Alexander Nikolaevich Benois

Kunstkammer: The paper surface has been worn in several places eg. Under the tower of the Kunstkammer and to the left of the lion. There are some light creases in paces e.g. to the cenre of the sky and across the right hand corner. There is evidence of some light staining in this inner corner. Held in a black painted wooden frame and under glass. Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre: There are pinholes to the corners. The colours are fairly fresh. The paper has been stuck to a mount with strips of tape. The mount is discoloured along the bottom. Unframed.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

INTRODUCTION TO THE COLLECTION:

Alexander Benois' first personal exhibition in Paris was held in December 1926 in one of the city's most prestigious exhibition spaces, the Galerie Charpentier at 76 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. The exhibition included over 200 watercolours of Versailles, Brittany, Lugano and Venice, Petrograd and Peterhof as well as theatrical designs. It was a great success according to Konstantin Somov - the galleries were packed, a great deal sold and Ilya Repin came all the way from Finland to admire Benois' talent.

The present unique group of watercolours and sketches span exactly these important stages of Benois' public and private life, and we are delighted that in October 2011 we were able to return the highlights to exhibition on 76 rue de Faubourg Saint-Honoré, now the galleries of Sotheby's Paris. 

Alexander Benois is one of the cardinal figures of 20^th century Russian Art and a name synonymous with the Ballet Russes. The collection provides an extraordinary overview of his oeuvre, from some of his earliest set designs and views of St Petersburg to rare Italian views and entrancing family sketches. Its scope naturally provides an important addition to scholarship on the artist, while the vitality found in each of these works are beautiful examples of what he described as 'harmony between inspiration and expression'. 

Benois' biography encapsulates the turbulent fate of the Russian intelligentsia in the first half of the 20^th century, yet as these gem-like and delicate watercolours bear out, his passion towards his work and his artistic integrity did not waver. As he writes in the epilogue to Reminiscences of the Russian Ballet, 'everything flows, everything changes, everything must change. Still, through all the vicissitudes of creative activity there flows a life-giving stream - sincerity'. Original, imaginative and inspired, the works in this collection alone are proof of his sincere artistic vision; the many intimate and sensitive inscriptions also reveal the deep sincerity of Benois as a man and husband, as we see for example in the final lines of his letter to his wife, Anna (Lot 906):

These pages will serve as a reminder, my trusty life companion, of the joys we experienced together and which belong to the highest order of joys simply because we experienced them together. Your adoring and thankful husband, Alexander Benois.

A century after the first production of Petrushka, the ballet which made his name on the international stage, it is our great pleasure to present this remarkable collection of works by an artist widely regarded as one of Russia's most talented and attractive figures.

LOT 801:

Benois opens his memoirs not with a conventional description of his childhood, but a loving description of his town, St Petersburg. 'I was moved - and still am - by one compelling emotion: Petersburg über alles.' The city fascinated him throughout his life: the 'transparent, slumbering twilight', the elegant crowds and of course, the architecture:
I already loved St. Petersburg before I had any idea that one could love streets, stone buildings, canals, a certain air, a certain climate and all the infinite facets of a complex whole, varying according to the season, the hour, the weather ... Even now every picture of St Petersburg goes straight to my heart.

 

Located on the banks of the Neva river, the Kunstkammer has been the symbol of the Russian Academy of Sciences since the early 18th century. Founded according to Peter the Great's Decree, the Museum opened to the public in 1714. Its purpose was to collect and examine natural and human curiosities and rarities. Today the museum's anthropological and ethnographic collections are considered among the best in the world.