David Davidovich Burliuk

Private Collection, New York
Sale: Sotheby's New York, February 23, 2001, lot 99, illustrated
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Philadelphia, Mellon Galleries

This painting is stretched on its original stretcher. There is no lining or reinforcements. The paint layer is stable, despite the fact that some cracking has developed in the upper right, and there are a few small losses in this area. The work appears to have been unevenly cleaned and there are vestiges of dirt remaining in the impasto throughout, there are also some areas which may not have been cleaned as thoroughly. There are weaknesses to the more subtle colors in the foliage and there are retouches in the lower center in the foliage and in a few spots elsewhere. Our advice would be to line the canvas to stabilize the paint layer and eliminate the cracking and to properly clean and retouch the painting, which is nonetheless in very healthy state. The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

David Burliuk's oeuvre from the early 1920s incorporates elements from a variety of prevalent movements, for example the planar displacement of Cubism, the abstracted forms and vivid palette of Orphism and the chaotic motion of Futurism. Though an outstanding demonstration of Burliuk's distinct and uniquely Russian Cubo-Futurist style, the offered lot draws on all these modernist influences. The result is a dynamic composition of spatial complexity and vibrant color, and it prefigures the artist's formal establishment of Radio Style in 1925. This revolutionary technique, specific to his earliest years in America, sought to capture the power of electricity and wave patterns on canvas.