RUBLEV, GEORGY (1902-1975) Village Klopovo , titled in Cyrillic, dated 1933 and with a portrait of a man on the reverse. - photo 1
RUBLEV, GEORGY (1902-1975) Village Klopovo , titled in Cyrillic, dated 1933 and with a portrait of a man on the reverse. - photo 1

RUBLEV, GEORGY (1902-1975) Village Klopovo , titled in Cyrillic, dated 1933 and with a portrait of a man on the reverse.

Lot 9
06.06.2018 12:30UTC +01:00
Classic
Sold
£ 182 000
AuctioneerMacDougall Arts Ltd.
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 70674
Lot 9 | RUBLEV, GEORGY (1902-1975) Village Klopovo , titled in Cyrillic, dated 1933 and with a portrait of a man on the reverse.
Estimate value
£ 120 000 – 180 000
Oil on canvas, 98.5 by 107 cm.

Exhibited: Russian avant-garde, Panstwowa Galeria Sztuki, Sopot, 2012.



Literature: Exhibition catalogue, Russian avant-garde, Sopot, Panstwowa Galeria Sztuki, 2012, p. 90, illustrated.



The presence of Georgy Rublev’s work Village Klopovo, executed in 1933, in the current sale at MacDougall’s is a rare and extremely important event for the art market. Rublev is, arguably, one of the most remarkable and enigmatic painters of the Soviet era. He is likely to have painted this work while under the impression of the “oilcloths” of the great Niko Pirosmani. The dense black background, the unsettling range of colours and the sheer grotesqueness of the protagonists create a particular, unreal world, reminiscent of the notorious hidden, “behind-the-looking-glass” Soviet reality. In that other world, dream is intertwined with reality, while the clothing accessories of the characters, their faces and baskets of flowers are mysteriously ominous, as though foreshadowing a succession of some significant future events.



In 1922, while still very young, Rublev moved from his native Lipetsk to Moscow to continue his training with such famous painters as Sergei Gerasimov, Alexander Osmerkin and Ilya Mashkov. Having been stylistically influenced by the Jack of Diamonds, Rublev focussed on studying the approach to colour by the most progressive Western artists, especially Henri Matisse. This had a beneficial effect on his vivid artistic images, whose integrity had always been ensured by an impeccably thought-through system of bright splashes of colour reflecting the main conceptual framework of the picture.



However, in the troubled 1930s, when the artistic achievements of the Jack of Diamonds group were virtually stifled by the harsh official offensive against “formalism”, while the artists themselves had already long abandoned their Fauvist and Cubist quests, open formalist experimentation was out of the question. Rublev was forced to lead a double life, officially managing, as well as executing artistic commissions for Soviet pavilions and sports parades, while at the same time continuing to paint clandestinely, with the output confined to his table drawer.



It is possible that at that time only a few people got to see his extraordinarily bold compositions, which not only saved these works from annihilation but, in all likelihood, preserved the artist’s well-being and even his life. It is hard to believe that Rublev’s output in the 1930s was created during the horrendous period when for a single flippant image of Stalin (Stalin, 1934–1935, State Tretyakov Gallery) the artist could have ended up in a labour camp or even being executed. But it is precisely this “second” life of Rublev, and of his many outstanding, daring compatriots, that gives us today an idea of the true values and aspirations of the most progressive proponents of culture.



This masterpiece by Georgy Rublev would not look out of place in a private collection or even in the most prestigious museum exhibition.
Address of auction MacDougall Arts Ltd.
63 New Cavendish St.
W1G 7LP London
United Kingdom
Preview
06.06.2018 – 06.06.2018
Phone +44 20 7389 8160
Phone +7 495 799 4683
Fax +44 (0) 20 7389 8170
Email
4FQ.3FGKQHSRRSIHFPQS4@3SGAAHL@
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase
Shipping Postal service
Courier service
pickup by yourself
Payment methods Wire Transfer

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.