Andrei Mikhailovich Lanskoy

M. Knoedler & Co., New York (acquired directly from the artist)
Alan Tishman, Connecticut

Paris, M. Knoedler et. Cie, Summer, 1965

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting is unlined. The paint layer seems to be clean and stable and appears not to be noticeably varnished. The white paint in the upper left is cracked slightly and there may be a few retouches or fillings. The remainder of the paint layer, despite its thick passages, seems to be in remarkably well-preserved condition. No instability or cracking has developed anywhere else, except in one of the blue sections in the lower left. Overall the picture should be hung as is.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Andrei Lanskoy was the son of a Russian count and raised in St. Petersburg. In 1921, he emigrated to Paris and studied with Sergei Soudeikine at the Académie de la Grande Chaumiére. Lanskoy was deeply influenced by traditional folk art as well as the Expressionist movement in France, and his early works reflected an interest in van Gogh, Matisse, and Soutine. As his individual style developed, however, he moved into an Impressionistic technique and then, in 1939, began his trademark Tachism approach. Lanskoy is considered one of the pioneers of Tachism, a movement that flourished in France in the 1940s and 50s. The movement was born in response to Cubism, and it focused on spontaneity and liberation of palette—bold, improvised brushstrokes combined with vivid buoyancy of color.

The present composition, Mythical Burial, was completed in 1965 as Lanskoy was experimenting even more actively with the elements of Tachism. Heavy, broad brushstrokes with thick impasto and exuberant explosions of color command the canvas.