Lot 136
  • 136

Iosif Vasilievich Gerasimovich

Estimate
2,500 - 3,500 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Iosif Vasilievich Gerasimovich
  • Original Film Poster Design for The Mexican (1955)
  • signed in Cyrillic and dated 1950 l.r.
  • coloured pencil and gouache over pencil on paper
  • 71 by 55cm, 28 by 21 3/4 in.

Catalogue Note

The present lot depicts Oleg Strizhenov, a star of 1950s Soviet cinema, in the lead role of The Mexican.

The Soviet art critic and dealer Victor Kholodkov (1948-2015) was particularly drawn to the graphic works and typographical experiments of the Russian avant-garde. He published a number of articles on the subject and contributed to exhibitions after his emigration from the Soviet Union in 1989, including the 1992 Guggenheim exhibition The Great Utopia: The Russian and Soviet Avant-Garde. His extensive collection of papers and artwork relating to VKhUTEMAS was acquired by the Getty Museum in 1995 and his collection of Soviet music sheet covers is now in The Library of Congress.

The present selection of graphic works, oils and original film posters (lots 107-138) from the first half of the 20th century is characteristic of Kholodkov’s interests in the convergence of artistic, cultural and political concerns of the period. He is known to have purchased much of his collection directly from the artists or their families; others were acquired directly from Nikolai Khardzhiev, another well-known collector of the Russian avant-garde.