Kirill's house

Sokolov treasured the few old family things that had survived war, revolution and emigration, and was an enthusiastic collector. He painted tables, chairs, chests, screens and whole rooms, always eager to see his paintings create their own space. “In his Durham home, virtually every surface has been embellished in the traditional mode of painted decoration, and those corners of his house not filled by his own prolific output house impromptu displays from his collection. There’s nothing precious about this, no air of the museum, but rather the sense that his living and working quarters have absorbed some of the man’s vitality, building up layer upon layer of references, fragments and memories”. Gail-Nina Anderson, “Northern Review”, December 1995 – January 1996, p.13.