MacDougall’s online auction École de Paris and Other Masters is now open for
bidding on Drouot.com until 21 June. The sale offers 100 lots by some of the most
pre-eminent artists of the late 19th century to the present day.
The top lot of this sale is a masterpiece by Ilya Repin, The Portrait of Father Ioann
Tsvetkov (Lot 12, estimate £200,000–300,000). Last exhibited in 1931 in Finland,
celebrated by critics and art historians of the day and since unseen in public for
almost a century, it is one of the finest works produced by the artist during his exile
in Finland.
Tsvetkov
The painting has an impeccable provenance: it comes from the collection of
Repin’s friend Boris Sirpo (1893-1967). Sirpo, a renowned violinist, conductor and founder of the Vyborg
Music Institute and the Portland Chamber Orchestra, lived in Finland in 1912-1939 before immigrating to the
USA. The sitter, Father Ioann, was also Repin’s close friend. The artist, who rejected the
Russian Orthodox church after the ex-communication of Leo Tolstoy, became very
religious after the October Revolution. In his last years in Kuokkola, he frequented the
local church where Father Ioann served, and where he also sang in the church choir. The
special relations between the old artist and his spiritual guide can be sensed in the
mastery and the energy of the portrait.
Ivan Shishkin’s au plein air works often provide the best insight into his creative
experimentation. Despite its seeming simplicity A Woodland Glade (Lot 14, estimate
£70,000–120,000) is a museum quality example of a composition created from outdoor
impressions and encapsulates Shishkin’s profound knowledge of nature.
Amongst the highlights are Flowers in a Jug by Natalia Goncharova (Lot 21, estimate £40,000–60,000). Still lifes became a favourite motif in the artist’ work in the 1920s.
Monumental Theatre by O. Tselkov (Lot 61 estimate £40,000–60,000)
and a group of works by O. Rabin from the 1970s (lots 66-68) lead the
post-war segment of the sale.
Drawn from prestigious collections around the world, other highlights of
the sale include works B. Grigoriev, K. Gorbatov, B. Kustodiev, J.
Pougny and O. Zadkine amongst others.
For more information and comments, contact the Director Catherine MacDougall:
european@macdougallauction.com, + 44 20 7389 8160.
High resolution photos are available upon request. Please contact Valentina Gritsenko:
valentina@macdougallauction.com, + 44 20 7389 8160.
