Boris Dmitrievich Grigoriev

Sale: France, December 5, 1985
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Moscow, State Tretyakov Gallery, Collection Basmadjian, July-August 1988
Leningrad, State Hermitage, Collection Basmadjian, August-September 1988

Galerie Basmadjian, Collection Basmadjian, Paris, 1988, illustrated
T. Galeeva, Boris Grigoriev, St. Petersburg, 2007, p. 171, illustrated

This painting is still stretched on its original stretcher. The paint layer is more or less clean, although it may have acquired a thin dirt layer since it was cleaned. The paint layer is undamaged. There are a few cracks beneath the edges of the table in the foreground which have been retouched but essentially there are no other retouches. There is slight evidence of raised cracking which is not disturbing. The painting can be hung as is. 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."

In 1924 Grigoriev began a series of still life compositions, some of which he went on to exhibit in New York and Paris. By 1927 these works took center stage at the World of Art exhibition in Paris, where many critics considered them to be Grigoriev's very best, for they showcased his "full mastery of technique," "true enchantment of color" and realization of the formula for moving "from color to light." 

Still Life with Radishes, executed circa 1928, is one of the strongest works from this series ever to appear at auction. Represented from a raised perspective against a dark wooden table, the image depicts an abundant spread suspended in space: red and white radishes, rich greens and an intricately decorated glass. Grigoriev reduces each object to its fundamental geometric shape in order to emphasize color and material, alternating areas of impasto and thin layers of paint to create rhythm and texture, thereby producing a composition that references the prevailing French styles of the time as interpreted through his unique graphic style.