21 May 2016 Photography Auctions
21 May 2016
57. BALTERMANTS, DMITRY (1912-1990)
She Found Her Husband..., from the Series “That's How it Was”, stamped with the photographer's stamp and the photographer's estate stamp, titled in Cyrillic, inscribed “seriya “Tak eto bylo” and dated “(Kerch 1942 g.)” on the reverse.
Gelatin silver print, 30.5 by 40.5 cm.
800-1,200 GBP
Photographed in January 1942, printed c. 1970.
The photograph depicts the massacre of Kerch residents by the Nazis in 1941. One of the women, V. Tereshchenko, is captured searching among the bodies for her husband. The photograph was published in the Ogoniok magazine in March 1942.
Provenance: Estate of the photographer.
Acquired directly from the above by the previous owner.
Acquired from the above by the present owner.
Private collection, Europe.
Dmitry Baltermants (1912–1990), a prominent Soviet photojournalist and war correspondent, earned his fame during World War II, in particular thanks to his coverage of the Battles of Stalingrad and Moscow, and military offensives in the Crimea. One of his most famous photographs is Grief, from the series “That’s How it Was”, capturing the massacre by the Nazis of the Kerch inhabitants in 1941. After the war, Baltermants worked as photo editor at the magazine Ogoniok. Many of his war images were initially censored because of their disturbing content and were only first published in the 1960s during the Thaw. Baltermants had personal exhibitions in London and New York, and was one of the very few photographers of the Soviet era who won widespread acclaim in the West during his lifetime.
Notes on symbols:
* Indicates 5% Import Duty Charge applies.
Ω Indicates 20% Import Duty Charge applies.
§ Indicates Artist's Resale Right applies.
† Indicates Standard VAT scheme applies, and the rate of 20% VAT will be charged on both hammer price and premium.