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Konstantin Korovin (1861-1939) Night Scene in Paris, 1927

Dimensions 50.5 × 60 cm | 19.9 × 23.6 in
Medium Oil on Canvas
Sold For
95,000
121,600 € with buyer’s premium (rate at the time of sale)
Estimate: 6,000 - 8,000 €

Details

Signed front lower left “Konstant. Korovine 1927”.

Sizes:
Artwork: 50.5 × 60 cm | 19.9 × 23.6 in

Step into the nocturnal vibrancy of Night Scene in Paris, a masterful cityscape painted in 1927 by Russian Impressionist Konstantin Korovin. Alive with electric light, fleeting figures, and the pulse of Parisian nightlife, the painting is a lyrical meditation on modernity, exile, and memory. Painted during Korovin’s mature years in France, this work captures the artist’s enduring fascination with light—not as illumination alone, but as emotion rendered visible.

Korovin’s brush does not merely depict Paris—it animates it. Layer upon expressive layer of oil paint sweeps across the canvas in bursts of ochre, blue, and vermilion, evoking the shimmer of gaslights, the gleam of wet cobblestones, and the hum of evening life. Figures drift like shadows caught mid-movement. Buildings glow with warmth. There is no fixed center; instead, the viewer is drawn into a living moment where the boundaries between perception and feeling dissolve.

Rather than a precise record, Night Scene in Paris is an emotional atmosphere—a memory refracted through color and gesture. It channels the essence of Impressionism while infusing it with a uniquely Slavic melancholy and theatricality.

Created after Korovin’s emigration from Soviet Russia, this painting resonates with quiet longing. As an artist once celebrated at the Imperial court, Korovin found himself reinventing his visual language in Paris—a city both foreign and familiar. Here, he turns to the streets not for spectacle, but for solace. In this nocturne, one senses a man observing from the edge of the crowd, painting with both nostalgia and newfound freedom.

Paintings from Korovin’s Parisian period are highly sought after by collectors for their expressive force, historical resonance, and painterly brilliance. Night Scene in Paris offers all three. Its size and subject matter make it ideal for prominent display—whether in a private salon or museum-grade collection.

This is a work that commands presence while whispering its story. Rich in narrative and technique, it occupies a special place in the arc of 20th-century Russian art in exile.

With the art market’s renewed interest in Russian émigré painters, Korovin’s works continue to appreciate in value and relevance. His ability to merge Western impressionistic aesthetics with the emotional depth of Russian visual tradition gives his paintings a lasting appeal that transcends eras.

Night Scene in Paris is more than an artwork—it is a window into the soul of a displaced genius, a poetic tribute to beauty found in transience. For the discerning collector, it offers a rare opportunity to acquire both legacy and light.

Provenance

Private collection, Paris, France.

Condition Report

Good vintage condition with some signs of wear. Unframed.

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Konstantin Korovin

Konstantin Korovin

Russian (1861-1939)

Konstantin Korovin, a leading figure of Russian Impressionism, captured the poetry of modern life through vibrant brushwork and atmospheric cityscapes. Born in Moscow in 1861, Korovin studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where he was influenced by the Russian realist tradition and the emerging currents of European Impressionism. A lifelong traveler and cosmopolitan, he developed a unique style that blended Russian lyricism with the light and spontaneity of French painting.

Drawn to the charm of urban nightlife and theatrical settings, Korovin spent extensive periods in Paris, where he painted bustling boulevards, cafés, and nocturnes with bold strokes and luminous palettes. His works pulse with energy—capturing fleeting moments, shimmering lights, and the romantic melancholy of twilight. Beyond painting, he also made significant contributions to stage design for the Mariinsky and Bolshoi Theatres, bringing a painter’s sensitivity to the world of opera and ballet. Today, Korovin is remembered as a visionary who bridged Russian and Western artistic traditions, infusing Impressionism with emotional depth and Slavic soul.

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