Mikhail Larionov (Russian, 1881 - 1964). "Grand Bal des Artistes…Travesti Transmental…1923". Original color woodcut . 1923. Signed by Larionov in pencil, lower center, directly above his printed signature. The printed price of 15 francs crossed out, annotated "ticket gratuit" (in another hand?). Cream wove paper. Full margins. Excellent impression. Very good condition. Provenance: Estate of Seymour Hacker, Hacker Art Books/Gallery, NYC (his personal collection). No auction records of a signed impression have been located. Auction sales of the unsigned poster include: Swann Galleries, NYC, (Modernist Posters, #2079) - 05/08/2006 - lot#87, realized $4,370; Poster Auctions International, Inc. (Winning Posters XLIV) - 05/06/2007 - lot#325, realized $2,990; and Swann Galleries (Modernist Posters, Sale #1897) - 05/07/2001 - lot#10, realizing $2,530. The poster is printed in brown and ochre, the price "15" added by rubber stamp. The large abstract design, lettering and smaller image have all been printed from separate wood blocks, cut by Larionov himself. His signature appears at the foot of the sheet below the large design. "Arriving in Paris in 1914, Larionov became one of the major figures of the twentieth-century avant-garde, at least in part because of his relationship with Diaghiliev, with whom he worked for years at the Ballet Russes. From Fauvism to Rayonism (which he himself founded), he paved the way to the Futurism of Marinetti and for artists like Francis Picabia and Man Ray. With his wife, Natalia Gontcharova, Larionov organized key exhibitions (which has titles such as the Knave of Diamonds, The Tail of the Ass, The Golden Fleece), as well as endless parties, balls, and crazy events in Montparnasse. It is thus quite fitting that he designed the poster for one of the artists' balls of the Union of Russian Artists. Using only two colors, brown and ochre, as well as hand-cut letters, the image suggests smaller yet recognizable versions of the cubist figures and works of art. The poster has a definite flavor of the Paris avant-garde in the 1920s. Very rare." (Nicholas D. Lowry). Ref: Le Peintre et L'affiche, Union des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, 1988. Image copyright © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Overall size: 8 3/4 x 10 7/8 in. (222 x 276 mm). Image size: 8 7/16 x 10 in. (214 x 254 mm). [6869] |2000| {R100}