- 150
Grisha Bruskin
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 GBP
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Description
- Grisha Bruskin
- Old Testament
- signed in Cyrillic l.r.
- oil on canvas
- 73 by 61cm, 28 3/4 by 24in.
- Executed in 1986
Provenance
Habsburg, Feldman New York, Soviet Contemporary Art: The Property of the Kniga Collection, Paris, 5 May 1990, lot 6
Connaught Brown Gallery, London
Sotheby's London, Russian Contemporary Art, 15 February 2007, lot 13
Connaught Brown Gallery, London
Sotheby's London, Russian Contemporary Art, 15 February 2007, lot 13
Condition
Original canvas. There is a light covering of surface dirt and spots of dirt in places. Inspection under UV light reveals scattered spots of retouching in places. Held in a black wooden 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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
The present lot forms part of a series of compositions entitled Alefbet, meaning alphabet in Hebrew, which was inspired by Bruskin's study of the Kabala. Early versions such as this particular work depict small groups of traditionally robed figures, each equipped with an attribute and set against a background of hand-written Hebrew texts. Mostly illegible, and in certain instances crossed out as if this were a rough draft for private use, it is not intended to be read as an explanation of the images, but to work in conjunction with them. The figures do not relate to each other, united only by their context.
Bruskin has explained that, 'The basic idea is to make art as a text. I make these pieces not as religious icons, but by making them I continue creating myths about Judaism'. Above all else, Alefbet is a purely artistic concept: 'I always sensed a certain cultural vacuum [in Judaism], which I wanted to fill in an individual and imaginative way'.