The second Avant-Garde Soviet Non-Conformist Art at Bonhams in Paris

Paris – Pipe, bière et écrevisses (Pipe, beer and crayfish) by Oleg Tselkov (1934-2021) will lead the The second avant-garde: Soviet Non-Conformist Art online auction at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr from 6 to 19 September 2024. The auction will feature key Moscow-based artists who emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, such as Oleg Tselkov, Dmitri Plavinsky and Dmitri Krasnopevtsev. The Sretensky Boulevard group is represented by Ilya Kabakov and Oleg Vassiliev as well as the Sots Art artists with Komar & Melamid and Leonid Sokov, whose work is characterised by the subversive appropriation of Soviet mass-cultural imagery.

Daria Khristova - Head of Sale

"Long in the shadows, non-conformist artists were previously supported by a network of admirers throughout Europe, especially Paris. Now they have been rediscovered in recent years by a much wider audience, with their works on display in many museums around the world such as the Centre Georges Pompidou. Now is the time to put the spotlight on these artists who, for so many years, battled against the authorities to make their voice heard.”

Pipe, bière et écrevisses (Pipe, beer and crayfish) is an oil on canvas by Oleg Tselkov (1934-2021), a prominent figure in Soviet non-conformist art (estimate: €60,000-70,000). This painting shows clear references to Fauvism and Cubo-Futurism. Tselkov's approach to colour in this work is particularly noteworthy. This painting stands as a testament to Tselkov's early experimentation and his journey from academic realism to a more expressive, individualistic style. It embodies his philosophical inquiries into the nature of humanity and personality, rendered in a visual language that challenges conventional representation.

The auction will also feature a large selection of paintings by the Lianozovo group, one of the earliest collectives represented in the sale, which includes Oscar Yakovlevich Rabin (1928-2018) among others. Chemise de nuit n°8 ('Nightshirt No.8) by Oscar Rabin is a 1975 oil on canvas acquired directly from the artist by the grandmother of the current owner in Moscow in 1970s. She was a Diplomat at the Venezuelan Embassy (estimate: €25,000-27,000).

This sale offers unofficial Russian art from the post-war era, the so-called Soviet non-conformists or second avant-garde. These artists were a loosely affiliated group of disparate artistic communities, who sought to escape the ideological confines of Soviet visual culture. Many of these artists emigrated, either voluntarily or after being forced out of the country by the Soviet authorities. Persecuted, many non-conformist artists were forced to leave their native land for Europe or the United States. At the end of the 1980s, painters such as Ilya Kabakov, Erik Boulatov, Oscar Rabin and Vladimir Yankilevsky went to New York or settled in Paris.

Other highlights of the sale include

Moscovites by Viacheslav Vasilevich Kalinin (1939-2022) is a 1967 oil on canvas acquired directly from the artist by a Brazilian ambassador in Moscow (Estimate: €12,000-15,000). Untitled by Evgeny Rukhin (1943-1976) has been acquired directly from the artist by the father of the present owner in Moscow in 1970s (Estimate: €7,000-9,000). Corner house by Boris Sveshnikov (1927-1998) is an oil on canvas exhibited in Venice in 1977 in a famous show at the Dissident Biennial entitled: La nuova arte sovietica. Una prospettiva non ufficiale a cura di Enrico Crispolti e Gabriella Moncada (estimate : €30,000-40,000). The Biennale del dissenso culturale was held from 15 October to 17 November 1977 in Venice to mark the 60th anniversary of the October Revolution. The exhibition examined the phenomenon of dissent as an alternative to official aesthetics and ideology in the Eastern Bloc countries.

‘I live, I see’: an important collection of Soviet Non-conformist Art from Italy will be exhibited at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr in Paris from 11 to 18 September 2024. This collection started in the 1970s when the collector established contacts within the non-conformist art scene in Moscow. After visiting numerous ‘apartment’ exhibitions, which have now become legendary, the collector decided to acquire works by non-conformist artists. Over the decades, this collection has grown to become an important representation of the non-conformist movement, showcasing a variety of media and styles. It provides a good overview of non-conformist developments in the USSR and includes renowned names, such as Oscar Rabin, Evgeny Rukhin, Alexander Kharitonov, Dmitry Plavinsky, Vladimir Weisberg and many others.

This collection stands as a testament to a unique period in history, preserving the legacy of artists who stood against oppression and telling a broader story of artistic resistance in the Soviet Union. The phrase ‘I Live, I See’ is drawn from a collection of poems by Vsevolod Nekrasov, a pivotal figure in Soviet concrete poetry and conceptualism. Nekrasov, like many artists shown in this important collection, was a key player in the non-conformist, underground art scene that flourished despite state repression in the Soviet Union. While rooted in the Soviet experience, ‘I Live, I See’ transcends its original context. It speaks to the universal role of the artist as an observer and truth-teller, resonating with viewers regardless of their familiarity with Soviet history.

Highlights of the collection include

Landscape of the walls of an ancient church by Dmitry Plavinsky (1937-2012), a singular artist among the Moscow nonconformists, perpetually gravitated towards “cosmic themes” - history and nature, creation and destruction, humanity and chaos. Plavinsky himself coined the direction his art took as “structural symbolism,” considering its cardinal trait the Russian worldview. He believed that a work of art springs from the overlaying, collision, and dislodging of symbols, configuring itself as a system of ciphers and hieroglyphs, veiling the artist’s ego and not always readily deciphered. This collage on canvas shows how the impasto surface is vibrantly tangible, while textural minutiae like the circular perforations and earthen tonality remain archetypal of Plavinsky’s oeuvre. Runes of the God Odin by Dmitry Plavinsky (1937-2012). Russian stove by Oscar Rabin (1928-2018) demonstrates the artist’s mastery of colour and texture. The palette is predominantly dark and nearly monochromatic, with brown tones dominating the canvas. Created in 1974, the same year as the famous Bulldozer Exhibition, this work encapsulates the tension between unofficial artists and the state authority.