Alexandr Mikhailovich Gerasimov

ALEXANDER MIKHAILOVICH GERASIMOV 1881-1963 65.5 by 50.5cm., 25 3/4 by 20in. DESCRIPTION signed with initials in Cyrillic, inscribed and dated 1939 l.r.; further signed in Cyrillic on reverse oil on canvas PROVENANCE The collection of the sculptor and collector, Olga Osipovna Penerdghi (1895-1982), Riga until c.1970 CATALOGUE NOTE Olga Osipovna Penerdghi studied in Moscow in the class of A.Babichev, A.Golubkina and I.Chaikov before she emigrated to Riga in the 1920s, where she studied in the Academy of Arts until 1938. She began to exhibit in 1927 and became a member of the Union of Artists in 1946. In 1932 her private collection was put on view in the Exhibition of Russian Paintings of the Last Two Centuries , Riga City-Museum (4-18 December 1932). She was a close friend of several émigré Russian artists such as Konstantin Korovin and Zinaida Serebriakova. A number of other Russian paintings in the Penerdghi collection are now in the Latvian National Art Museum. The offered still life by Gerasimov was in her collection until the late 1960s or early 1970s.

Alexandre Gerasimov (1881-1963) Peonies signed in Cyrillic and dated 'A. Gerasimov 1958' (lower left) oil on canvas 33½ x 35 in. (85.1 x 88.9 cm.) Lot Notes As a Socialist realist painter, Alexandre Gerasimov stood out for his depiction of nature. His landscapes, and particularly his still lifes, not only set him apart from his more politicizing contemporaries, but also revealed his extraordinary artistic abilities. This painting reflects Gerasimov's love of flowers and the charm of the Russian summer.

LOT 76 PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION ALEXANDER MIKHAILOVICH GERASIMOV RUSSIAN, 1881-1963 THE MEETING OF FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT AND SHAH MOHAMMAD REZA PAHLAVI OF IRAN 30,000—40,000 USD measurements 29 1/4 by 35 in. alternate measurements 74.5 by 89 cm DESCRIPTION signed in Cyrillic and dated 1944 (lower right) oil on canvas PROVENANCE Private Collection (acquired directly from the artist, circa 1944) Thence by descent Leading Socialist Realist artist Alexander Gerasimov captures the historic meeting of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi at the Teheran Conference in 1943. The conference marked one of the first meetings between Joseph Stalin, FDR and Winston Churchill. Among its many achievements was the recognition of Iran's independence.

MEASUREMENTS 80.2 by 80.2cm., 31 1/2 by 31 1/2 in. DESCRIPTION signed in Cyrillic l.r. oil on canvas CATALOGUE NOTE Alexander Gerasimov was a prominent contributor to Socialist Realism and one of the leading artists to champion a style known as Heroic Realism - his famous work Lenin on the Tribune (1929-30) will remain an iconic image of the Revolution. However, it was Gerasimov's landscapes and particularly his still lifes that revealed the genuine artistic abilities that set him apart from his purely politicised contemporaries and earned him a Grand Prix at the Paris World Exhibition of 1937. His combination of Academic Realism and Impressionism was broadly influenced by the work of Igor Grabar and Leonard Turzhansky and much admired during his lifetime. In 1943 he was awarded the accolade 'People's Artist of the USSR' and he was nominated President of the USSR Academy of Arts from 1947-57. Still Life with Peonies was painted in the 1920s or 30s and is most likely a version of a 1929 work currently in the Sochi Museum of Art. Interestingly, there are only a few other known works by Gerasimov depicting peonies, one of which is in the collection of The Kiev Museum of Russian Art. In the offered lot, the long dark leaves provide a wonderful foil for the heads of the flowers which seem almost heavy from the absorbed light that drips from them onto the colourful reflective surfaces below. Rich, joyful and delicately executed, the canvas is a stunning example of Russian Impressionism at its best.