Keywords: Avant Garde, Futurist, Modernist, Cubist, Queen of Hearts, playing card, figural, crowned female figure, geometric, oil on cardboard, card player imagery, bold colors, Painting

Authentometer™: A8*

Summary:
Attributed to Olga Vladimirovna Rozanova (Russian, 1886–1918). Queen of Hearts, oil on board, a bold Futurist figural composition depicting a crowned female figure derived from playing-card imagery. The composition is constructed through sharply delineated geometric forms and areas of vivid red, yellow, blue, black, and white, reflecting the experimental visual language of the Russian avant-garde. No apparent signature found; attribution is considered strong based upon our research and assessment of the work.

The history and provenance of Russian avant-garde works from the early 20th century can be particularly complex. Decades of suppression under Stalin and the official promotion of Socialist Realism resulted in many earlier modernist, abstract, and Futurist works being privately retained, concealed, or stored away, sometimes leaving incomplete histories and limited documentation. A well-publicized exhibition of Russian works held in recent years became the subject of controversy concerning the authorship of certain works and subsequent litigation. The present work was not part of that exhibition.

Olga Rozanova was a significant figure of the Russian avant-garde whose short career encompassed some of the most important experimental movements of the early 20th century. In St. Petersburg, she became an active member of the Union of Youth and exhibited regularly with the group from 1911 to 1914. She also studied at the Zvantseva School of Art from 1912 to 1913.

Beginning in 1912, Rozanova collaborated with Futurist poet Aleksey Kruchenykh, illustrating experimental books and participating in the intersection of visual art and Russian Futurist poetry. She also wrote transrational, or zaum, Futurist verse. Her artistic development moved through Neo-Primitivism and Cubo-Futurism toward increasingly radical abstraction and, ultimately, Suprematism. Across painting, drawing, collage, and book illustration, Rozanova explored dynamic geometry, fragmented forms, and intense relationships of color that established her as an important contributor to Russian modernism.

Measurement: 35 x 26.18 in. (88.9 x 66.5 cm.) approx

*AUTHENTOMETER™: The Authentometer™ is Collective Hudson’s 1–10 rating of our assessment of the available attribution and authenticity information for a work, with higher ratings indicating a greater degree of confidence. The rating may be applied to artworks where the price realized exceeds $5,000. Works rated A9 or A10 reflect our highest level of confidence in the stated attribution. An A8, A9 or A10 rated work may be returned for a refund within 30 days of the auction date if a recognized expert on the artist clearly states in writing that the work is not an authentic work by the artist described.

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