Pavel Tchelitchev

Collection of Julien Levy, New York
Private Collection, New York
Thence by descent

New York, Museum of Modern Art, Tchelitchew, 1942, no. 5
New York, The Gallery of Modern Art, Pavel Tchelitchew, March-April 1964, no. 11

James Thrall Soby, Tchelitchew. Paintings and Drawings, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1942, p. 41, illustrated
Gallery of Modern Art, Pavel Tchelitchew, New York, 1964, p. 56
Parker Tyler, The Divine Comedy of Pavel Tchelichew, New York, 1967, p. 313

This painting has never been removed from its stretcher. The unique and heavily texture paint layer in the figure is all in very healthy condition. Although a handful of cracks have developed, these do not appear to be giving rise to any instability issues. The paint layer seems to be clean. A little more varnish may add some more depth to the paint layer. Overall this picture should be hung in its current 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 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."

Tchelitchev's Nude, executed in Paris in 1926, is an extraordinary, authoritative example of the artist's figure studies from his Neo-Romantic period, when he abandoned Cubo-Futurism in favor of a style more closely related to Surrealism and Russian Symbolism, focusing on the return of art to its most basic and primal fundamentals. Tchelitchev's own Neo-Romantic works are unique in their highly intellectual restlessness; figures are displaced in space, evoking a sense of mystery and psychological awareness, intensified by a color scheme that is rich and alive in simplified, monochromatic patterns. Tchelichev also began to experiment with a new medium at the recommendation of Cubist painter Juan Gris: he mixed sand and coffee grinds with oil and gouache to add a tangible, sensory dimension to the figures of his subjects.