Done
London, England, United Kingdom
Auction Details
The Russian Sale
Portrait of a Colonel by Valentin Aleksandrovich Serov (1865-1911), leads The Russian Sale at Bonhams New Bond Street, London on Wednesday 1 December. The important work was painted shortly before the artist's death in 1911 and was included in the landmark retrospective at The State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow in 2015, which marked the 150th anniversary of Serov's birth.
Director of Bonhams Russian department, Daria Khristova, commented: "This late masterpiece by the great Russian realist master, Valentin Serov, perfectly demonstrates his renowned ability to capture the psychology of his sitter within his expressive brushstrokes. It is a truly captivating museum-quality work, and we are delighted to be able to offer this important signature Serov in our sale."
Writing in Bonhams Magazine, Claire Wrathall, states: "Serov was the greatest Russian portrait painter of his generation, as well as the most valuable but he did not set out to flatter his subjects: he was interested in their souls... This is an image suffused with fortitude and resignation, and a fine example of the genius with which Serov was able to capture and convey character."
Portrait of a Colonel was painted at the end of a decade which had seen increased social unrest in Russia, culminating in the assassination of Prime Minister, Pyotr Stolypin, in 1911. Serov had, in part, retreated into his work within 'the World of Art group', and aligned himself with painters such as John Singer Sargent and Diego Velazquez - finding in their art the kind of impressionism which he felt captured the real essence of a moment of time.
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