Lot 172
  • 172

Serge Férat (Sergei Yastrebzoff)

Estimate
80,000 - 120,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • Serge Férat (Sergei Yastrebzoff)
  • Family Portrait, 1909
  • signed S. Jastrebzoff and dated 1909 (lower right); labeled 30 for exhibition in Pittsburgh and thrice inscribed 974 (on the stretcher)
  • oil on canvas
  • 87 by 43 1/2 in.
  • 221 by 110.5 cm

Condition

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 large and impressive picture appears never to have been cleaned or varnished. It seems not to have been damaged or retouched and is therefore in remarkably good condition, particularly for a picture of this size and period. The paint layer will clean if carefully approached. A thin varnish should sit well on the surface and illuminate the darker colors. This painting is extremely well-preserved.
"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."

Catalogue Note

Serge (Yastrebzoff) Férat is primarily remembered as a leading Cubist artist who worked alongside Picasso and Braque, experimenting with abstract forms and unusual media including glass. Born in Russia, he traveled to Western Europe frequently as a child, and in 1901 he studied at the Académie Julian in Paris. By 1906 he had settled permanently in Paris; he participated in regular exhibitions at the Salon des Indépendants and took over ownership of the paper Les Soirées de Paris with André Salmon, René Dalize, and Guillaume Apollinaire.

The present work, Family Portrait of 1909, was painted after Férat moved to Paris. It is a rare example of his early, non-experimental work. The piece is traditional in technique and rich in color, offering a vibrant and nostalgic backward glance at life in Russia.