RUSSIAN ABROAD

BURLIUK David Davidovich (1882–1967) Still life with a bouquet of roses against the sea. Second quarter of XX century. Oil on canvas on cardboard. 25.4 × 20.5

Little Burliuk of incredible beauty! Roses against the background of the sea. This is from the American period, most likely the late 1940s. Burliuk is successful, enjoying a measured life, building a house on Long Island with his own gallery. He is praised by American critics. His works are bought. All is well, and the picture conveys that mood. The painting is accompanied by the expertise of Yulia Vyacheslavovna Rybakova.

RUSSIAN CLASSICS

MASHKOV Ilya Ivanovich (1881–1944) A model with a vase of fruits. 1910th. Charcoal on paper. 64.3 × 44.7

Mashkov is an acknowledged innovator, a Russian avant-garde artist, co-founder of the scrappy society “Jack of Diamonds”, one of the main Russian artists of the 20th century. Without noble origin, without any capital, on one natural talent and efficiency Mashkov achieved universal recognition and fame. Ilya Mashkov was born into a poor large peasant family, his parents were engaged in petty trade. At 11 years old he was put to trade in the shop. Dull work for 14 hours on their feet. No time for art. But then a stroke of luck came along. Young Ilyusha was sent to draw signs for a successful merchant. And there he proved himself. Repainted from magazines pictures for the design of shops — this is the essence of his first “university”. According to legend, it was while drawing signboards that his gymnasium teacher noticed him, paid attention to Ilyusha's talent, and gave him his first lessons. After some time, Mashkov managed to enter the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where he studied with Valentin Serov and Konstantin Korovin.

In 1911, together with Konchalovsky, Mashkov founded the “Jack of Diamonds” society, one of the main strongholds of progressive art in pre-revolutionary Russia. After 1917 Mashkov did not emigrate, he supported the new government. A few years later, the yesterday's Cezannist became a successful socialist-realist artist, painting pictures like “Greetings to the 17th Congress of the All-Union Communist Party” and “Soviet Breads”.

But that was twenty years later.

Mashkov of the 1910s is still a Cezarinist, a lover of life, an artist of ebullient energy. Portraits of models and female nudes are one of the main and favorite themes in his work. It is no coincidence that he has many inspired paintings with models and women’s beaches in Crimea, where people sunbathed without bathing suits.

Mashkov's paintings and graphics should be bought only with expertise. We have one. Valery Silaev, 2000, still on the letterhead of the Tretyakov Gallery, as it was possible then. The work has a good provenance, the history of its existence is well known and described in the expertise. There are publications and references in the literature. The drawing comes from the collection of the famous Moscow collector Feldstein.

1960s UNOFFICIAL ART

ZVEREV Anatoly Timofeevich (1931–1986) and KAZARIN Viktor Semyonovich (1948–2021) Bull. 1986. Oil on canvas. 149 × 99

This is a joint work of two Russian expressionists. Alas, both are no longer with us. Anatoly Zverev died in 1986 and Victor Kazarin died just over a month ago.

Zverev and Kazarin, 17 years apart, studied at one Pioneer House under the same teacher — Sergei Nikolaevich Sokolov, a student of Korovin (like Mashkov). Kazarin said that in Sokolov's office there was a drawing by a 13-year-old Zverev — a landscape of Sokolniki. Sokolov taught the method of spontaneous self-expression and gladly told the children about the talented pupil, whose fame had already swept through underground Moscow.

Zverev and Kazarin met in person much later, at the City Committee of Graphic Arts on Malaya Gruzinskaya Street in 1981. But they did not make friends right away. Rather, the opposite is true. They began with a misunderstanding. Kazarin told how one day he brought his big painting to the City Committee of Graphics. Zverev looked at it: “Well, if you cut it into 100 pieces and sell each one for a "half-liter", then you get 100 "half-liters"”. He teased the young and quick-tempered artist.

But three years later, in 1984, they became inseparable. In 1986, in the last year of his life, Zverev lived at Kazarin's home for several happy months. That year, in an apartment on Malakhitovaya Street, they worked together with enthusiasm on large canvases. Part of a picture was painted by Zverev, and part by Kazarin. And the signature on such work was joint — a common KAZ or AZ with a torn off K. Kazarin said that “we did bigger works, meter by meter and a half, together, and he did the meter works himself. It was different”. “We became friends with Zverev when I was well over 30, I was already an established artist. Of course, I did not learn his technique. But I studied with interest and adopted from him the techniques of psychophysiology of painting, a method of deep immersion in work”.

Before the period in Kazarin's studio, Zverev himself almost did not do large-format works. The kind that is more than a meter. His paintings were always chamber pieces. But with Kazarin he decided to try, then he lit up and worked with his soul. After a period of creative and emotional exhaustion, strength and inspiration returned to Zverev. Kazarin said that it was obvious that he liked it. After Zverev's death, Victor Semyonovich organized three exhibitions “Zverev-Kazarin” in memory of his friend.

And in front of us today is “Bull” by Zverev and Kazarin. A one and a half meter canvas, painted 35 years ago. With good energy, with inspiration. And the theme is especially suitable for the year 2021, the year of the bull. Good luck.

YAKOVLEV Vladimir Igorevich (1934–1998) Flower in a pot. 1980s. Paper, gouache, mixed technique. 65 × 50

A favorite of collectors, a hit of our auctions, one of the most demanded artists, Vladimir Yakovlev, and his main theme. A large, touching flower.

We talk about the artist so often that it's hard to surprise anyone. Except to repeat it. Yakovlev is self-taught. He became an artist at the behest of his soul, contrary to all life's circumstances. He lost his vision catastrophically fast, at the end of his life almost went blind. He spent a considerable part of his life in mental hospitals and nursing homes. But what came out from under his brush is incomprehensible. He really painted with his heart — what Kazarin called “on psychophysiology”. The work is accompanied by the expertise of Valery Silaev. It will certainly become a jewel in the collection. We boldly recommend it.

CONTEMPORARY ART

VOLIGAMSI Rinat (1968) Twilight. 2004. Canvas, acrylic, oil. 67 × 80

One of our favorite artists in the actual art section “Conceptual Surreal Perfectionism”. Rinat Voligamsi is among the rare stars of our art that lit up in the 2000s. Before our eyes. Like yesterday.

The public quickly fell in love with his signature absurdist designs: either a granny feeds “doves”-dinosaurs, or empty general's pants march across Red Square, or the stars on the military caps form the constellation Ursa Major.

“Twilight” is a conceptual philosophical work of a valuable period. It will be interesting to interpret and unravel. Well, is it worth repeating that this is an exemplary item for a collection. The winning bidder can be congratulated in advance.