Boris Dmitrievich Grigoriev

Acquired by the father of the present owners circa 1950

The sheet has discoloured. There is a hole to the centre of the lower edge, and the lower edge is unevenly perforated. There is a repaired tear to the left edge and a small tear in the top right corner. A crease runs across the chest of the sitter. There are some minor media stains to the right edge and the surface is undulated in places. Held in a simple metal 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."

Grigoriev was a superb draughtsman and his line drawings from the 1910s were widely published and reproduced. The confident lines and firm shadows rank the present work among the best of Grigoriev’s graphic works ever to come to auction. It is related to his famous series Intimité which he was working on during the mid-1910s, and is thought to be a sketch for the painting Harlequin. As Vsevolod Voinov remarked, this series was a study of ‘everyday erotica’, depicting the intimate moments of day-to-day in the lives of a particular group of women. ‘The artist depicts in heroines at moments when they find themselves on their own, unobserved: in their poses, gestures and dress they are in a state of total relaxation, neither showy or on parade, but entirely free of any shocking or overtly sexual element’ (T.Galeeva, Boris Grigoriev, Zolotoi Vek, 2007, p.60). In 1919 Grigoriev emigrated from Russia with his family via Finland. The present work may have entered a Finnish collection at this juncture.