Last week fantastic home retailer Graham & Green launched a great new homewares range using the works of ‘king of kitsch’ Vladimir Tretchikoff. These are official pieces, licensed by the commercial arm of the Tretchikoff Foundation and made in South Africa where Tretchikoff spent most of his life. Some of his most famous works have been digitally printed onto lampshades and cushions, including Chinese Girl, Lady from Orient and Zulu girl. We at Your Vintage Life love it. Find the full range here.
In todays blog we look at five great Tretchikoff pieces for your home via vintage shopping and new reproductions – all available on-line now.
1. Lets start with the new Graham and Green range, and its fabulous lampshades – digitally printed on polytwill they are a real statement piece but not as overpowering as a piece of art can be. Add to a vintage lamp-base for maximum impact.
Lampshade from Graham & Green
2. Tretchikoff was a self-taught artist who painted subjects often inspired by his early life in the Far East and later life in South Africa. His work was immensely popular with the general public and his reproduction prints sold worldwide in huge numbers. The reproductions were so popular that it was rumoured that Tretchikoff was the world’s richest artist after Picasso and the original of Chinese Girl sold for £1,000,000 at Bonhams last March. Source a vintage reproduction print from eBay such as ‘Miss Wong’ and let it take pride of place on your wall.
eBay 1960’s artwork via gillsct
3. If his artworks are a bit too much for you, how about some mini art in the form of a magnet for your fridge? Kitsch art for a couple of quid? We are sold…in fact we’ll have two!
Fridge magnet from Shop.com
4. Learn about the man himself, his art and his life. His biography ‘Incredible Tretchikoff’, has the pace and suspense of an adventure novel, reveals the remarkable stories that lie behind his most famous pictures, while presenting recently uncovered information and previously unseen photographs. This fascinating and gripping book is a fitting record of one of the most popular and controversial painters of the twentieth century.
‘Incredible Tretchikoff’ by Boris Gorelik via Amazon
Etsy licenced Tretchikoff cushion via Tretchi
Tretchikoff’s life motto was “Express your passion, do whatever you love, take action, no matter what”. So embrace the king of kitsch, his passion and his vision and buy something that will become a true collectable of the future.
Written by Sarah Gorlov
