Yuri Ivanovich Pimenov

A gift from the artist to his parents on their 30th wedding anniversary, 1932
Acquired from the family of the artist by the present owner

A.Sidorov, Yuri Pimenov, Moscow: Sovetsky khudozhnik, 1986, p.198, listed under works for 1932, no.787

There are several small repaired rips to the sheet around the edges, with a larger to the upper left edge approximately 5cm in length and the second to the upper left quadrant running through the waist of the sitter approximately 13cm in length. The sheet is dirty and has discoloured. There are minor creases to the lower right corner with further creasing the upper left quadrant. Some colours have faded and there are flecks of paint loss to the white gouache. 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.
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In this charming anniversary gift to his parents, Pimenov imagines the young couple at the turn of the century in a scene palpable with nostalgia: Ivan Vasilievich, a dashing lawyer, offering pastel blooms to Klavdia Mikhailovna, the young scion of a merchant family, watched over by a flying Cupid. The artist himself had married Natalya Bernadskaya in the spring of 1931, only a year previously, and this intimate family portrait may well have been inspired by the passing of their own first anniversary.

Pimenov’s works on paper melded the graphic precision of his teacher Vladimir Favorsky with the aesthetics of German Expressionism. The artist would have seen works by Otto Dix and George Grosz, among others, at the first General German Art Exhibition in Moscow in 1924. The use of collage and the dramatic stylisation of the figures in this work attest to this influence, combined with a dash of optimism and freshness of vision, qualities that Pimenov was famed for even during the difficult 1930s.