1960s UNOFFICIAL ART

STEINBERG Eduard Arkadevich (1937–2012) Composition. 1978. Oil on canvas. 100.5 × 100.5

Geometric Steinberg of the valuable Moscow pre-emigration period. 1970s. And one meter museum size. And the plot is a godsend for collectors. This is not the usual compositional “geometry”, but a suprematic concentrate. In the center — the planetary model, and in the left corner — a picture-in-picture. An experimental piece! Rarity!

Eduard Steinberg is the creator of a unique style of geometric abstraction at the junction of neo-primitivism. He was close to the Sretensky Boulevard group, the cradle of Moscow romantic conceptualism. Steinberg participated in exhibitions at the “Druzhba” House of Culture in 1967 and at the “Beekeeping” pavilion in 1975.

KRASNOPEVTSEV Dmitry Mikhailovich (1925–1995) Sink. 1959. Oil on cardboard. 26 × 34.5

The creative work of Dmitry Krasnopevtsev can be conditionally divided into two periods: before 1961 and after. And if the second period can be called “monochrome” to a certain extent, in the first period Krasnopevtsev had a wide palette of colors. What is the value of 1959? By this time the artist has already finished his search and reached his special, laconic form. By that year the “volume without shadow” had already appeared and his trademark “graphic nature” in the metaphysical still life had become firmly established. But at the same time the artist at this time had not yet prevented the color. And at the end of the 1950s you can find plenty of red, blue and yellow. And at the time it was hard to imagine that five years later these colours would disappear from his works.

Krasnopevtsev is a favorite of Costakis and Richter, the favorite artist of Moscow intellectuals. In his art, it was as if he ignored the times that fell to him. Peace, harmony, balance, the spirit of renaissance. As if the Soviet regime, ideological hypocrisy and empty store shelves were gone. Krasnopevtsev did not set himself the task of capturing the era. In his paintings there is not a single object, which can be used to set the time and place. Only eternal shards, shells and dry branches. His paintings allow the viewer to be transported to any era in an instant. Away from the anxieties. As far as 100 years ahead, as far as 300 years ago. That's why we love the “Russian Rembrandt”.

The work is signed: in the upper left corner there is the signature KRASS — 59. The authenticity is confirmed by the expert report of Valery Silaev.

NEMUKHIN Vladimir Nikolaevich (1925–2016) Table. 2007. Canvas, acrylic, collage. 75 × 72

“Excellent Nemukhin!” exclaimed the expert Valery Silaev, as soon as he saw this work. And there are at least two arguments. Good size — yes, but that is the second. And the first — a rare, unusual plot. Nemukhin worked in cycles. Knowledgeable collectors could assemble his main subjects into the “Mendeleev Table” and arrange them by the cells of Lomber tables, labyrinths and numerous jacks. But here it is different. Instead of usual suprematist lomber table we have something classical on curly graceful legs. Beautiful work with effective composition. A fresh image. A find for collectors!

Vladimir Nemukhin is an artist of the Lianozovo group, a participant of the Bulldozer exhibition, the exhibition in the “Beekeeping” pavilion and numerous projects in the City Committee of Graphic Artists on Malaya Gruzinskaya Street. He is one of the key figures in the unofficial post-war art and one of the most expensive nonconformist artists.

ZVEREV Anatoly Timofeevich (1931–1986) Roses. 1961. Paper, watercolor, gouache. 53 × 38

Another jewel in someone's collection of post-war unofficial art. Among collectors, Zverev probably remains today the most legendary artist of the generation.

In this work, let us draw the attention of collectors to the year and the theme. 1961 — refers to the most valuable period in the work of the artist. The theme is even more interesting. A virtuoso painter and graphic artist, according to our observations, unacceptably rarely painted flowers. We have seen dozens of animals, landscapes, still lifes, portraits. But flowers are still rare. Why — inexplicably. So take a closer look at the roses — it's a chance. The work is signed. And, as must be the case with Zverev, it is accompanied by the expert opinion of Valery Silaev.

NEIZVESTNY Ernst Iosifovich (1925–2016) Profile. Early 1960s. Bronze. 20 × 11 × 8

Once again a rarity. The sculpture “Profile” comes from the collection of Boris Zhutovsky, a friend and colleague of Ernst Neizvestny. Zhutovsky, who belonged to the studio of Bielutin in the sixties, took part in the Taganka exhibition together with Neizvestny. And a few days later they were scolded by Khrushchev at the Manege-62. The sculpture is also dated around that time, 1960–1961, as Zhutovsky mentions in his confirmation of the photograph. The thing is in time. One has the feeling that it is not pure noble bronze, but some kind of alloy. Ernst Iosifovich in those years used any suitable metal he could find. “Where does the copper come from?”Khrushchev asked him sternly. “Buying up plumbers' water taps!” replied the artist.

In short, a monument to the times.

The authenticity of the sculpture has been proven by Neizvestny himself — he made a confirmation on the back of the photo in 2006.

SPINDLER Marlene Pavlovich (1923–2006) City. 1968. Oil on canvas. 50 × 50

Marlene Spindler's work of this caliber is a rarity in the auction market. The meticulous, gloomy, and pastose cityscape is a sturdy work from the 1960s. Spindler was working as a designer at the Combine of Decorative and Applied Arts around this time (together with Mikhail Schwartzman, with whom they later had a falling out). Spindler's human fate did not work out. He was jailed three times. His obnoxious character was legendary. At the end of his life, he was stricken with paralysis. But he managed to say his word in art. Today, his works are represented in the Tretyakov Gallery and are included in many important collections.