Avto Varazi, Georgian, 1926 to 1977, mixed media, oil and collage, on masonite, Still Life, 1974. Signed with initials and dated on the back. Framed. An additional pencil sketch of a woman in profile on the back. Provenance: Shapiro Auctions, NY, United States, May 21, 2016, lot 112. Avto Varazi was a Georgian artist and painter. Avto Varazi occupies a special place in Georgian painting of the 20th century. The artist applied various painting systems and techniques with equal success. Religious motifs also took a significant role in Varazis work, which was quite unusual for a painter of the Soviet period. His teacher was a Soviet Georgian artist, graphic designer and sculptor Alexander Bazhbeuk Melikyan. Varazi was the first among Georgian artists to apply the technique of collage. One of a kind artwork.