Ilya & Emilia Kabakov

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is softer in the original. The illustration also fails to convey the three-dimentionality of the smaller images. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There are extremely minor handling creases in a few places along the extreme bottom edge. There is a light media stain to the extreme bottom left hand corner tip and a further one to the extreme right hand edge towards the top right hand corner.
"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."

In 1989 the ICA presented the exhibition Ilya Kabakov: The Untalented Artist and Other Characters. The show included ten installations, each one showing the habitat of a fictional character in an apartment block. Ilya and Emilia Kabakov donated work to the ICA's auction in 1990, and in 2004 selected a work by Donald Judd as their contribution to the exhibition Artists' Favourites.

For the ICA's 60th anniversary auction the Kabakovs have donated
Palace of Projects, 2003, a print with models collaged onto its surface. The work shows detailed studies for the original Palace of Projects, 1998, commissioned by Artangel for the Roundhouse in London. The latter was a spiralling structure, 40 feet high, constructed of a wooden frame and fabric, which housed an archive of projects created by fictional Soviet citizens, including models, paintings and writings that proposed utopian remedies for the challenges of daily life.

"Non-profit institutions, like the ICA, are extremely important for the artist and for the viewer, especially today in our money-oriented society. The artist can do something without pressure and the public can look at the work from an aesthetic and cultural point, without thinking about the price tag. It's a great venue for young artists, and for new and experimental art. We did a lot of exhibitions at institutions
like this – starting, by the way, with the ICA London" (Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, 2008)