Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin, 1876-1942

A gift from the artist to Professor N.L.Okunev, Prague
Thence by decent

Prague, Institut Slave de Prague, Exposition de la peinture russe, 1935, No. 122

The sheet appears sound but is a little discoloured. Otherwise the colours are fresh and the work is ready to hang. Held in a gold painted wooden frame and under glass. 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."

Ivan Bilibin played an exceptional role in establishing book illustrations as an independent art form at the turn of the twentieth century. His work for children's books, journals and magazines is particularly well known. For Bilibin, the page was an expressive entity that was a composite of the text and its presentation. He considered illustration integral to the artistic value of a book. Bilibin was thus one of the first artists in Russia to view illustrating as an art form.

 

The artist's style is inspired by Old Russia, its folk art and fairy tales. The combination of Romantic Nationalism and modern design makes his illustrations unique. His style matured during several expeditions to Northern Russia between 1902 and 1904, during which he gathered and photographed folk art, handicraft items and traditional wooden buildings.

 

In 1929, Ivan Bilibin moved to Paris, and his costume and stage designs, and fairy tale illustrations were the heyday of his career in emigration. Due to their high quality and his apolitical interpretation of a magical Russian world, Ivan Bilibin's illustrations remained popular throughout Russian history.

The offered work is a colour illustration from The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish by Alexander Pushkin, published by Flammarion in Paris as one of a series of fairy tales.

In this work Bilibin creates expressiveness by emphasis of line and use of silhouette, derived from Russian icon painting. These illustrated fairy tales were extremely popular in France and Alexander Benois once described them as "the nicest present we can offer our children." (A. Benois, More Books by Bilibin, 1934)