One of the opening lots of the auction will be the stunning, fantastical rendition of a biblical scene, Columbarium (est. $30,000-40,000), inspired largely by Polish Symbolist Wilhelm Kotarbinsky's stay in Rome. Featured among the Russian artists are Nikolay Bogdanov Belsky, Vasiliy Kotarbinsky, Boris Anisfeld, and the Non-Conformists Ilya Kabakov, Anatoly Zverev, Lev Meshberg, Pyotr Belenok, and Mihail Chemiakin.
David Burliuk's The Living Still Life (est. $30,000-40,000), a monumental work on canvas depicting a textural, colorful, Futurist bouquet, will be among the works presented. The auction will also feature a unique collection of over 1,700 turn of the 20th century strongmen photographs (est. $100,000-$150,000), which depict an array of circus performers posing as both professional bodybuilders and masculine icons, stripping down to show off their physical perfection. The collection is of interest not only to collectors of old photographs, but also to collectors of early homoeroticism. The sale will also include a large selection of Soviet books and rare posters, and as for the Russian decorative arts, there will be a variety of Potemkin glass and antique icons.
The Russian section of the sale will be followed by works of Georgian/Armenian artists such as Alexander Bashbeuk-Melikian, Martiros Saryan, Dmitri Nalbandian, and Georgiy Bashindzhagyan. Also featured will be an extensive collection of over 1,200 rare books, periodicals, exhibition catalogues, and other materials related to Latvian art and literature of the first half of the twentieth century (1917-1945) (est. $100,000-150,000).
A selection of Chinese blanc de chine, jade carvings, bronzes, scrolls, and paintings by Vu Cao Dam and Le Pho will open the second part of the sale at Lot 500. Next, Portia and the Caskets, Scene from the Merchant of Venice (est. $50,000-70,000) by French history painter Alexandre Cabanel will lead the section of European and American paintings.
Another noteworthy work by the famous French painter Andre Lhote is Nues Devant le Fleuve (est. $300,000-400,000), which highlights the artist's Cubist tendencies in a vivid depiction of two reclining female nudes resting by a river full of sailboats. The sale will also feature notable works by Edouard Leon Cortes, Richard Maury, Louis Eilshemius, Antoine Blanchard, Andre Cottavoz, Benjamin Canas, and Jesus Rafael Soto.
A large selection of Russian and Soviet paintings and books will be auctioned off at no reserve. All lots will be on view at Shapiro Auctions in New York, at 506 East 74th Street, during the week-long preview from Saturday, May 14th to Friday, May 20th, 10am-6pm. A full catalogue of the lots will be available on www.shapiroauctions.com.
Contact
Masha Stroganova
***@shapiroauctions.com
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