- 271
Elena Keller
Estimate
25,000 - 30,000 USD
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Description
- Elena Keller
- New Idea, 1989
- signed with artists's initials EK (lower right); signed, titled and inscribed in Cyrillic and dated 1989 (on the reverse)
- oil and collage on canvas
- 47 1/2 by 56 in.
- 119.5 by 143.5 cm
Provenance
Gregory Gallery, New York
Exhibited
Washington DC, Gregory Gallery, Elena Keller: Recent Paintings, December, 1992
Condition
Oil and collage on original canvas. There is a little surface dirt and a layer of varnish but the work appears in overall good state. Under UV certain pigments fluoresce but no retouches are visible, though the varnish prevents a conclusive analysis. Held in a modern wood frame. 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.
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.
Catalogue Note
Best known as a non-representational artist, Elena Keller has painted primarily in a hard-edged style. New Idea, a rare figurative work, was painted in 1989 in response to the implementation of perestroika in the Soviet Union. Two angels face each other not as opposing forces, but rather as two figures working in tandem to build the new Russia. The angels, signifying glasnost, are destroying the red star, the emblem of the old ideology. The words in the newspaper, "Gorbachev," on the left, and "Izvestiia," on the right, refer to the democratic expectation for freedom at the time. The headline in the lower right, "We Are Electing Democracy," emphasizes the sense of hope during that period. The brilliant red color around the angels symbolizes new life, new energy, and the desire for a better life for the Soviet people.