Ben Uri Research Unit

Born: 1909 Kiev, Russian Empire (now Kyiv, Ukraine)

Died: 1984 North Hayling, England

Other name/s: Athanasius Nikolsky , Afanasy Nikolsky , Afanasiy A. Nikolsky , Athanasius A. Nikolsky

Biography

Painter Afanasy (also referred to as Athanasius) Nikolsky was born in Kiev, Russian Empire (now Kyiv, Ukraine) on 14 May 1909. He trained as an artist in Leningrad (now St Petersburg), but the political turmoil of the early Soviet period forced him to leave Russia. After a period in Warsaw, Poland he was again displaced by the Second World War. He and his wife Elena, a sculptor trained in Leningrad, fled Kiev with their two sons, Maxim and Anton, as the Nazi invasion reached Ukraine. Accompanied by Nikolsky’s mother, Angelina, they moved across Europe, eventually arriving in the British zone in occupied Germany before settling in England in 1947. The family spent a brief time in a displaced persons camp in Bedhampton before settling permanently at 18 Northney Road, on Hayling Island, Hampshire, which remained their home for the rest of their lives. Nikolsky worked initially at Northney Farm, where he spent every spare moment painting the surrounding countryside. He became a British citizen in 1955.

Though his early life had been marked by displacement and adversity, it is the latter part that is reflected in his art, which was described as 'fresh, bright and full of life' (Portsmouth Evening News 1956, p. 13). Nikolsky worked in both oil and watercolour, capturing the southern English landscape with a style that combined technical precision and emotional warmth. He specialised in floral still lifes, portraits—particularly of children—rural and coastal landscapes, and marine scenes. His work is noted for its serene clarity, rich colour palette, and subtle observation of light and detail. Often described as orthodox and traditional, his paintings reflect a sincere and skilled approach rooted in figurative and naturalistic traditions. He remained largely uninterested in modern abstraction, favouring honest depictions of the visible world.

Nikolsky’s first known public exhibition in Britain took place in 1951 with the Chichester Art Society, followed by his participation in the 1952 annual exhibition of the Portsmouth and Hampshire Art Society. In 1953, five of his works—three floral still lifes, two landscapes of Warblington and Langstone, and a portrait—were shown with the Society. A reviewer described Nikolsky's oil paintings as 'the main attraction […] executed with the greatest skill' (Portsmouth Evening News 1953, p. 15). A solo exhibition in 1956 at St John’s College, Southsea, furthered his growing reputation. It featured both portraits and landscapes, including a notable oil painting titled Sunset. In 1958, he contributed to a group show in Chichester and held another exhibition at St John’s in 1959, this time jointly with his wife Elena. The show was opened by their personal friend, the painter R. O. Dunlop, R.A., who remarked: 'Mr. Nikolsky has an honest and sincere approach to nature' (Portsmouth Evening News 1959, p. 7).

Nikolsky's work gained wider recognition in 1960 when his painting Silent Afternoon was accepted for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. That same year, he exhibited at the Royal Watercolour Society and the Royal Society of Marine Artists. In 1961, two of his paintings—Roses in a Glass Bowl and Winter Composition—were selected for the Royal Society of Painters’ annual Flower Paintings Exhibition in London. Later in the same year, two of his works were accepted into the Salon de Paris. The following year, all three of his submissions to the Salon were accepted, including a watercolour of the Langstone foreshore and two wooded landscapes painted at Rowlands Castle. Throughout the 1960s, he exhibited regularly in Portsmouth and Worthing, and was a popular figure in the local arts community, often invited to demonstrate and critique at the Bognor Regis Art Society.

Nikolsky also received important commissions during this period. For the Lord Mayor of London, he painted a series of eight oil scenes along the Thames. Portsmouth Dockyard commissioned large oil paintings of HMS Victory, and one of his watercolours was installed in the Captain’s Cabin of the historic ship. He also created a mural of Langstone Millponds as a backdrop to the stage at Northney Village Hall. While Elena continued to exhibit sculptures throughout the south of England—including at the Royal Academy and the Society of Women Artists—Nikolsky remained dedicated to his painting. Their home and studio were filled with works in progress, and the couple made their living entirely through their art. In an interview from 1958, he expressed his deep attachment to his adopted country: ‘We like it very much in this country and we have no desire ever to move again’ (Portsmouth Evening News 1958, p. 2). Despite his success during his lifetime, his contribution remains largely overlooked today. Afanasy Nikolsky died in North Hayling, Hampshire, England on 28 August 1984. His work is not currently represented in the UK public domain. A retrospective exhibition featuring 40 paintings by the artist was held at Northney Farm Tea Room in 2018.

Related books

‘Arrangements’, Bognor Regis Observer, 2 May 1969, p. 5
‘Art Session’, Bognor Regis Observer, 17 January 1969, p. 5
‘Art Society’, Bognor Regis Observer, 29 March 1968, p. 4
‘Dual Success’, Portsmouth Evening News, 26 May 1961, p. 2
‘Painter’s Success’, Hampshire Telegraph, 6 January 1961, p. 4
‘Town and Country Gossip by Belinda’, Bognor Regis Observer, 4 November 1960, p. 3
‘Fine Selection at Art Display’, Portsmouth Evening News, 20 May 1960, p. 8
‘Sculptress’, Portsmouth Evening News, 25 May 1960, p. 2
‘Art Success’, Portsmouth Evening News, 22 April 1960, p. 2
‘Southsea Art Show by Man and Wife’, Portsmouth Evening News, 8 September 1959, p. 7
‘Chichester Art Show Has Many Fine Works’, Bognor Regis Observer, 25 July 1958, p. 5
‘Art Showing’, Portsmouth Evening News, 28 April 1958, p. 2
‘Contentment Shown in His Painting’, Portsmouth Evening News, 31 August 1956, p. 13
‘Political Prisoner’ Who Stirs No-one to Anger’, Portsmouth Evening News, 10 April 1953, p. 15

Related organisations

Chichester Art Society (member)

Selected exhibitions

Retrospective Exhibition, Northney Farm Tea Room, Hayling Island, Hampshire (2018)
Royal Society of Painters, London (1961)
192nd Royal Academy of Arts Exhibition, London (1960)
Royal Society of Marine Artists Exhibition, London (1960)
Royal Watercolour Society, London (1960)
Elena Nikolsky and Afanasy Nikolsky, St John’s College, Southsea (1959)
Chichester Art Show, Chichester, Sussex (1958)
Solo exhibition, St John’s College, Southsea (1956)
Portsmouth and Hampshire Art Society Exhibition, Portsmouth (1953, 1952)
Chichester Art Society Exhibition, Chichester (1951)

Ben Uri archive

Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [Afanasy Nikolsky]

Ben Uri Research Unit

for the study and digital recording of the Jewish, Refugee and wide Immigrant contribution to British visual culture since 1900.

Afanasy Nikolsky artist