts an abstract clownish figure. Signed in print bottom right. Framed. 

Overall Size: 26 3/4 x 22 1/4 in. 

Sight Size: 21 1/2 x 17 in. 

Anatole Krasnyansky was born in Kyiv, Ukraine on April 26th, 1930. His father passed away from leukemia before he turned one, and when he was ten the family had to flee to Tashkent, Uzbekistan to escape the invading Nazis. He returned to Ukraine in 1947 and studied at the Kyiv State Art Institute, then attended the Leningrad Academy of Art where he received his masters in architecture in 1953. Krasnyansky was invited to work on the restorations of important national buildings, including the Potemkin Palace, the Marble Palace, and the Hermitage Museum. Krasnyansky married Nelly Koshevatsky in 1957, with whom he had a daughter. She encouraged him to return to art, and he began to experiment with multiple mediums and forms, creating sculptures, mixed media, and watercolor paintings. He gained international prominence for pioneering a new technique that introduced unusual paper textures into the watercolors, creating a depth and clarity usually associated with oils. This attention, however, led to his loyalty being questioned by the KGB, and in 1975 his family escaped the U.S.S.R. and fled to the United States with little more than the brushes he had hidden in his boots. Krasnyansky quickly became a background artist and set designer for major television and movie studios, including ABC, CBS, and Universal Studios. Balancing structuralism with surrealism, he spent many years as the Stage Art Director for the Odyssey Theatre, and gave lectures at Stanford University, UCLA, and throughout Japan. He regularly exhibited at and was represented by Park West Gallery, and raised funds for relief efforts back in Europe throughout his life, collaborating frequently with the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, his adopted home. In the early 2000s he re-engaged with his architectural past and helped design a new facade of Park West’s headquarters in Michigan. Krasnyansky passed away on March 10th, 2023, and his work can be found in public, private, and corporate collections all over the world.