Lot 319
  • 319

Semyon Faibisovich

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
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Description

  • Semyon Faibisovich
  • Portrait of Gorbachev
  • bearing Phyllis Kind exhibition label on the stretcher
  • oil on canvas
  • 127 by 96.5cm, 50 by 38in.
  • Executed in 1989

Provenance

Phyllis Kind Gallery, New York and Chicago
Acquired from the above by the present owner circa 1993

Literature

Forbidden Art: The Postwar Russian Avant-Garde, New York: Distributed Art Publishers, 1998, p.165 illustrated

Condition

Original canvas. The upper right corner is very slightly worn. There are a few very minor spots of dark paint along the edges, mostly to the upper and upper left edges. There is a very light covering of surface dirt with further scattered spots in places. Inspection under UV light does not reveal any obvious signs of retouching. Held in a black 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."

Catalogue Note

'For our readers Gorbachev is the symbol of Perestroika!' Faibisovich recalls being told by the art director of Time magazine, Rudy Hoglund, who had commissioned a portrait of Gorbachev for the front cover. The image never came to be published.