Aleksandra Shchekotikhina-Pototskaya

Aleksandra Vasilievna Shchekatikhina-Pototskaya (; - 1967) ( Shchekatikhina) was a Russian porcelain artist, illustrator, painter, and theatre set designer.

The Russian State Museum has described her as one of the most impressive Russian porcelain artists of the first half of the 20th Century. Her works were produced in the Soviet Union, France, and Egypt. She was particularly inspired by Russian folklore and icons, and her style is recognised for its bright colours, and placing great emphasis on costume. She was influenced by Orthodox icons, and her ceramic painting shows a lack of perspective.

Biography Shchekatikhina was born on in Aleksandrovsk, to a family with Old Believer and merchant heritage. The family's traditional craft was icon painting. She was known for producing emotive works with vibrant colours and dramatic or festive themes. During the Russian famine of 1921–1922, like several other artists at the time, Shchekatikhina integrated the themes of the famine and the subsequent typhus outbreak into her porcelain painting, with some of her works being sold to raise funds for the victims' families.

In February 1923, Shchekatikhina arrived in Cairo with her seven-year-old son Mstislav. Bilibin and Shchekatikhina were married at the end of February 1923.

In Egypt, Shchekatikhina created a series of painted porcelain items with oriental themes. In the summer of 1924, she travelled with her family to Syria and Palestine. When they returned to Egypt in October, the family moved to Alexandria.

In March 1925, they travelled to the Luxor Temple in Upper Egypt. She painted sketches in oil and watercolour. From December 1924-January 1925, Bilibin and Shchekatikhina held a joint exhibition.

France In August 1925, the family moved to Paris, the impetus being the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, which was then held in Paris. Shchekatikhina's works were exhibited at the fair, and she was awarded the gold medal for porcelain.

In Paris, Shchekatikhina joined the Société des Artistes Indépendants and took part in the Salon d'Automne and the Salon des Tuileries. She maintained contact with the State Porcelain Factory in Leningrad and exhibited her work there. She participated in group exhibitions of Russian artists in Paris, Birmingham (1928), Brussels (1928), Belgrade (1930), and Prague (1935). Shchekatikhina held solo exhibitions in Paris in 1926 and 1929 and a joint exhibition with Bilibin in Amsterdam in 1929. In 1927, she exhibited at the International Exhibition of Art Industry and Decorative Arts in Monza. Her works continued to appear in exhibitions in the USSR.

Shchekatikhina painted landscapes, portraits, and still lifes, painted fabrics, and designed models of men's and women's clothing. She created illustrations for the books, including a 1927 edition of Taras Bulba by Nikolai Gogol and a 1933 edition of The Adventures of Pinocchio. She painted porcelain for the Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, which included dishes, vases, and plates. She worked with Bilibin on the sets for the 1929 opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.

During the summers from 1927 to 1936, the family spent their time in La Favière, where they had purchased a small plot of land with other Russian émigrés. Sasha Chorny also resided there during the summers and was well acquainted with the family.

In September 1935, Bilibin obtained Soviet citizenship.

Return to the USSR At the beginning of September 1936, the family set out for the USSR on the Soviet steamship Lagoda from Antwerp. They arrived in Leningrad on 16 September, and the family settled in the city. On 20 October, a special meeting was held to introduce Shchekatikhina and Bilibin to the Leningrad artists. Shchekatikhina resumed work at the Leningrad Porcelain Factory (now under Nikolai Suetin), which she had left in 1923.

After the Second World War outbreak, Bilibin rejected an offer of evacuation out of Moscow. During the war, Shchekotikhina's art turned to ancient Russian heroic subjects. On 7 February 1942, Bilibin died of starvation during the Siege of Leningrad. Despite contracting pneumonia, Shchekatikhina survived the war.

In the post-war years, she worked mainly on mass-produced porcelain. She retired in 1953. In 1955, she held a personal exhibition in Leningrad.

Shchekatikhina died in St Petersburg in 1967, aged 75. She is buried at the Bolsheokhtinskoye Cemetery in St Petersburg.