Nicolai Ivanovich Fechin (1881-1955)
Self-Portrait
oil on canvas
14.75 x 11.5 inches
22.75 x 20.5 inches (frame)
stamped lower right: N. Fechin
verso: titled on stretcher

Nicolai Ivanovich Fechin, born in Kazan, Russia, was renowned for his portraits. Raised in the Volga Forest amidst Tartar tribes, Fechin overcame a near-fatal illness at four. At thirteen, he earned a scholarship to the Art School of Kazan, later studying under Ilya Repin at the Imperial Academy of Art in St. Petersburg. Fechin's palette-knife technique gained acclaim in Europe and America, and after fleeing the Bolshevik Revolution, he settled in Taos, New Mexico in 1927, capturing the essence of Southwestern life through vivid portraits. It was in Taos where Nicolai designed and built his masterpiece of a homestead, with beautiful carved details reminiscent of Russia yet perfectly blended with the native pueblo architecture of New Mexico. The home still stands as a museum today, donated by his daughter Eya Fechin Branham in 1981.

This painting, a self-portrait once owned by Fechin’s daughter Eya, provides an intimate view of Nicolai Fechin and is listed in Harold McCracken’s 1961 catalogue of the artist’s works. A smaller version of this self-portrait hangs in the Taos Art Museum at Fechin House.

EXHIBITION
Southwestern University Special Collection, Georgetown, Texas, 1983

LITERATURE
Harold McCracken, "Nicolai Fechin", The Hammer Galleries, Inc., The Ram Press, New York, 1961, listed as from the collection of Eya Fechin Branham, pl. 206.

The painting appears to be in good condition. Under UV examination, there is no evidence of inpainting. Painting has been relined.