Democracy Dies in Darkness

Alexander Anufriev, Soviet émigré and painter of angels, dies at 84

Inspired by a near-death experience, he painted angels for more than half a century, exhibiting his work at galleries in Washington and Boston.

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Washington-area artist Alexander Anufriev in 2016 with paintings he exhibited at the Barns of Rose Hill, a Virginia art center. (Ginger Perry/Winchester Star)
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Alexander Anufriev, a nonconformist artist from the Soviet Union who, after surviving a devastating earthquake in his 20s, spent decades making expressive, brightly colored paintings of a single otherworldly subject — angels — died Oct. 17 at a hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. He was 84.

The cause was complications from lung cancer, said his wife, Tanya Anisimova, who served as a model for some of his pictures. The couple lived in the Kentlands section of Gaithersburg, Maryland, where Mr. Anufriev painted from his home studio until his health declined last year.