1919
1919 Bassins aux Nymphéas by Monet
2008 SOLD for £ 41M including premium by Christie's
narrated in 2020
Monet had interrupted his series of Bassins aux Nymphéas in 1908. In 1914 he restarts this theme on larger formats while observing its decorative effect. He redesigns his workshop in the following year to paint entirely indoors his largest canvases, around 2 x 2 m, which he devotes to enlargements of small details.
This decorative ambition led him in 1917 to test panoramic formats, around 130 x 200 cm, the largest dimension for which he is able to paint outdoors using a system of ropes and weights. He multiplies the sketches with, according to his signature habit, the greatest variety of colors expressing the different lights of the day.
Under the influence of Clémenceau, the project becomes a patriotic symbol, titled Les Grandes Décorations, which he completes in 1926.
From the start of the preparation phase, Monet attached the greatest importance to the coherence of the whole. Nevertheless in 1919 he paints for the trade four finished works with an especially high quality, which he sells in November of the same year to Bernheim-Jeune.
One of these paintings is in the Metropolitan Museum. Another one was sold by Christie's on November 11, 1992 for $ 12M including premium, a good result for that period of recession in the art market. The third was cut in half before 1944. The left side is in the Tel Aviv Museum. The right side was sold for $ 27M including premium by Christie's on May 12, 2016.
The fourth painting, oil on canvas 100 x 200 cm, was sold by Christie's on June 24, 2008 for £ 41M including premium worth at that date $ 80M, lot 16. The groups of leaves form a frame around the reflections of the trees in the blue water. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
This decorative ambition led him in 1917 to test panoramic formats, around 130 x 200 cm, the largest dimension for which he is able to paint outdoors using a system of ropes and weights. He multiplies the sketches with, according to his signature habit, the greatest variety of colors expressing the different lights of the day.
Under the influence of Clémenceau, the project becomes a patriotic symbol, titled Les Grandes Décorations, which he completes in 1926.
From the start of the preparation phase, Monet attached the greatest importance to the coherence of the whole. Nevertheless in 1919 he paints for the trade four finished works with an especially high quality, which he sells in November of the same year to Bernheim-Jeune.
One of these paintings is in the Metropolitan Museum. Another one was sold by Christie's on November 11, 1992 for $ 12M including premium, a good result for that period of recession in the art market. The third was cut in half before 1944. The left side is in the Tel Aviv Museum. The right side was sold for $ 27M including premium by Christie's on May 12, 2016.
The fourth painting, oil on canvas 100 x 200 cm, was sold by Christie's on June 24, 2008 for £ 41M including premium worth at that date $ 80M, lot 16. The groups of leaves form a frame around the reflections of the trees in the blue water. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
1919 The Last Hope of Amedeo
2016 SOLD for £ 38.5M including premium
Amedeo and Jeanne entered together into the legend. When they met in 1917, Amedeo was 33 years old and Jeanne was 19. She sacrifices her desire to become an artist and becomes the companion of the cursed painter, alcoholic, drug addict, consumptive and moreover a Jew in a society that was not tolerant.
Peace is back. In 1919, Amedeo Modigliani is again able to reveal the ideal woman, as in the time of his sculpted heads of 1911 and 1912. For a long time his weakened health prevents him from cutting the stone. The sensual nudes painted in 1917 and 1918 brought a sinuous outline of the women's body. Warm colors worked with an extreme care provide comfort and kindness that show to which extent the interpretation of that hypersensitive artist as a wild genius is wrong.
The portraits by Amedeo of his intimates are recognizable but they are not realistic because they must represent an absolute. Small in life, Jeanne is tall for Amedeo. Her green eyes become intensely blue to express innocence and fidelity. The arms become more elongated with gestures that are altogether expressive and quiet and above all typically feminine.
On June 21 in London, Sotheby's sells at lot 12 the portrait of Jeanne au foulard (with scarf), oil on canvas 92 x 54 cm painted by Amedeo in 1919. The press release of June 6 announced an expectation beyond £ 28M.
The muse does not laugh : her mouth is again sulky, as in her other portraits. The specificity of this artwork is in the eyes drawn with visible pupils, increasing the emotional presence of the young woman just as if Amedeo had just decided to abandon his signature uniformly blue eyes. This painting could be one of the last portraits of Jeanne.
1919 was a year of great creativity for Modigliani. Here are two results for less empathetic portraits with eyes full of sky : £ 27M including premium by Christie's on February 6, 2013 for Jeanne au chapeau with a protective gesture of the hand ; $ 43M including premium by Sotheby's on November 4, 2015 for Paulette in the stiff attitude of her 15 years old.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's (below).
Peace is back. In 1919, Amedeo Modigliani is again able to reveal the ideal woman, as in the time of his sculpted heads of 1911 and 1912. For a long time his weakened health prevents him from cutting the stone. The sensual nudes painted in 1917 and 1918 brought a sinuous outline of the women's body. Warm colors worked with an extreme care provide comfort and kindness that show to which extent the interpretation of that hypersensitive artist as a wild genius is wrong.
The portraits by Amedeo of his intimates are recognizable but they are not realistic because they must represent an absolute. Small in life, Jeanne is tall for Amedeo. Her green eyes become intensely blue to express innocence and fidelity. The arms become more elongated with gestures that are altogether expressive and quiet and above all typically feminine.
On June 21 in London, Sotheby's sells at lot 12 the portrait of Jeanne au foulard (with scarf), oil on canvas 92 x 54 cm painted by Amedeo in 1919. The press release of June 6 announced an expectation beyond £ 28M.
The muse does not laugh : her mouth is again sulky, as in her other portraits. The specificity of this artwork is in the eyes drawn with visible pupils, increasing the emotional presence of the young woman just as if Amedeo had just decided to abandon his signature uniformly blue eyes. This painting could be one of the last portraits of Jeanne.
1919 was a year of great creativity for Modigliani. Here are two results for less empathetic portraits with eyes full of sky : £ 27M including premium by Christie's on February 6, 2013 for Jeanne au chapeau with a protective gesture of the hand ; $ 43M including premium by Sotheby's on November 4, 2015 for Paulette in the stiff attitude of her 15 years old.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's (below).
The greatest and most tragic #love story in #art history? #Modigliani's tribute to Jeanne https://t.co/Zyv622WeXg pic.twitter.com/uycU1vGQ5d
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) June 5, 2016
1919 Portraits in Montparnasse
2015 SOLD for $ 43M including premium
Amedeo Modigliani came back from Nice to Paris in May 1919 with Jeanne and their baby Giovanna. Helped by Zborowski, he set up his studio rue de la Grande Chaumière. Peace had returned and a period of great creativity begins for the artist.
Since he had to give up sculpture because of his failing health, Amedeo is primarily a portrait painter. His models are the people around him in the art world of Montparnasse and humble fellows who cannot be his customers. His paintings are difficult to sell.
The portraits of seated models at the Grande Chaumière are set up similarly with small variations in the position of the hands and the orientation of the head. The format of the canvas increases, close to life size. Amedeo also works on the harmony of rare colors.
When Paulette Jourdain arrives at Montparnasse, she is a still a child at only 15 years old. She obtains to work for Zborowski. She is the last model of Amedeo in 1919. Her portrait, oil on canvas 100 x 65 cm, is for sale at Sotheby's in New York on November 4, lot 12T. The estimate beyond $ 25M was announced in the press release of 4 September.
The search for expression is dominant over realism with two signature innovations in Amedeo's art : a tall neck creating a neat distance between head and body and the eyes completely filled in blue that announce surrealism and are certainly a proof of kindness of the artist for his model. A blue eyed portrait of Jeanne Hébuterne with Hat, oil on canvas 92 x 54 cm, was sold for £ 27M including premium by Christie's on February 6, 2013.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Sotheby's. The image is shared by WikiArt.
Since he had to give up sculpture because of his failing health, Amedeo is primarily a portrait painter. His models are the people around him in the art world of Montparnasse and humble fellows who cannot be his customers. His paintings are difficult to sell.
The portraits of seated models at the Grande Chaumière are set up similarly with small variations in the position of the hands and the orientation of the head. The format of the canvas increases, close to life size. Amedeo also works on the harmony of rare colors.
When Paulette Jourdain arrives at Montparnasse, she is a still a child at only 15 years old. She obtains to work for Zborowski. She is the last model of Amedeo in 1919. Her portrait, oil on canvas 100 x 65 cm, is for sale at Sotheby's in New York on November 4, lot 12T. The estimate beyond $ 25M was announced in the press release of 4 September.
The search for expression is dominant over realism with two signature innovations in Amedeo's art : a tall neck creating a neat distance between head and body and the eyes completely filled in blue that announce surrealism and are certainly a proof of kindness of the artist for his model. A blue eyed portrait of Jeanne Hébuterne with Hat, oil on canvas 92 x 54 cm, was sold for £ 27M including premium by Christie's on February 6, 2013.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Sotheby's. The image is shared by WikiArt.
1919 Jeanne with Blue Eyes
2013 SOLD 27 M£ including premium
When Amedeo Modigliani paints the portraits of his friends, he idealizes the forms which he can no longer express through the sculpture that has become too tiring for his fragile health. And the perfect line, the charming sinuosity, the elongation of bodies are not the rediscovery of mannerism but the direct extension of his inspiration as a sculptor.
Jeanne is his muse. He met this nice girl in 1917 when she was 19 years old. Madly in love, he shows an ideal Jeanne, as he would like her to be.
In 1919, when Amedeo paints Jeanne Hébuterne au chapeau, the young woman has already born him a daughter, also named Jeanne. This oil on canvas, 92 x 54 cm, is an invitation to communicate. The gesture is nice, the pastel-like background is discreet, the eye position is straightforward.
These eyes which are the strong point of the image are nearly uniformly blue, as if the face so alive elsewhere of the sitter was only a mask to a dreamlike sky. The ongoing process of Modigliani to the representation of the ideal woman has led to this ultimate detail that makes him, quite unexpectedly, a precursor of surrealism.
Jeanne au chapeau was sold at £ 16.4 million including premium by Sotheby's on 19 June 2006. This painting is estimated £ 16M, for sale by Christie's in London on February 6.
POST SALE COMMENT
This portrait had every reason to be considered as a masterpiece. It was sold £ 27M including premium.
I invite you to play the video shared by Christie's.
Jeanne is his muse. He met this nice girl in 1917 when she was 19 years old. Madly in love, he shows an ideal Jeanne, as he would like her to be.
In 1919, when Amedeo paints Jeanne Hébuterne au chapeau, the young woman has already born him a daughter, also named Jeanne. This oil on canvas, 92 x 54 cm, is an invitation to communicate. The gesture is nice, the pastel-like background is discreet, the eye position is straightforward.
These eyes which are the strong point of the image are nearly uniformly blue, as if the face so alive elsewhere of the sitter was only a mask to a dreamlike sky. The ongoing process of Modigliani to the representation of the ideal woman has led to this ultimate detail that makes him, quite unexpectedly, a precursor of surrealism.
Jeanne au chapeau was sold at £ 16.4 million including premium by Sotheby's on 19 June 2006. This painting is estimated £ 16M, for sale by Christie's in London on February 6.
POST SALE COMMENT
This portrait had every reason to be considered as a masterpiece. It was sold £ 27M including premium.
I invite you to play the video shared by Christie's.
1918-1919 Preparation of the Grandes Décorations
2018 SOLD for $ 32M including premium
From 1914 Claude Monet conceives the project of the Grandes Décorations, which will occupy the last phase of his life and will be his artistic legation. In accordance with his signature artistic vision, these paintings will be limited to a specific theme shown in all the shades of the seasons, hours of the day and weather.
The artist is aging and suffering from cataract. This last theme is once again the nymphéas of his water garden which since 1904 satisfy his passion for gardening while being close to his workshop.
When he finished the project a few months before he died in 1926, Les Grandes Décorations consisted of eight compositions using 22 canvases in a unique height of 2 m for a total length of 90 m.
During the war years, the artist made about 60 paintings of his water lilies for trying his theme on large formats. The global design is gradually built. It then becomes necessary to test the panoramic formats. This new phase is made more challenging by his desire to concentrate the image on flowers and on reflections while eliminating the edges of the pond and the horizon.
In 1918 Monet buys the canvases necessary for this new series. He executes 14 paintings 100 x 200 cm and 5 paintings 130 x 200 cm over a short period ending in the following year. One of them is dated 1917 which is the year of the conception of this phase.
A Bassin aux Nymphéas 100 x 200 cm dated 1919 was sold for £ 41M including premium by Christie's on June 24, 2008. A few other canvases have been cut. Dated in the same year, a 100 x 100 cm fragment whose other half is in a museum was sold for $ 27M including premium by Christie's on May 12, 2016.
On November 11 in New York, Christie's sells an undated Bassin aux Nymphéas 100 x 200 cm, lot 32 A estimated $ 30M. This example offers a very pleasant homogeneity of tone between the blue reflections of the sky and the green reflections of the big trees. The flowers are rare.
The artist is aging and suffering from cataract. This last theme is once again the nymphéas of his water garden which since 1904 satisfy his passion for gardening while being close to his workshop.
When he finished the project a few months before he died in 1926, Les Grandes Décorations consisted of eight compositions using 22 canvases in a unique height of 2 m for a total length of 90 m.
During the war years, the artist made about 60 paintings of his water lilies for trying his theme on large formats. The global design is gradually built. It then becomes necessary to test the panoramic formats. This new phase is made more challenging by his desire to concentrate the image on flowers and on reflections while eliminating the edges of the pond and the horizon.
In 1918 Monet buys the canvases necessary for this new series. He executes 14 paintings 100 x 200 cm and 5 paintings 130 x 200 cm over a short period ending in the following year. One of them is dated 1917 which is the year of the conception of this phase.
A Bassin aux Nymphéas 100 x 200 cm dated 1919 was sold for £ 41M including premium by Christie's on June 24, 2008. A few other canvases have been cut. Dated in the same year, a 100 x 100 cm fragment whose other half is in a museum was sold for $ 27M including premium by Christie's on May 12, 2016.
On November 11 in New York, Christie's sells an undated Bassin aux Nymphéas 100 x 200 cm, lot 32 A estimated $ 30M. This example offers a very pleasant homogeneity of tone between the blue reflections of the sky and the green reflections of the big trees. The flowers are rare.
Christie’s Has $30m Monet Nymphéas from Penultimate Series https://t.co/yvnKWEfutg pic.twitter.com/T18M9LRHEs
— Art Market Monitor (@artmarket) September 27, 2018
1919 Floral Firework by Matisse
2010 SOLD 28.6 M$ including premium
In 1919, Europe is just emerging from war. It is a difficult time for Matisse, his private life and his art. Before 1914, he had entered a new path, emphasizing the harmony of colors that will be the passion of his artist's life. He feels however marginalized by his rejection of abstraction and cubism.
On July 14, French national (Bastille) day, he unleashes his hopes on a canvas 116 x 89 cm. A bouquet springs from a vase in an explosion of colors that immediately calls to fireworks and mingles with the more neutral wallpaper background. The image of this painting is shared by BBC News.
The subject and composition are typical of the still lifes of the master. The patriotic inspiration and the joy of colors make it an exceptional painting, estimated $ 18 million by Sotheby's. The sale takes place in New York on May 5.
Matisse fans are lucky: his Nude with blue cushion, which I discussed earlier in this group, is for sale the day before by Christie's.
POST SALE COMMENT
The flowers showed in Matisse's colors are masterpieces of the early twentieth century art. The price recorded by Sotheby's, $ 28.6 million including premium, is excellent.
This lot could not compete with the cuckoos from the Yves Saint Laurent collection, sold last year € 35.9 million including premium by Christie's. Indeed, the cuckoos were dated 1911, one of the greatest periods of transformation in the history of art.
On July 14, French national (Bastille) day, he unleashes his hopes on a canvas 116 x 89 cm. A bouquet springs from a vase in an explosion of colors that immediately calls to fireworks and mingles with the more neutral wallpaper background. The image of this painting is shared by BBC News.
The subject and composition are typical of the still lifes of the master. The patriotic inspiration and the joy of colors make it an exceptional painting, estimated $ 18 million by Sotheby's. The sale takes place in New York on May 5.
Matisse fans are lucky: his Nude with blue cushion, which I discussed earlier in this group, is for sale the day before by Christie's.
POST SALE COMMENT
The flowers showed in Matisse's colors are masterpieces of the early twentieth century art. The price recorded by Sotheby's, $ 28.6 million including premium, is excellent.
This lot could not compete with the cuckoos from the Yves Saint Laurent collection, sold last year € 35.9 million including premium by Christie's. Indeed, the cuckoos were dated 1911, one of the greatest periods of transformation in the history of art.
1919 The Garden of Victory
2016 SOLD for $ 27M including premium
Times are hard for Claude Monet. He had lost his son Jean just before the outbreak of the First World War. His sight becomes deficient. He decides to stay in Giverny whatever the future events and compensates his isolation by declaring his patriotism alongside his friend Clémenceau.
He builds in 1915 the studio in which he will create the Grandes Décorations, his new series on the theme of the nymphéas. With this project of dedicating a full exhibition room to a circular view of the pond, he is a great innovator. He does not express the nature but instead the feeling of serenity which had become so rare and precious in those tragic times.
Peace is back. Monet is a painter and he insists to contribute in the celebration of victory through his art. The Grandes Décorations modify his ideas about the composition. He experiments with two new panoramic formats, 100 x 200 cm and 130 x 200 cm, which make more sense to the focusing of the picture onto the pond with its plants and its reflections but without shore or sky.
In the wording of his time, Monet becomes a decorator, favoring effect and atmosphere rather than the figuration. In the language of our time, he is a precursor of the abstract sensitivity.
However, Monet works primarily for himself. He had not given away any significant painting since 1912. In November 1919 he nevertheless accepts to sell to Bernheim-Jeune four of his new Bassins aux nymphéas 100 x 200 cm. This set is one of the highlights of his distinguished career : one of these paintings was sold for £ 41M including premium by Christie's on June 24, 2008.
Another canvas from this group was split into two equal parts 100 x 100 cm before 1944 by an unidentified fool. The left side is now in the Tel Aviv Museum. The right side is estimated $ 25M for sale by Christie's in New York on May 12, lot 27 C.
He builds in 1915 the studio in which he will create the Grandes Décorations, his new series on the theme of the nymphéas. With this project of dedicating a full exhibition room to a circular view of the pond, he is a great innovator. He does not express the nature but instead the feeling of serenity which had become so rare and precious in those tragic times.
Peace is back. Monet is a painter and he insists to contribute in the celebration of victory through his art. The Grandes Décorations modify his ideas about the composition. He experiments with two new panoramic formats, 100 x 200 cm and 130 x 200 cm, which make more sense to the focusing of the picture onto the pond with its plants and its reflections but without shore or sky.
In the wording of his time, Monet becomes a decorator, favoring effect and atmosphere rather than the figuration. In the language of our time, he is a precursor of the abstract sensitivity.
However, Monet works primarily for himself. He had not given away any significant painting since 1912. In November 1919 he nevertheless accepts to sell to Bernheim-Jeune four of his new Bassins aux nymphéas 100 x 200 cm. This set is one of the highlights of his distinguished career : one of these paintings was sold for £ 41M including premium by Christie's on June 24, 2008.
Another canvas from this group was split into two equal parts 100 x 100 cm before 1944 by an unidentified fool. The left side is now in the Tel Aviv Museum. The right side is estimated $ 25M for sale by Christie's in New York on May 12, lot 27 C.
Art Advisors Opine on May Sales: It’s a Buyer’s Market https://t.co/TAruxZxTMA pic.twitter.com/WdVWeVFhUx
— Art Market Monitor (@artmarket) May 5, 2016
1918-1919 Monet in his Garden
2010 SOLD 24.7 M$ including premium
During the last twenty years of his life, Monet maintained the pond in his garden at Giverny. His paintings of nympheas, however, are not repetitive but evolving. He put his subtle vision at the service of ever-changing views on the role and techniques of art.
Around 1906, as a true magician of light and perspective, Monet uses reflection to show the position in space of the invisible surface of the water. His touchis then impressionistic, with pastel tones.
Ten years later, he turns to more decorative effects on larger areas of canvas. The surface of the water is still controlled, but the line is sharper and the colors are more vivid. The nympheas of that time made Monet being considered as a major influencer of abstract art.
On June 24, 2008, Christie's sold £ 40.9 million including premium a large 1919 painting, 100 x 201 cm. The image is focused exclusively on the pond with no shore and no horizon.
The oil on canvas for sale by Sotheby's in New York on November 2 has similar qualities. Painted between 1917 and 1919, 98 x 198 cm, it is less quiet, with contrasting colors and swirling lines. It is illustrated on the press release shared by Artdaily.
Sold to benefit a foundation helping young artists, it is estimated $ 20M.
POST SALE COMMENT
These Nymphéas were sold $ 24.7 million including premium. This result is very close to the estimate. I am not surprised as this painting did not have the same beautiful serenity as the specimen sold two years ago.
Around 1906, as a true magician of light and perspective, Monet uses reflection to show the position in space of the invisible surface of the water. His touchis then impressionistic, with pastel tones.
Ten years later, he turns to more decorative effects on larger areas of canvas. The surface of the water is still controlled, but the line is sharper and the colors are more vivid. The nympheas of that time made Monet being considered as a major influencer of abstract art.
On June 24, 2008, Christie's sold £ 40.9 million including premium a large 1919 painting, 100 x 201 cm. The image is focused exclusively on the pond with no shore and no horizon.
The oil on canvas for sale by Sotheby's in New York on November 2 has similar qualities. Painted between 1917 and 1919, 98 x 198 cm, it is less quiet, with contrasting colors and swirling lines. It is illustrated on the press release shared by Artdaily.
Sold to benefit a foundation helping young artists, it is estimated $ 20M.
POST SALE COMMENT
These Nymphéas were sold $ 24.7 million including premium. This result is very close to the estimate. I am not surprised as this painting did not have the same beautiful serenity as the specimen sold two years ago.
1919 Jeune Homme Roux Assis by Modigliani
2014 SOLD for $ 17.6M including premium by Christie's
Link to catalogue.
1919 Construction in Red by Rodchenko
2016 SOLD for £ 3.65M including premium
There are some tight similarities between the art of Malevich and the art of Rodchenko. Both are based on geometric elements and eliminate all narrative and emotional effects. Their intentions, however, were different.
The black square on white was created by Malevich in 1915, two years before the revolution. This seminal piece of the suprematism provides a self-consistent existence to the painted surface devoid of any other meaning.
The October Revolution brings a short lived impression of freedom to the artistic avant-garde. In 1918 Malevich goes further in his process with his white square on white.
Meanwhile Rodchenko endeavors to define a socialist art that must result in practical achievements. His constructivism, based on the predominance of the line, offers the geometric structures on which architectures, furnishings or lamps can be built.
Rodchenko supports his theories with oils on canvas, meticulously realized with the ruler and compass to avoid any trembling of the hand. The principal figures are divergent bundles of lines which are superimposed over grids without however their position responding to any logic of a space arrangement.
On November 29 in London, Sotheby's sells Construction No. 95, 65 x 40 cm, painted in 1919, lot 10 estimated £ 2.5M. The work was titled 'on scarlet' by the artist by reference to its reddish-orange background. This color is not the bright red of the Revolution. It is the symbol of a call to activity according to the theories of the colors by Kandinsky, of whom Rodchenko is very close at that time.
In 1921 the ultimate culmination of the constructivist approach was a series of monochrome paintings in pure colors by Rodchenko. Abstract art began to be considered as a bourgeois threat. The artist then abandoned painting and developed a new career as a socialist decorator, illustrator and photographer.
The black square on white was created by Malevich in 1915, two years before the revolution. This seminal piece of the suprematism provides a self-consistent existence to the painted surface devoid of any other meaning.
The October Revolution brings a short lived impression of freedom to the artistic avant-garde. In 1918 Malevich goes further in his process with his white square on white.
Meanwhile Rodchenko endeavors to define a socialist art that must result in practical achievements. His constructivism, based on the predominance of the line, offers the geometric structures on which architectures, furnishings or lamps can be built.
Rodchenko supports his theories with oils on canvas, meticulously realized with the ruler and compass to avoid any trembling of the hand. The principal figures are divergent bundles of lines which are superimposed over grids without however their position responding to any logic of a space arrangement.
On November 29 in London, Sotheby's sells Construction No. 95, 65 x 40 cm, painted in 1919, lot 10 estimated £ 2.5M. The work was titled 'on scarlet' by the artist by reference to its reddish-orange background. This color is not the bright red of the Revolution. It is the symbol of a call to activity according to the theories of the colors by Kandinsky, of whom Rodchenko is very close at that time.
In 1921 the ultimate culmination of the constructivist approach was a series of monochrome paintings in pure colors by Rodchenko. Abstract art began to be considered as a bourgeois threat. The artist then abandoned painting and developed a new career as a socialist decorator, illustrator and photographer.
1919 The Cubist Intelligentsia
2010 SOLD 1.77 M£ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
The First World War and its Russian corollary the October Revolution come at a time when modern art invents new languages. Yuri Annenkov managed the feat of showing the Russian personalities of his time with a clever synthesis of realism and cubism.
His sitters are the politicians of the Revolution, and his circle of friends in the arts and letters.
In 1919, the editor Zinovii Grzhebin is one of the protectors of Annenkov. He seeks a middle way between the traditional society and the hope just born from the Revolution. He will not find it. His portrait by Annenkov, an oil on canvas 67 x 54 cm, shows him as an attentive reader with a serious face furrowed by the cubist expressionism of the artist.
This painting is illustrated in the press release shared by AuctionPublicity. It is estimated £ 800 K, for sale by Sotheby's in London on June 7.
In 1922, Annenkov painted the portrait of another friend, the writer Aleksandr Tikhonov. The style and format are similar. Again, the psychological strength is achieved at the expense of a premature aging of the face. This work has been sold £ 2.2 million including premium at Christie's on November 28, 2007.
POST SALE COMMENT
It seemed logical that the portrait of Grzhebin approaches the price of the Tikhonov, which was less interesting to my taste. It has not quite reached it: 1.77 million pounds including premium. It is a good result.
The First World War and its Russian corollary the October Revolution come at a time when modern art invents new languages. Yuri Annenkov managed the feat of showing the Russian personalities of his time with a clever synthesis of realism and cubism.
His sitters are the politicians of the Revolution, and his circle of friends in the arts and letters.
In 1919, the editor Zinovii Grzhebin is one of the protectors of Annenkov. He seeks a middle way between the traditional society and the hope just born from the Revolution. He will not find it. His portrait by Annenkov, an oil on canvas 67 x 54 cm, shows him as an attentive reader with a serious face furrowed by the cubist expressionism of the artist.
This painting is illustrated in the press release shared by AuctionPublicity. It is estimated £ 800 K, for sale by Sotheby's in London on June 7.
In 1922, Annenkov painted the portrait of another friend, the writer Aleksandr Tikhonov. The style and format are similar. Again, the psychological strength is achieved at the expense of a premature aging of the face. This work has been sold £ 2.2 million including premium at Christie's on November 28, 2007.
POST SALE COMMENT
It seemed logical that the portrait of Grzhebin approaches the price of the Tikhonov, which was less interesting to my taste. It has not quite reached it: 1.77 million pounds including premium. It is a good result.
