Erik Bulatov

Erik Bulatov was one of the earliest of his generation to achieve recognition on the international art market, with several of his large-scale oils having sold for over £1m. The oil version of the present lot was sold at Sotheby’s London in 2007 for £198,000. He was honoured with a major retrospective at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow in 2006.

Bulatov's preparatory drawings for major paintings are often meticulously worked and are finished pictures in themselves. These drawings would be transferred onto the canvas before being reworked in paint. 'I feel pleasure and a certain sense of pride that I am using the same means as artists did 5000 years ago. I feel a close connection to these artists and this gives me a feeling of freedom and the necessary distance in relation to the social material with which I am working'.