Lot 82
Valentin Firsov Shabaeff (1891-1978)
Additional Images
Provenance:
Private Collection, Calgary, Alberta
Note:
Valentin Firsov Shabaeff was born and educated in Russia, he maintained his studio, together with his wife Sonia, in Montreal, Canada. He studied five years at Moscow School of Art and another four years at the Imperial Russian Academy. He worked as a painter, sculptor, potter and produced reliefs and murals.
Shabaeff came to Canada in 1930 and settled in Montreal. He completed commissions for the Chapel of Christ Church Cathedral (a ceramic triptych of Madonna and Child with Seraphim); ten stone reliefs for the CNR Central Station; murals for Henry Birks and Sons in Quebec City; murals for Samovar Montreal night club and other commissions. Shabaeff represented Canada with painting at the New York World’s Fair in 1939.
In 1945 Dr. Max Stern of the Dominion Gallery was the first Montreal art dealer to give Shabaeff a solo show of ceramic plaques, reliefs and jewellery. The entire exhibition was sold out to collectors.