MacDougall's Russian Art Auctions 27-30 May 2012
27 May 2012
* 129. BURKOVSKY, NIKOLAI (1909-1994)
Portrait of a Woman in a Red Headscarf, signed.
Oil on canvas, 56.5 by 46 cm.
75,000–90,000 GBP
Painted in the 1930s.
Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist’s family.
Private collection, Europe.
Authenticity certificate from the expert Yu. Rybakova.
The spectacular Portrait of a Woman in a Red Headscarf by Nikolai Burkovsky is an interesting and original work, entirely in keeping with the spirit of its time. Nevertheless, the wholly sculptural manner of Burkovsky, a native of Leningrad, was somewhat distinct from the accustomed archetypes of the northern capital, being stylistically closer to the Muscovites of Lentulov’s circle. The painting
of the work is astonishingly organised, colour is richly applied in patches, without the fragmented quality of the Impressionists’ brushwork, these patches are monumental in their articulation and their viscous colour combinations which emphasises the solidity of his palette.
Burkovsky had excellent professional training. In the early 1920s he studied at the well-known art school in Pavlovsk, and from 1927 to 1931 at the Leningrad Higher School of Art and Industry under the tutelage of the famous theatrical designer, painter and
teacher Mikhail Bobyshev, from whom he adopted particular methods of constructing space and a rich colour palette.
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.