Vadim Fedorovich Ryndin

There are a few small tears to the edges of the sheet: to the left of the clown's hair, to the left of the signature and above the heel of his right shoe. A vertical crease which runs the length of the sheet is visible in the right hand side of the composition. There are few minor creases to the edges and corners. There is a layer of surface dirt and spots of dirt and smudges in places. Media staining is visible along the bottom edge and the remnants of adhesive in the top left corner. Held behind glass in a simple black 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."

Ryndin was a well-known theatre designer who over the course of his career was head artist at the Kamerny, Vakhtangov and Bolshoi theatres. In 1937 Yuri Yursky, the then artistic director of the Moscow circus, invited him to design a programme and Ryndin continued to design for the circus for the next decade. The artist's wife, Galina Ulanova, was one of the great Russian ballerinas.

The Soviet art critic and dealer Victor Kholodkov (1948-2015) was particularly drawn to the graphic works and typographical experiments of the Russian avant-garde. He published a number of articles on the subject and contributed to exhibitions after his emigration from the Soviet Union in 1989, including the 1992 Guggenheim exhibition The Great Utopia: The Russian and Soviet Avant-Garde. His extensive collection of papers and artwork relating to VKhUTEMAS was acquired by the Getty Museum in 1995 and his collection of Soviet music sheet covers is now in The Library of Congress.

The present selection of graphic works, oils and original film posters (lots 107-138) from the first half of the 20^th century is characteristic of Kholodkov’s interests in the convergence of artistic, cultural and political concerns of the period. He is known to have purchased much of his collection directly from the artists or their families; others were acquired directly from Nikolai Khardzhiev, another well-known collector of the Russian avant-garde.