Yuri Ivanovich Pimenov

Acquired directly from the artist

A.Sidorov, Yuri Ivanovich Pimenov, Moscow: Sovetskii khudozhnik, 1986, no.103 illustrated; p.192 listed under works from 1970

Original canvas which is buckling slightly in the upper and lower left corners. There is a small dent in the canvas to the left of the flowers. The surface is covered in a layer of dirt with some small stains in places. There is a small scratch to the centre of the right edge. There are frame abrasions. There is minor craquelure in places. There is a small object trapped between the stretcher bar and canvas in the lower left corner which has caused some paint loss. Inspection under UV light does not reveal any obvious signs of restoration. Held in simple wooden frame. Unexamined out of frame.
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In his celebrated still life series of the 1950s and 1960s, ‘Things, People' and 'Everyday Objects', Pimenov sought to unravel the beauty of the everyday and the wonder of simple things. In the present display of Soviet delicacies we find the same interest in the materials of day-to-day life, from vatrushki and anchovy-topped rye bread to newly available imports such as Nescafé. The sense of abundance and the unexpected inclusion of tinned goods into a still life reflect an optimistic, perhaps idealised belief in the country’s progress during the post-war era, a central theme of Pimenov’s paintings of construction sites and modern high-rises. The attractive contrast between the yellows and blues in Breakfast is particularly striking. The present work was painted in 1970, the year he was awarded the title ‘People’s Artist of the USSR’ for exceptional artistic achievement. The label on the reverse indicates it was sent for exhibition in Japan.