Serge Poliakoff

By the 1960s Poliakoff had achieved considerable success; he was given a retrospective at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London in 1963 and the following year was exhibited in Venice, St-Gallen and Tokyo. Notable figures in the world of cinema and fashion such as Yves Saint-Laurent, Greta Garbo and Anatole Litvak, collected his works.

The present composition is an arrangement of interlocking shapes. Bright jewel-like blues contrast with black and creamy whites. The composition is anchored around a central shape, often cross-like but here a horizontal lozenge. By building up layer upon layer of pigment, the artist manages to make the colours vibrate. As Poliakoff’s œuvre in general, the work has a strong contemplative dimension. Raised by a religious mother, when still in Russia, Poliakoff attended church daily and was fascinated by the bright colours and mimetic power of icons. Despite having spent the majority of his career in Paris as a leading member of the new École de Paris, his Russian heritage was ever present. In his studio every inch of the wall was covered with his works, reminiscent of the icon-covered iconostasis screens of Russian churches.