Rating and value of Russian Orientalist paintings by Alexander Iacovleff

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Rating and value of the artist Alexandre Iacovleff  

Icovleff is a Russian-born painter who is relatively unknown to the general public. He leaves behind a unique artistic repertoire characteristic of Russian realism. This legacy consists of paintings that are predominantly oils on canvas. Now, prices for his works are flying off the auctioneers' hammers.

His paintings and other works are particularly prized, especially by European, Russian and American buyers, and the price at which they sell on the art market ranges from €30 to €3,696,000, a considerable delta but one that speaks volumes about the value that can be attributed to Iacovleff's works.

In 2007, the oil on canvas Portrait of Vasilii Shukhaev sold for €3,696,000, while it was estimated at €740,000 to €890,000, over two million above the high estimate.

Alexandre Iacovleff's works on the auction market have very strong upside potential since the 2000s, they are relatively rare and extremely sought-after.

Order of value from a simple work to the most prestigious

Style and technique of artist Alexandre Iacovleff  

Alexandre Iacovleff is first and foremost a neoclassicist. He depicted landscapes and portraits, using iconographic programs drawing much inspiration from his various travels in Asia and Africa.

His preferred medium remains oil on canvas, although he also produced drawings and prints. In his drawings, we find many sanguines, which are indisputably the most highly rated.

Like painters such as Delacroix or Ingres in France, he makes the most of traditional painting techniques and academic canons in favor of orientalist representations.

Alexander Iacovleff, a major figure among Russian Orientalists   

Alexander Evgenevich Iacovleff, (also spelled Alexander JACOVLEFF - Alexander JAKOWLEFF - Alexander IAKOVLEV - Aleksandr Evgenevic YAKOVLEV - Alexandre YACOVLEV - Alexander YAKOVLEV) (1887 - 1938) was a Russian painter born in Saint Petersburg.

He came from a military family, and studied after high school in the studio of Dimitri Kardovski, at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts.  

He joins the Mir Iksousstva artists' association, which also includes painters Alexandre Benoit and Serge de Diaghilev. He began his personal career drawing for Russian magazines, which explains the large output of drawings circulating on the art market.

After winning a scholarship, he resided in Spain and then Italy, where he had the opportunity to study the great masters and become familiar with the trend towards Orientalism, very much in vogue in 19th-century Western Europe.

He then traveled to China and Japan, where he had the opportunity to depict everyday life in the Far East, and even to use pictorial techniques specific to Chinese and especially Japanese traditions.

From 1920, with the revolution having broken out in Russia in 1917, he settled permanently in Paris, where he rubbed shoulders with Russian artists commonly associated with the École de Paris. He quickly succeeded in exhibiting in France, then in the United States.

In 1924, he became the peintre attitré de la Croisière Noire, an automobile expedition that crossed the African continent from North to South, from Algeria to Madagascar. This trip provided him with a wealth of inspirations, which would make him famous as a painter of Orientalist subjects.

After traveling to Abyssinia with Henri de Rothschild, he became the appointed painter for the Croisière Jaune, which crossed Asia from Lebanon to China. Here, too, his output is substantial, focusing on the individuals he may have met during his voyage.

Returning to Paris, he creates the sets for Paul Valéry's ballet Sémiramis, which takes place at the Opéra Garnier. Buoyed by his success, he was offered a teaching position at the Boston School of Art and moved to the U.S.

In 1937, he returned to Paris, where he died of stomach cancer. 

Focus on The Gymnasts, Alexandre Iacovleff

Alexandre Iacovleff offers us a dynamic and intense scene here with his painting The Gymnasts. The artist captures a moment of movement and physical strength, in a hushed, almost monastic atmosphere, at the heart of a vaulted interior reminiscent of the architecture of baths or ancient gymnasiums.

The figures, muscular and in full action, are painted with precise, powerful gestures. They are depicted in full exercise, holding clubs, their bodies taut with effort.

Their posture exudes discipline, concentration, and a certain degree of mastery of their bodily art. The red hues of the loincloths contrast with the cold, earth-toned walls, reinforcing the impression of human warmth in this austere environment.

The architectural background, with its arches and vaults, frames the scene and lends a solemn depth to the whole. It creates an atmosphere that is both sacred and mysterious, where the body is given pride of place, almost like an object of worship.

The shadows and play of light on the walls help to accentuate this impression, emphasizing the gymnasts' muscularity, while softening the contours of the space.

What particularly catches the eye is the balance Iacovleff manages to strike between the dynamism of the figures in motion and the stability of the architectural setting.

We feel the strength of the bodies, but also the serenity of the space around them. The contrast between the bustle of physical exercise and the calm of the room creates a fascinating tension in the work.

The color palette chosen by the artist, dominated by ochres, browns and greens, evokes an atmosphere both warm and archaic. Oriental or Mediterranean influences are evident, typical of Iacovleff's interest in exploring distant cultures and traditions.

With Les gymnastes, Iacovleff transports us to a universe where physical effort is sublimated by an almost spiritual atmosphere, creating a subtle dialogue between the human body and architectural space.

This is a work that, through its intensity, challenges and fascinates, highlighting the beauty of the human form in movement.

Alexandre Iacovleff's works exhibited in Les Sables d'Olonne

Roubtzoff and Iacovleff, Russia's two Orientalist Alexanders

Russian Orientalist painters of the early 20th century, such as Alexander Iacovleff and Alexandre Roubtzoff, captured the exoticism and beauty of faraway lands, particularly those of the Orient and North Africa, with an eye that was both curious and respectful.

Alexandre Iacovleff, a great explorer, traveled throughout Asia and Africa, observing and sketching the daily lives of the peoples he met. His works are distinguished by a direct, almost documentary approach, but always imbued with poetry.

His travels are visible through the meticulous details and atmospheres he paints, particularly in scenes like Les gymnastes, where the movement and precision of the body recall the particular attention he paid to human anatomy.

Even if the subject matter seems far removed from the Orient, we find that mystical, sober atmosphere typical of his depictions of distant lands.

For his part, Alexandre Roubtzoff has chosen to settle in Tunisia, a country that has had a profound effect on him. His paintings are bathed in the bright light of the Maghreb. His market scenes, shady alleyways and desert landscapes are luminous and full of life, without being idealized. Light becomes almost a character in his canvases, reflecting the simple beauty of the moments he immortalized.

While Iacovleff was a nomad, always on the move, seeking to discover and understand, Roubtzoff, on the other hand, had put down roots in his Orient, taking the time to capture the essence of this vibrant daily life.

Together, they represent two different, yet complementary, approaches to Russian Orientalism: a vision imbued with both curiosity and sensitivity, which eschews clichés to offer a sincere immersion in the cultural richness of these lands.

Iacovleff's imprint on his period 

Alexandre Iacovleff left his mark on his era in Russia, France and Europe, although the general public doesn't remember much about him today.

Nevertheless, his technical mastery and personal history are of interest to collectors : his works are highly sought-after on the auction market. He immortalized many peoples and landscapes.

His participation in the Yellow Cruise and the Black Cruise enabled him to immortalize on canvas very important maritime expeditions of his time - which helped him build a reputation as well as a high quotation on the art market.

He also ranks among the great Russian landscape painters, including Constantin Westchiloff and Constantin Korovine.

Recognizing Alexander Iacovleff's signature   

Often, Alexander Iacovleff's paintings are signed at the bottom of the painting. He signs with his first and last name, often in a dark  tone; sometimes with the town where he painted the picture, or the date.

Knowing the value of a work

If you happen to own a work by Alexandre Iacovleff or after the artist, don't hesitate to request a free valuation using our form on our website.

A member of our team of experts and chartered auctioneers will contact you promptly to provide you with an estimate of the market value of your work, as well as ad hoc information about it.

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