Sergei Yurievich Sudeikin

The Collection of Morris Gest (1875-1942)
Private Collection, New York from 1930
Thence by descent to the present owners

New York, The Brooklyn Museum, Exhibition of Russian Painting and Sculpture, 1923

C.Brinton, Exhibition of Russian Painting and Sculpture, exhibition catalogue, The Brooklyn Museum, 1923, no. 252, listed and illustrated

Structural Condition The canvas has been lined onto a keyed wooden stretcher and this is ensuring an even and secure structural support. There is pattern of drying craquelure which is entirely stable. Paint surface The paint surface has an even varnish layer. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows scattered retouchings, the majority of which have been applied to reduce the visual effect of the overall pattern of fine lines of drying craquelure. There are also retouchings along the lower horizontal framing edge and an area measuring approximately 3 x 2 cm just above the signature in the lower right of the composition. There are other small, scattered retouchings. Summary The painting is therefore in good and stable condition and no further work is required.
"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."

Sergei Sudeikin travelled to the United States for the first time in 1922, his reputation as a theatrical designer and artist preceding him thanks to his prolific success in Paris working with Sergei Diaghilev and the Ballet Russes. He was called to New York to assist with the set and costume design for the Broadway production La Chauve-Souris (The Bat), a musical directed by Nikita Balieff that originated in Moscow and was already a hit in Paris before continuing on to the United States. The New York show’s émigré Russian producer Morris Gest (1875-1942) was a major figure on Broadway during the 1920s (fig.1), frequently collaborating with fellow producer F. Ray Comstock to import Russian productions for an eager and curious New York crowd. La Chauve-Souris was incredibly well-received by the public in 1922, and Gest and Sudeikin worked on a total of five New York runs of the show, from 1922 through 1927. Sudeikin moved permanently to the United States in 1923 and, while continuing his work on Broadway, also produced costume and set designs for the Metropolitan Opera for a number of shows including Petrouchka (1925) and Sadko (1930).

In the United States, Sudeikin found an advocate in not only Gest but also the collector, curator and patron Christian Brinton, the force behind the introduction of contemporary Russian art to America in the 1920s and 30s. Brinton’s Russian Paintings and Sculpture exhibition of 1923 at the Brooklyn Museum included sixteen works by Sudeikin, including the present lot, all loaned by Morris Gest. Russian Winter Carnival remained in the collection of Morris Gest until the 1930s when it was purchased by a private collector in New York. It has remained in the collection of this family ever since.

Russian Winter Carnival was not obviously intended for a theatrical production, yet it showcases Sudeikin’s talent as a set designer with the bright costumes, idyllic atmosphere and strong sense of movement. Reminiscent of Boris Kustodiev’s Shrovetide (fig 4), the canvas exudes a festivity that recalls a nostalgic Russia of the past. A rich, multi-layered panorama filled with colour and detail, the viewer is invited to step into the festivities.

Christian Brinton describes Sudeikin’s unique ability to capture the colourful Russian spirit in his introduction to the 1923 Russian Art exhibition catalogue: '…in Sergei Sudeykin Moscow has produced an artist who depicts as none other the geniality, the gusto, and the inextinguishable love of life that typify the city by the Moskva. Yet the art of Sudeykin…is retrospective in spirit. It glances back to the picturesque period of 1830 and 1840, to Gogol and to Ostrovsky…The pageant of Russian art reveals no more characteristic figure than this same diverting Sudeykin…' (p. 11).