Tretchikoff was one of the biggest-selling painters ever. Born in Siberia in 1913 his family were scattered across the globe four years later during the Russian Revolution. They were never reunited. He emigrated to China, was orphaned at 11 and became a professional artist at 13.

After moving to Singapore he held his first exhibition, aged 20, became a propaganda artist for British Intelligence and was duly imprisoned in Java. Here he developed an affinity for warm colours and exotic subject matter.

When he eventually settled in South Africa his work was belittled and heavily criticized in the press for providing what one newspaper referred to as “cheap sensation for the masses.” At exhibitions his paintings were attacked and slashed yet in 1953 an exhibition in Cape Town attracted 120 000 visitors, and a subsequent exhibition 420 000.

After rave reviews in America a 1960 exhibition in London broke all the records and cemented Tretchikoff’s reputation as the best selling print artist worldwide, beating Picasso – who, it is said, is the only artist to have made more money than Tretchikoff.

Tretchikoff’s decision to reproduce his prints was perhaps one of the most democratic moments in the history of modern art as it transformed the relationship between artist and purchaser to one between artist and one hundred purchasers.

Having lived in Shanghai and Singapore, the influence of the Far East and a fascination with the exotic can be seen in most of Tretchikoff’s work. His figure studies generally feature members of African tribes or oriental women and he has always been fascinated with oriental flowers, such as magnolias, which he imbues with an emotional charge through the use of dramatic composition and stark colour schemes.

Tretchikoff also used unconventional techniques in his work, such as combining brush and palette knife to lend his paintings more weight. Not unlike the Beatles, he globally tuned into peoples’ artistic senses. In many ways, he achieved everything that Andy Warhol stated he wanted to do but could never achieve because of his coolness.

In The Green Lady, Tretchikoff created an image as recognizable as the Mona Lisa and a print that is still one of thetop three best selling prints ever. Tretchikoff’s art is full of contradiction and has probably received more praise and criticism than that of any other twentieth century artist.

Art historians say Tretchikoff’s work records a vibrant period of South African history that followed the drabness of the war years when people were striving to get back to a normal existence. For many his work represents an ironic, affordable alternative. It is sad perhaps that this ‘adopted’ South African icon’s work is represented in the Louvre but not in the South African National Gallery.