vintage (art)

Antonin Ivanovich Soungouroff was born in Russia in 1894; in 1926 he immigrated to China working as an illustrator for a Russian magazine "Youth" and producing paintings of scenes of Chinese folk life. In 1933 settled in France where he became well known for his portraits of attractive young men, particularly young fisherman around Cannes, legionnaires, sailors and soldiers. His works were unabashedly dealt with gay life and culture (and sex). He became friends with prominent writers and avant-garde artists as Jean Cocteau and Roger Peyrefitte. He died on the Cote d'Azur, Southern France, the date is uncertain, probably in 1982.