Gallery 16 Editions has the distinct pleasure of announcing a new book release with Prince Andrew Romanoff. Romanoff is the grandnephew of the late Tsar Nicholas Romanoff. Had the Bolshevik Revolution not intervened, Andrew himself was in line to become Tsar of Russia. Instead, he grew up in exile on the grounds at Windsor Castle in London. Prince Andrew chronicles this remarkable childhood in a new book "The Boy Who Would Be Tsar." The book was designed by Urban Digital Color and Published by Gallery 16 Editions. Prince Andrew's drawings of daily life are executed on Shrinky Dink material, a plastic which shrinks when heated in the oven. These decidedly original works are rooted in the realm of Folk Art. Romanoff has exhibited these eccentric works around the world.
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INVERNESS, Calif. - If history hadn't gotten in the way, Andrew Romanoff could have been the emperor of Russia. But as things turned out, the mustachioed grandnephew of the ill-fated last czar spends his time painting whimsical, folk-art renderings of his unusual upbringing in a dethroned royal family onto "Shrinky Dinks," the plastic children's toy that shrinks in the oven. His whimsical pieces, which chronicle daily life, are currently being shown at a gallery in San Francisco. Along with his recent memoir, "The Boy Who Would be Tsar: The Art of Prince Andrew Romanoff," they tell the story of the 20th century's great wars and political convulsions from the very intimate perspective of a child at the center of it all. "At certain moments I would be called on to play the game, be a prince," said Romanoff, 84, recalling the family reunion in St. Petersburg in 1998, when the last Czar of Russia, Nicholas II, and his family were reburied 80 years after their execution by Bolshevik revolutionaries. "But it's always the people around me who get excited about it." His art addresses the public's curiosity about his royal birth. But in the context of Romanoff's life, this attention to his origins seems almost an afterthought, as he has shunned notoriety most of his life. Art covers the walls of their redwood-shingled house in Inverness, a tiny waterfront town on the edge of Point Reyes National Seashore. There is folk art, their own art, pieces by friends and by well-known artists, and family photos. The vibrant display makes it clear that Romanoff's royal birth was only the first of many quirky twists in a full, eventful life. The story begins a few years before Romanoff was born, with the Russian Revolution of 1917 - a turning point in the history of the world, and for the Romanoff family, which had held the Russian throne since 1613. The Bolshevik triumph led to the murder of Nicholas II, his wife and children, and plunged Russia into decades of communist rule. N --Associated Press:JULIANA BARBASSA
Review : Andrew Romanoff: The Boy Who Would Be Tsar Russian Prince, Andrew Romanoff spent his childhood living in a Windsor Castle guesthouse and once mistakenly ate some chocolate Easter eggs meant for a certain princess named Elizabeth. He could have been Russia's last Tsar, but instead he fought in World War II and moved to Palo Alto in 1949. And he illustrates his life on Shrinky Dinks. Clear plastic sheets that shrink when baked in an oven, Shrinky Dinks were a memorable art project for those who grew up in the '70s and '80s. The Shrinky Dinks I remember had printed pictures of Smurfs that we'd fill in with colored pencil, then shrink and place on little plastic stands to create 2-D figures that would be played with for three seconds and then lost in the bottom of your toy pile. Romanoff uses this whimsical medium along with colored pencil and paint to illustrate a privileged and isolated childhood and a tumultuous early adult life. His family fled Russia during the Bolshevik revolution after his great uncle, Tsar Nicholas II and other relatives were murdered. England's King George was the Tsar's cousin and sent for Romanoff's family to offer them a safe haven. Though he was born in England and Queen Mary was "Auntie Mary" to Prince Romanoff, he was not often encouraged to socialize with the Royals. However, he was once invited to a party where the children were instructed to let Princess Elizabeth win a game because it was her birthday. I had to remind myself that this was not make-believe, but a true story about the current, real-life Queen of England. Romanoff, who now lives in the coastal town of Inverness, California, presents his memories in a narrative format. They are not all grand, just specially selected random autobiographical moments. Though his childlike drawings are not profoundly technical, they are very sweet and have a pleasing use of bright, Crayola color. Under each illustration is a description written on a separate piece of Shrinky Dink. " --KQED.org
Review : Andrew Romanoff: The Boy Who Would Be Tsar Russian Prince, Andrew Romanoff spent his childhood living in a Windsor Castle guesthouse and once mistakenly ate some chocolate Easter eggs meant for a certain princess named Elizabeth. He could have been Russia's last Tsar, but instead he fought in World War II and moved to Palo Alto in 1949. And he illustrates his life on Shrinky Dinks. Clear plastic sheets that shrink when baked in an oven, Shrinky Dinks were a memorable art project for those who grew up in the '70s and '80s. The Shrinky Dinks I remember had printed pictures of Smurfs that we'd fill in with colored pencil, then shrink and place on little plastic stands to create 2-D figures that would be played with for three seconds and then lost in the bottom of your toy pile. Romanoff uses this whimsical medium along with colored pencil and paint to illustrate a privileged and isolated childhood and a tumultuous early adult life. His family fled Russia during the Bolshevik revolution after his great uncle, Tsar Nicholas II and other relatives were murdered. England's King George was the Tsar's cousin and sent for Romanoff's family to offer them a safe haven. Though he was born in England and Queen Mary was "Auntie Mary" to Prince Romanoff, he was not often encouraged to socialize with the Royals. However, he was once invited to a party where the children were instructed to let Princess Elizabeth win a game because it was her birthday. I had to remind myself that this was not make-believe, but a true story about the current, real-life Queen of England. Romanoff, who now lives in the coastal town of Inverness, California, presents his memories in a narrative format. They are not all grand, just specially selected random autobiographical moments. Though his childlike drawings are not profoundly technical, they are very sweet and have a pleasing use of bright, Crayola color. Under each illustration is a description written on a separate piece of Shrinky Dink. " --KQED.org
About the Author
Andrew Romanoff's paintings are small, witty icons influenced by his impression of contemporary culture as well as his own Russian heritage. Painted on clear plastic known as "shrinky dink," and often accompanied by written narratives, these images range widely in subject matter. Some are about Andrew's early years growing up at Windsor where he lived with his family which included his grandmother, the Grand Duchess Xenia, who was the sister of Czar Nicholas. In 1990, he went to Russia for the first time for an art exhibition that included his work. He has been to Russia many times since then, including a visit to Ekaterineberg where the family was murdered in 1917, and participated in an American film "The End of a Legend" about the findings of the Romanoff bones and the subsequent DNA investigation. In the late 90's he participated in a large photographic exhibition of the history of the Romanoffs, which was held in St. Petersburg at the Smolny Cathedral. He has had numerous exhibitions throughout the United States; among these, Gallery 16 in San Francisco as well as the Artists Gallery of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Fort Mason. Romanoff was born in London, served in the British Navy, and came to the United States in the late 40's. He now resides in Inverness, California with his wife, also a painter, Inez Storer.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining with an unbelievable connection with history!,
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This review is from: The Boy Who Would Be Tsar: The Art of Prince Andrew Romanoff (Hardcover)
The book provides an incredible insight into a period of history, thought dead and buried, that is made very alive and very personable. The artwork is clever, cute and to be cherished. A great book to have and share.
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