Alexander Evgenievich Yakovlev

Acquired directly from the artist by his sister, Sandra Yakovlev
Acquired from the above by the parents of the present owner

The paper has been laid on canvas. There are pinholes to the corners. There are flecks of paint loss throughout, including four small areas of paint loss to the lefthand side of the head, loss to places in the background, edges and the top left corner. There is a layer of surface dirt and surface scratches in places throughout. The canvas is undulated. There are lines of creasing along the bottom edge. Unstretched and unframed.
"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."

The poet Martin Birnbaum wrote, 'To attend the performance of an oriental play with [Alexander Yakovlev] and hear his illuminating comments during the entr'actes was a memorable experience, for [he] was an outstanding authority on Chinese and Japanese drama' (Jacovleff and other artists, M. Birnbaum, New York: Struck Editions, 1946).

The offered portrait belongs to the series of paintings executed by Yakovlev in 1918 on the subject of the Chinese theatre, which includes The Opera in Peking; Box at a Theatre in Peking; The Battle of the Warriors; Three Women in a Box at the Theatre; General Ma-Soo in the Historical Play The Retreat of Kiai-Ting, Puppets. Yakovlev was particularly fascinated by the Chinese theatre and its role in modern Chinese society; indeed many compositions from this series take as their subject not the action on stage but its effect on the audience. In the offered lot Yakovlev has chosen to depict in striking isolation one of the spectators at the far left of Box at The Theatre in Peking (fig.1). His features are well-defined, and characterised by a luminosity found in many of Yakovlev's works from this series which is heightened by the intense blue of the sitter's robe. The man's tightly closed lips and direct gaze hint at a resolute and determined character - a very individual personality behind the unremarkable and uniform-like clothes, which are executed with typically confident, broad brushstrokes that convey both weight and volume.

 

The large scale of this portrait, combined with the man's stance, feet slightly apart and his shoulders turned towards the viewer, have a transformative effect, endowing the sitter with a grandeur more readily associated with an actor than a humble patron of the theatre.

Yakovlev was very close to his sister Sandra, a singing teacher at the Conservatoire Rachmaninoff in Paris. Both had a passion for music, dance and theatre so it is understandable why Sandra would have kept this elegant, full-length portrait of a spectator at the Opera of Peking and chosen to give it as a gift to one of her students and dearest friends.

 

We are grateful to Caroline Haardt de la Baume for writing this note. The offered work will be included in the forthcoming Alexander Yakovlev catalogue raisonné.