Adrien Karbowsky (French, 1855-1945)

Oil on canvas, signed.

Painting size: 24” x 20”
Frame size: 30”x 26”

Paris native Adrien Karbowsky was a successful still life painter who regularly exhibited at the Salon des Artistes. He achieved considerable recognition, however, for his work as an interior designer, painting murals for the dining room of the Prince Monaco and the Mairie de Nogent-sur-Marne (the French equivalent of a town hall). Karbowsky was awarded the chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur in 1902.

In this work, Karbowsky presents the classic still life elements of wine bottles, fruit and a wine glass. The solid, slightly abstracted forms are rendered with thoughtful attention to the effects of light-- the gleam on the grapes, the highlighted curve on the Chianti bottle. Overall, the composition recalls the still lifes of contemporary French realist, Edourad Manet.