'King of Kitsch' Vladimir Tretchikoff dies at 93

CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- Vladimir Tretchikoff, a painter whose popular prints earned him the nickname "the king of kitsch," died Saturday, his daughter said Monday. He was 93.\nTretchikoff died at a nursing home in Cape Town after being in frail health for years, said his daughter, Mimi Mercorio.\nHis most famous work, "The Chinese Girl" -- a portrait of a woman in Chinese dress, notable for the bluish hue to her skin - sold more than half a million copies and is believed to be one of the best-selling prints of all time.\nHis daughter said the print, which achieved iconic status, wasn't even the original "Chinese Girl." The first copy was slashed after thieves broke into the artist's studio in South Africa. Later, on a visit to San Francisco, Tretchikoff spotted the daughter of a local restaurant owner and asked whether he could paint her, and she became the famous "Chinese Girl," Mercorio recalled.\nHis works were exhibited around the world, and Tretchikoff had large followings in the United States and Britain.