Ashot

Art Brokerage: Ashot, b. 1951, goes only by that name. He is of mixed European ancestry. Growing up high in the majestic mountains of the Caucasus, Ashot was surrounded by a pristine ecosystem that has since then been considerably adversely impacted by human activity. It was with the natural wonders of the planet that he most closely identified as a child and youth, rather than any particular national or ethnic group. Ashot continues the French School of painting which was at its peak in the Barbizon and Impressionist period, and draws inspiration from its masters, as much as from the Old Masters of classical painting: Leonardo, Titian, Vermeer. Ashot first began to sell his paintings to private collectors at the age of 16. His distinctive appearance, and work of the time, caused a stir when he first appeared in Moscow. He brought his finds back to Moscow and developed a very interesting clientele, which then also bought paintings and hired him to design and decorate their homes. His clients included the political elite (which was dangerous to work with); movie and theatre stars, as well as other renowned artists (for example, the household of the composer Scriabin, the chess grandmaster Petrossian, pop-star and composer Yuri Antonov, the late leading man and poet Leonid Filatov, the latter two becoming particularly close personal friends.)