“Born in Paris to a Russian father and a Spanish mother, both exiled, Nadine Kalachnikoff grew up surrounded by artists, intellectuals, émigrés and eccentrics. When her family moved to New York City, Nadine and her two sisters attended Miss Hewitt’s classes. Each summer, the family returned to Europe and traveled throughout a different country; their adventures always ended in Malaga, Spain.

Due to her parents’ influence, her international circle of friends became comprised of creative geniuses such as Dalí, Warhol, Halston, Hemingway, Ava Gardner, Marlon Brando, Mary Pickford, Gunter Sachs, Fernando Sanchez, Elsa Peretti and many others.

For the past twenty years, Nadine has lived in Palm Beach with her husband, the famed Swedish interior designer, Lars Bolander. They opened their first antique showroom in East Hampton, NY. Today there are two Lars Bolander Showrooms, one in NYC and one on Antique Row in West Palm Beach. They have two sons, Howard who is a chef at Gramercy Tavern in NYC and Christopher who runs the NY showroom at the Fine Arts Building.

In 2012, she asked the universe for a new path to follow, thinking perhaps an award-winning recipe or a business venture would be revealed to her. Instead, she began her first butterfly collage. Influenced by her creative upbringing and her fascination with butterflies, she embarked on this project. In one Russian dialect, butterflies are referred to as “dushuchka,” which is derived from the word “dusha,” meaning soul. Butterflies also symbolize: resurrection, celebration, purity, and freedom. Many believe the butterfly is a reminder to make changes when opportunities arise.

Shadowboxed in lucite, the three-dimensional collages are composed of feather butterflies, papyrus and acrylic on canvas. Half alighted on the canvas or clustered in dizzying swarms, the butterflies seem ready to spring into full flight. Utilizing texture, tone and composition, each canvas creates a visual dance. There is a gaiety in her work, a sense of temporality, movement, and fluctuation.”

via Nadine Kalachnikoff Collection