Pavel Tchelitchew

Russian, 1898–1957

Bull Fighters - A decorated fan, 1934

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Medium: Works on paper, Oil and gouache on wooden and fabric fan
Size: 22 x 40 cm. (8.7 x 15.7 in.)
Markings: Framed and glazed

100,000 USD

Russian Art Salon

New York

About this Artwork

Movement: Modern Art
Provenance: The item was in the personal collection of Edith Sitwell (1887-1964), poet and literary critic, known for her exotic dress and dramatic lifestyle. Tchelitchew, described as 'the love of her life', was for Edith 'an unhappy platonic romance that dragged on for a quarter of a century' (D. Seward, Renishaw Hall: The Story of the Sitwells, London, 2015, p. 193). Tchelitchew was openly homosexual but despite this, in 1932, Edith moved to the rue Saint-Dominique, Paris, to be close him, and remained there until 1939 when she was forced to return to Britain at the outbreak of war. Tchelitchew painted six major portraits of Edith during the course of a long and volatile friendship; including a gouache in the National Portrait Gallery, London (NPG 5875), and a gouache at MOMA (173.1978). Some of the drawings and lithographs in this sale were individual gifts by the painter to Edith, with hand-written notes - including lot XX, portrait of Dame Edith Sitwell, seated. However, undoubtedly, Tchelitchew's interest in Edith was purely intellectual, and possibly financial; he describing her as: 'a beautiful sheltered eroticism, the purely passive female sensibility that lives forever, a glass flower under glass, behind the opaque façade so remarkable in itself'. Edith's brother, Osbert (1892-1969), 5th Baronet, was also a great collector of 20th century art - including works by John Piper, Christopher Nevinson, Rex Whistler, and Tchelitchew.Pavel Tchelitchew(1898-1957)Born to an aristocratic family of landowners, who fled Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, Tchelitchew studied under Aleksandra Ekster at the Kiev Academy; his early work was abstract in style described as Constructivist and Futurist, and influenced by Ekster. After graduation, he designed and built theatre sets in Odessa and later Berlin from 1920-1923. In 1923, he went to Paris where he became associated with the Neo-romanticism movement. There, he met the Sitwell family through the American novelist and art collector, Gertrude Stein. His interest in uniting painting, film and dance led to collaborations with the ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev and choreographer George Balanchine. Tchelitchew is known for his experimentation with new styles, which led to combining multiple perspectives and elements of surrealism and fantasy into his painting. In 1930, he was in New York, exhibiting drawings at the Museum of Modern Art; his most significant work is the painting 'Hide and Seek', painted in 1940-42, and now at MOMA. In 1934, having made a permanent move to New York from Paris with his partner, the poet, Charles Henri Ford, he continued his association with Balanchine, and met his greatest patron, Lincoln Kerstein. In addition to his paintings, Tchelitchew designed sets for Ode (Paris, 1928), L'Errante (Paris, 1933), Nobilissima Visione (London, 1938) and Ondine (Paris, 1939).
Exhibitions: Exhibited: London, National Portrait Gallery, The Sitwells, October 1994 - January 1995, no. D19/cat. 4.59
Literature: Tchelitchew executed at least three paintings on the theme of bullfight in 1934. And creating a gift to one of his closest friends and confidants Edith Sitwell he intentionally places in its foreground (first toreador standing on the left side of the fan) a main personage of his famous 1934 painting (see Exhibition catalogue Tchelitchew: Paintings and Drawings, New York, Museum of Modern Art, 1942, p.54, no.41 illustrated or here pic 4) in the same pose and same costume as on the large painting that Sitwell probably saw and enjoyed (in 2015 the painting was sold on Sotheby's for more than $ 1mln).

Description

BULL FIGHTERS A decorated by Pavel Tchelitchew in 1934 wooden and fabric slatted fan encrusted with sequins (40x64 cm framed)
Signed and dedicated "To Edith on your birthday" (lower right)Overall: 40 x 63.5cm (15½ x 25 in) Painted in 1934.Provenance: Gifted by the artist to Dame Edith Sitwell DBE (1887-1964), at 2 Carlyle Square, London Thence by descent at Weston Hall; Drewattes LTD UK auction 17 Nov 2021 lot 362 Exhibited: London, National Portrait Gallery, The Sitwells, October 1994 - January 1995, no. D19/cat. 4.59

Russian Art Salon

About this Artwork

Description

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