Nikolai Andreevich Tyrsa

Private Collection, St. Petersburg
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Leningrad, Exhibition to Mark the Centenary of Nikolai Andreevich Tyrsa's Birth, 1987

Exhibition Catalogue, Exhibition to Mark the Centenary of Nikolai Andreevich Tyrsa's Birth, Leningrad, 1987, listed under works for 1935, illustrated pl.5

Original canvas which is very loose in the stretcher. There are some lines of craquelure especially in the top left section, possibly as a result of applied pressure. UV light reveals no apparent signs of retouching. Held in a simple gold painted 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. 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."

A graduate of the Imperial Academy of Arts and student of Leon Bakst, Nikolai Tyrsa's early influences were those of the World of Art movement and in 1915 he participated in two of the group's exhibitions in Moscow and Saint-Petersburg. In the years before the revolution Tyrsa rose to prominence for his drawings in the Russian art journal Apollon, and later in the 1920s became a pioneering illustrator of Soviet children's books.

Tyrsa turned to oil painting comparatively late, in the 1930s. He is best known for his nudes, executed in a vivid and colourful palette which infuses them with a great optimism despite the fact that they were painted in a period of extreme hardship. Dating from 1935, the offered lot is an important and typical composition of that time.

In the beginning of 1942 Tyrsa was evacuated from a besieged Leningrad to Vologda, only to die there shortly after. His works are represented in important Russian national collections such as the State Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg and the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.