Afa Maryam (Azerbaijani, born 1976) 'Tenderness' signed in Latin (lower right); further titled in Cyrillic and Latin, signed and dated '2015' (verso) oil on canvas 80 x 70cm (31 1/2 x 27 9/16in). Footnotes: Provenance Property of the artist One of the inspiring Azerbaijani female artists, Afa Maryam graduated from the Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts in 2008. The following year, two personal exhibitions of her work were held in Azerbaijan and Germany. In the recent decade, the artist participated in many international exhibitions and art fairs in Baku, Abu Dhabi, Paris, New York, and Istanbul. A member of the Union of Artists of Azerbaijan, Afa Maryam's paintings are housed in the Azerbaijan National Museum of Art, as well as many prestigious private collections worldwide. Rooted in the rich traditions of Azerbaijani painting, Afa Maryam's art presents a blend of cross-cultural influences. Her visual language, inspired by impressionism, is defined by flowing forms, a subtle palette, and a preoccupation with the changing quality of light. The artist's interest in the Sufi practices reflects in her treatment of colour and its symbolic meaning as an instrument of spiritual expression, granting her compositions simultaneously a distinctive decorative appeal and a deeply meditative quality. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: * * VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com