Signed Nicolai Fechin (1881-1955) Original Oil Painting on BoardMeasures 19 inches by 15 inches inches including the frame end to endPainting alone measures 14 inches by 10'Estimate $10000-$15000. Nicolai Fechin 26 of November 1881- 5 of October 1955) was a Russian-American painter known for his portraits and works featuring Native Americans. After graduating with the highest marks from the Imperial Academy of Arts and traveling in Europe under a Prix de Rome, he returned to his native Kazan, where he taught and painted. He exhibited his first work in the United States in 1910 in an international exhibition in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After immigrating with his family to New York in 1923 and working there for a few years, Fechin developed tuberculosis and moved West for a drier climate.He and his family settled in Taos, New Mexico, where he became fascinated by Native Americans and the landscape. The adobe house which he renovated in Taos is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is used as the Taos Art Museum.After leaving Taos in 1933, Fechin eventually settled in Southern California.