Evgeny Rukhin

Acquired directly from the artist by Anne and Stéphane Tatischeff

Original canvas. There are scattered rust marks and stains. The far left strip of wood has become detached from the surface in places but is currently stable. There is a layer of surface dirt and flecks of dirt in places. Inspection under UV light reveals no apparent signs of retouching. Held in a simple wooden strip 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."

The present group of works from the collection of Anne and Stéphane Tatischeff (lots 217-228) is both of artistic and historical significance. Comprising paintings from the early 1970s by some of the most important representatives of Soviet Nonconformism, it is testament to the contribution of Russian émigrés to the survival of dissident thought and unofficial artistic production in the Soviet Union. The Tatischeffs acquired the works in this catalogue directly from the artists while they were living in Moscow in the early 1970s.

Born in Paris in 1935, Stéphane Tatischeff was the grandson of Count Dmitry Tatischeff, governor-general of Yaroslavl, who had been shot by the Bolsheviks in 1919. Devoted to Russian culture, Stéphane studied the language and became a Professor of Russian. After completing his doctorate in Russian literature in 1970, he served as the Cultural Attaché at the French Embassy in Moscow from 1971 to 1974. He had previously visited the Soviet Union as a tourist and through Natalia Stolyarova met Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

While working at the French Embassy, Tatischeff established a channel to safely smuggle manuscripts and other documents by dissidents out of Russia, serving as a direct link between Solzhenitsyn’s circle and Nikita Struve, Solzhenitsyn’s publisher in Paris. Anne later recalled how every time her husband would leave for Paris, she had to call Stolyarova from a public phone, neither from the airport nor too close to their house, to let her know that everything had gone to plan. Anne would also carry documents with her when travelling to France, including at one time a large package containing the archives of the poet Osip Mandelstam, who had perished in a Soviet camp in 1938 (A.Vyshnevsky, Perekhvachennye pis’ma, Moscow, 2001, pp.517-518).

On one trip to the Soviet Union in 1977, Tatischeff was harassed by the KGB, asked to leave the country and declared persona non grata. Back in France, Anne and Stéphane continued to support the dissident movement. Their house in Fontenay-aux-Roses became a magnet for Russian émigrés and rare visitors from the Soviet Union, including Mstislav Rostropovich, Bulat Okudzhava, Bella Akhmadulina and Boris Messerer.