Anatole Krasnyansky (Ukrainian-American, 1930-2023

Updated September 18, 2026

This auction ended on October 4, 2026. See upcoming auctions from Oakwood Auctions.

Lot number	502
Estimate	50.00 - 100.00 USD
Auction	October Art & Collectibles- 2-DAY Auction
Date	October 4, 2026 at 11:00 PM EDT
Auction house	Oakwood Auctions
Location	Stouffville

Anatole Krasnyansky (Ukrainian-American, 1930-2023), Untitled (Three Jesters), signed color serigraph on textured wove paper, depicting an exuberant vertical assemblage of theatrical masked figures rendered in the artist's distinctive Surrealist and Cubist-derived vocabulary. Signed "A. Krasnyansky" at lower left. Presented under a deep black beveled mat within an imposing, richly ornamented gilt frame. A particularly compelling example of Krasnyansky's celebrated jester, harlequin, masquerade, and theatrical figure imagery, the composition presents three interlocking performers emerging against a luminous, richly textured golden-yellow field. Their bodies dissolve into an intricate architecture of brilliant scarlet, turquoise, cobalt blue, lavender, violet, black, silver-gray, and white passages, creating the extraordinary sense of movement and visual rhythm for which Krasnyansky's mature figurative work is recognized. The figures are conceived less as conventional portraits than as an elaborate theatrical construction. Mask-like faces, dramatically articulated hands, goblet forms, sweeping costume elements, elongated limbs, and delicate linear passages appear to overlap, disappear, and re-emerge within the composition. The principal forms are arranged in a powerful ascending vertical rhythm, while energetic calligraphic markings animate the surrounding golden field and lend the image the character of an imaginary stage, manuscript, or ceremonial performance. Krasnyansky's remarkable command of structure was rooted in his formal training as an architect. Born in Kyiv in 1930, he trained in architecture and fine art before emigrating from the Soviet Union to the United States in 1975. After settling in Los Angeles, he worked as a scenic artist and set designer for major American television and motion-picture studios, including ABC, CBS, and Universal Studios. His artistic career ultimately developed along two distinct yet interconnected paths: atmospheric architectural compositions informed by his Eastern European experience and the brilliantly colored, psychologically charged masked figures that became among the most immediately recognizable images of his American period. The masquerade motif carried particular significance for Krasnyansky. His masked protagonists were conceived as reflections upon identity, performance, and the changing roles individuals assume in different social circumstances. Park West Gallery, with which the artist maintained a longstanding association, specifically identifies these masked figures as central to his artistic philosophy concerning the multiple "masks" adopted throughout human life. Within that body of work, the present composition is especially effective for its combination of figural density, theatrical narrative, jewel-like coloration, and expansive gold-toned ground. The disciplined stacking of the figures reflects Krasnyansky's architectural sensibility, while the fragme

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