№ 2240 . The 200th Birth Anniversary of Ivan Aivazovsky (1817‒1900), a Painter

Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (1817‒1900) was a Russian painter, art patron, professor, academician and an honorary member of the Imperial Academy of Arts. He was born in Feodosia on July 29, 1817. He founded an art school and a gallery there, which now boasts the most complete collection of the painter’s works.

The artist mainly painted seascapes during his trips to England, Spain, Germany, Africa, America and Middle East. During his life, he created around 6,000 paintings and won international fame as a marine artist. 

Aivazovsky was an art patron and used his fortune generously for charitable purposes. He gave money to build an archeological museum in Feodosia and for many urban development works. 

The postage stamp features the Entrance to Sevastopol Bay (1852) painting by Ivan Aivazovsky, and the souvenir sheets margins bear a portrait of the artist.