Mstislav Valerianovich Dobuzhinsky

Collection of Alexander Benois

Lithograph album. The cover page of the album is quite dirty and discolored, and several losses and tears have occurred to the outer edges. The other pages and the lithographs themselves are variously discolored, particularly to the outer edges, and they are a little dirty and stained. Minor signs of foxing are present and very minor losses have occurred to the corners and left edges. The album lacks an outer cover and the binding is extremely fragile. The additional hand colored lithograph is a little dirty and the sheet appears gently buckled. There are some minor surface stains and the sheet is discolored. There are minor signs of foxing. This work is held in a modern metal frame with mat 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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Mstislav Dobuzhinsky's portfolio of lithographs Petersburg in 1921 depicts the city of St. Petersburg (Petrograd) in the aftermath of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and the Civil War (1918-21). The lithographs were created during the heyday of the St. Petersburg school of printmaking, a period when the Committee for the Popularization of Artistic Publications and other Soviet publishing houses began producing whole series of lithographic albums.

St. Petersburg was a subject of deep affection and sustained thematic interest for Dobuzhinsky, who depicted the former Russian capital in various drawings and prints.

With its masterful blend of simplicity and elegance—and simultaneously, its reflection of Dobuzhinsky's love of the grotesque—Petersburg in 1921 made a strong impression on the artist's contemporaries. In the words of one commentator: "It is like a poem, narrating the temporary desolation of the northern capital." Another writer, however, regarded the publication as "the most insolent and unduly familiar anti-Soviet ideology in the field of the fine arts." The latter quotation captures the response of the Soviet authorities, who were displeased with Dobuzhinsky's album and issued its publisher an official warning about it.