Mstislav Valerianovich Dobuzhinsky, 1875-1957

The Collection of Akim Tamirov, USA

The sheet appears sound. There is some very light buckling and the paper has yellowed. There are very faint spots of foxing in places. Held in a modern wood frame and behind perspex and unexamined out of frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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."

 

With music by A. A. Arkhangelsky to P. P. Potemkin's libretto, Platov's Cossacks in Paris was first performed by Nikita Balieff's Chauve souris company at the Théâtre de la Madeleine in Paris in the autumn of 1926. Dobuzhinsky was called upon to design sets and costumes for this satirical piece based on the exploits of the renowned, one-eared Cossack general Platov and his troops during the occupation of Paris in 1814. This is a unique opportunity for collectors to acquire the frontispiece and endplate of Dobuzhinsky's original folio of 14 designs for the production.

 

Akim Tamirov, the son of a wealthy Baku oil magnate, studied at the Moscow Arts Theatre under Stanislavsky. He made his name in musical comedy with the Chauve souris theatre company, where he met the designers Nikolai Remizov, Sergei Sudeikin and Dobuzhinsky. After a tour to the United States in 1922, Tamirov settled there permanently to work.  It was at this point he started his great collection of Russian art, building close friendships with Russian émigré artists such as Konstantin Somov and who visited New York in 1923 to organise an exhibition. Over the course of forty years, Tamiroff became one of Hollywood's greatest character actors, and the only actor to work with Cecil B. DeMille, Preston Sturges, Orson Welles and Jean-Luc Godard. He received two Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor The General Died at Dawn (1936) and For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)