Aleksandr Aleksandrovic Dejneka Sold at Auction Prices
Painter, Sculptor, b. 1899 - d. 1969
Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Deyneka (May 20, 1899 – June 12, 1969) was a Soviet Russian painter, graphic artist and sculptor, regarded as one of the most important Russian modernist figurative painters of the first half of the 20th century. His Collective Farmer on a Bicycle (1935) has been described as exemplifying the Socialist Realist style.
Deyneka was born in Kursk[2] and studied at Kharkov Art College (pupil of Alexander Lubimov) and at VKhUTEMAS. He was a founding member of groups such as OST and Oktyabr,[3] and his work gained wide exposure in major exhibitions. His paintings and drawings (the earliest are often monochrome due to the shortage of art supplies) depict genre scenes as well as labour and often sports. Deyneka later began painting monumental works, such as The Defence of Petrograd in 1928, which remains his most iconic painting, and The Battle of Sevastopol in 1942, The Outskirts of Moscow. November 1941 and The Shot-Down Ace. His mosaics are a feature of Mayakovskaya metro station in Moscow. He is in the highest category "1A - a world famous artist" in "United Artists Rating".[4]
Deyneka is buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.
Aleksandr Alexandrovich Deineka, Russian, Soviet era, 1899 to 1969, mixed media, ink and gouache, painting on paper, On the Beach, 1962. Signed with initials lower right. Completed with a book, From My Working Practice, by A. Deineka. Published by Publishing House of the Academy of Arts of the USSR, 1961. Signed and dated, Misha, You can do better, yours A. Deineka, February 17, 1962, on the first spread. Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Deyneka was a Soviet and Russian painter, graphic artist and sculptor, regarded as one of the most important Russian modernist figurative painters of the first half of the 20th century. Unique Signed Monographs and Books For Collectors. One of a kind artwork.
Rare, first edition, vintage original 1932 Soviet propaganda poster: "The order has been restored!". Published by: State Publishing House OGIZ - IZOGIZ, Moscow - Leningrad 1932. Artist: A. Dejneko. Circulation: 60000 copies. Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Deyneka (Russian: Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Дейне́ка; May 20, 1899 – June 12, 1969) was a Soviet Russian painter, graphic artist and sculptor, regarded as one of the most important Russian modernist figurative painters of the first half of the 20th century. His Collective Farmer on a Bicycle (1935) has been described as exemplifying the socialist realist style.
Red Army Parade. Published by GIZ, Moscow, 1930. Illustrations by Aleksandr Deyneka, 1899 to 1969, a Soviet Russian Modernist painter, a key figure of the Socialist Realism. Antiquarian Librarian Books Publications For Collectors, Russian Soviet Era Militaria.
DEINEKA ALEXANDER A. (1899 - 1969) dubbelzijdig werk met een gouache vooraan en een tekening op verso : "Landschap" - 32 x 22 gemonogrammeerd en gedateerd (19)31 20th Cent. Russian doublesided work with a gouache and a drawing on the back - with the monogram of Alexander A. Deineka and dated (19)31
DEINEKA ALEXANDER A. (1899 - 1969) sanguine tekening : "Werkman met hoed" - 56 x 43 getekend en gedateerd X.(19)37 20th Cent. Russian sanguine drawing - signed Alexander A. Deineka and dated X.(19)37
DEINEKA ALEXANDER A. (1899 - 1969) tekening : "Twee jongetjes" - 34 x 27 getekend en gedateerd (19)23 20th Cent. Russian drawing - signed Alexander A. Deineka and dated (19)23
A DRAWING AND A SIGNED MONOGRAPH BY ALEKSANDR DEINEKA (RUSSIAN 1899-1969) On the Beach, 1962 ink and gouache on paper 18 x 26.5 cm (7 1/8 x 10 3/8 in.) unframed signed with artist's initials lower right [drawing]; signed and dated on the first spread [monograph] PROVENANCE Mikhail Kupriyanov's collection
Aleksandr Deineka, Russian, Soviet era, 1899 to 1969, oil painting on board, Lipetsk Tractor factory, 1963. Signed and inscribed lower right. Framed. Additionally inscribed, titled and dated, on the backside. Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Deyneka was a Soviet and Russian painter, graphic artist and sculptor, regarded as one of the most important Russian modernist figurative painters of the first half of the 20th century. One of a kind artwork.
Aleksandr Deineka, Russian, Soviet era, 1899 to 1969, oil painting on board, Lipetsk Tractor factory, 1963. Signed and inscribed lower right. Framed. Additionally inscribed, titled and dated, on the backside. Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Deyneka was a Soviet and Russian painter, graphic artist and sculptor, regarded as one of the most important Russian modernist figurative painters of the first half of the 20th century. One of a kind artwork.
Alexander Deineka, Russian, 1899 to 1969, ink on paper drawing titled On the Beach, 1955. Signed and dated lower right. Additionally signed to the back. Matted and framed. Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Deyneka was a Soviet and Russian painter, graphic artist and sculptor, regarded as one of the most important Russian modernist figurative painters of the first half of the 20th century. Mid Century Drawings And Russian Art Collectibles.
ALEKSANDR DEINEKA (RUSSIAN 1899-1969) On The Front, colored pencil and pencil on card 15 x 11.5 cm (5 7/8 x 4 1/2 in.) framed dimensions: 29.5 x 24 cm (11 5/8 x 9 1/2 in.) signed lower left
Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Deineka (Russian, 1899-1969) Sketch for mosaic plafond 'Donbass' for 'Paveletskaya' metro station (1941) gouache on paper laid on canvas 61.5 x 67cm (24 3/16 x 26 3/8in). For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
DEINEKA ALEXANDRE (1899-1969) Donbass Dessin de deux faces. Une esquisse avec une tête de vache au dos Signé et daté « 25 » en bas à droite 31,5 x 45 cm. 1925 ДЕЙНЕКА Александр (1899-1969) У станка, Донбасс Рисунок с двух сторон. На обороте набросок головы коровы Бумага, акварель, тушь, карандаш Подпись и дата « 25 » справа внизу 31,5 x 45 см. 1925 г.
Children's illustrated book "Parade of the Red Army". Drawings by Alexander Deineka (1899-1969). Moscow, Leningrad, Gosizdat, 1930. In the publishing illustrated cover and transparent dust jacket. There are slight scuffs and blemishes expected with age.
ALEKSANDR DEINEKA (RUSSIAN 1899-1969) Woman with Stroller, Italy, circa 1935 oil on canvas board 65 x 49 cm (25 5/8 x 19 1/4 in.) signed lower right PROVENANCE Acquired in the 1960s by the family of the present owner Property of an Italian Countess LOT NOTES By the 1930s Aleksandr Deineka is hailed as a foremost Soviet modernist both at home and abroad, and 1934-35 proved especially fruitful years for international exposure. In 1934, Deineka represents the USSR at the 19th Venice Biennale (where his painting is purchased by the Italian Ministry of Education); features in group exhibitions of Soviet graphic art (Copenhagen) and posters (first in London, then across Italy and France); and the 33rd Carnegie International exhibition at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh, where he is awarded Honorable Mention. In the fall of 1934, Deineka is invited to showcase his works and serve on the jury panel for an upcoming exhibition of Soviet art in Philadelphia, organized by VOKS (All-Union Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries), the Pennsylvania Museum of Art and the American-Russian Institute of Philadelphia. Moreover, VOKS chooses Deineka to personally represent the USSR at the exhibition. (A rare opportunity indeed: with the assassination of Sergei Kirov on December 1, which heralded the beginning of the "Great Purge", fewer and fewer Soviet citizens were allowed abroad. Deineka's own foreign passport was signed by Genrikh Yagoda, who would be demoted from the NKVD in 1936 and executed two years later). The Art of Soviet Russia ran at the Philadelphia Museum of Art from December 15, 1934 - January 21, 1935 and travelled extensively through 1936 to some two dozen venues across the U.S. and Canada. Aside from Deineka, the show featured works by contemporaries Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Aleksandr Shevchenko, Yuri Pimenov and Martiros Saryan. Following his trip to the U.S., Deineka journeys to Europe: first Cherbourg and Paris, then Rome, which he immediately falls in love with. In a letter addressed to his wife Serafima Lycheva, dated April 24, 1935, he writes: Ah, [Serafima], what a city - Roma! Go in any direction and you'll find dozens of delightful things -- some little fountain, street, square. Everywhere, a variety of old marble, various gods, wonderful architecture. The painter's fascination with classical forms is at the heart of this work, striking a delicate balance between the clean lines of the façade, also echoed by the shape of the manhole and the shadow cast by the baby carriage, and the modelled sculptural bas-relief above the door frame. (A similar building is seen in his 1935 Rome. Alleyway, held at the Kursk State Picture Gallery; click here to view online.) The dusky color palette of brick red, terracotta orange, pale yellow, cream and grey completes the sense of austere and bold beauty. CONDITION Observed in frame, the painting appears in good condition. The board has is slightly convex. Overall age-appropriate very fine and stable craquelure. A small scratch to the upper right corner, measuring 5 cm (2 in.) in length. Rubbing to the left edge of the canvas due to the frame. Inspection under UV shows around 5% of retouching, most notably to the upper right corner, left edge with scattered retouching. framed dimensions: 81 x 65 cm (31 7/8 x 25 5/8 in.) N.B. All lots are sold in as-is condition at the time of sale. Please note that any condition statement regarding works of art is given as a courtesy to our clients in order to assist them in assessing the condition. The report is a genuine opinion held by Shapiro Auctions and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report or a photograph does not preclude the absence of defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Shapiro Auctions, LLC., including its consultants and agents, shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.
Aleksandr Alexandrovich Deyneka (Russian, Soviet, 1899-1969) watercolor painting on paper, Goelro RSFSR Leningrad, 1927. Signed and dated lower right. Framed. Deyneka is a muralist, graphic artist, sculptor, teacher, the leader of the left Soviet art, in the mid-1920s - early 1930s, he most fruitfully developed the traditions of the avant-garde in the new figurative painting.
Alexander Alexandrowitsch Deineka. 1899 Kursk - 1969 Moskau attr. - Stillleben - Öl/Lwd. 55 x 55,5 cm. Bez. und dat. l. u.: A Deineka (kyrillisch) / (19)42. Rahmen. Rest. (verso ein Flicken).
Alexander Alexandrov DEINEKA (1899-1969). Portrait d’homme. Mine de plomb sur papier non signée. Quelques taches. H. 26,5 x L. 19,5 cm (à vue). Александр Александрович ДЕЙНЕКА (1899-1969). Портрет мужчины. Бумага без подписи, графит. Небольшие пятна. 26,5 x 19,5 см (на вид).
A watercolor and pencil by Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Deyneka (May 20, 1899 – June 12, 1969) was a Soviet Russian painter, graphic artist and sculptor, regarded as one of the most important Russian modernist figurative painters of the first half of the 20th century. Signed lower left: DYENEKA.
A watercolor and pencil by Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Deyneka (May 20, 1899 – June 12, 1969) was a Soviet Russian painter, graphic artist and sculptor, regarded as one of the most important Russian modernist figurative painters of the first half of the 20th century. Signed lower left: DYENEKA.
DEINEKA Alexandre Alexandrovich (Koursk, 1899 - Moscou, 1969). Dans le Donbass (1924). Illustration pour le journal Bezbojnik U Stanka, n°3, 1924. Encre sur papier, signée en bas à droite en cyrillique de son initiale « D ». Dédicacé en cyrillique en bas à gauche : « À Fedor Bogorodsky, de la part de Deineka ». H. 22 x L. 34 cm (à vue). Bibliographie : Œuvre reproduite et cataloguée sous le n°20 de l’ouvrage de référence sur l'artiste, rédigé par Vladimir Petrovich Sysoev, Alexandre Deineka – Monographie, Moscou, Izobrazitelnoe iskusstvo, 1989, vol. 1, p. 39 (voir illustration ci-dessous). Provenance : - Cadeau d’Alexandre Deineka à l'artiste et ami de longue date Fedor Bogorodksy (1895-1959). - Collection de la famille Bogorodsky. - Vente Sotheby's Londres, Russian Paintings, 23 février 1983, lot 224. - Vente de prestige, Catherine Charbonneau, Drouot, 26 juin 1984, lot 33. - Collection Liapine, Paris. Historique : Né à Koursk en 1899, Alexandre Deineka est considéré comme le chef de file de la première génération des artistes post-révolutionnaires. Son destin créatif est inextricablement lié à l’ère de la construction du nouvel état communiste en s’engageant de façon immédiate dans les grands thèmes soviétiques. Élève dans les ateliers léniniens de Vkhoutemas et sous l’égide du professeur Vladimir Favorsky, il sera l’instigateur d’une nouvelle identité artistique résolument moderne intrinsèquement liée à l’histoire de l’URSS et à l’activité révolutionnaire et ouvrière du peuple. Il quitte les ateliers afin de travailler de manière indépendante pour un journal soviétique de propagande de masse, Bezbojnik U Stanka. C’est pour cet organe de presse qu’il réalise en 1924 notre œuvre "Dans le Donbass", afin d’illustrer cette nouvelle ère industrielle, région devenue un emblème des ressources minières sous l’U.R.S.S. Ce journal avait pour vocation d’éduquer le grand public en menant une lutte implacable contre les ennemis du prolétariat. Dans le Donbass concentre toute l’effervescence des premières recherches artistiques de Deineka, alors qu’il n’a que 25 ans. En prenant comme sujet un thème de la vie quotidienne ouvrière, il combine les espaces tridimensionnels et les formes planes et joue avec la volumétrie et le caractère ornemental des silhouettes. C’est par le biais de ce lien puissant entre les avancées technologiques, l’esthétique moderne et le monde ouvrier qu’Alexandre Deineka continuera de créer tout au long de sa vie en U.R.S.S. jusqu’à sa mort en 1969. Ses œuvres encore en mains privées sont extrêmement rares, nous avons pu récemment admirer quelques-uns de ses chefs-d'œuvre à l'exposition Rouge. Art et utopie au pays des Soviets au Grand Palais (20 mars-1er juillet 2019). ДЕЙНЕКА Алекса́ ндр Алекса́ ндрович (1899—1969) На Донбассе (1924). Иллюстрация газеты "Безбожник у станка", чернила, бумага.
Aleksandr Deineka (1899-1969) Still life with phlox signed in Cyrillic and dated 'Deineka/55.' (lower right); further signed in Cyrillic 'A. Deineka' and inscribed in Russian with dedication to Evgenia Livanova dated 24 January 1956 (on the reverse) oil on canvas 31 3/8 x 23 5/8 in. (79.8 x 60.2 cm.) Painted in 1955
Watercolor, ink and wash on cardboard attributed to Alexander Aleksandrovich Deineka (Russian, 1899-1969). Depicts a bearded man with black cap and coat. Signed lower left and dated 1951. Measures 16 1/2" (41.8cm) x 11 1/2" (29cm).
Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Deineka (Russian, 1899-1969) Godless life and godly life illustration for the magazine Bezbozhnik u stanka, 4th issue, 1926, pp. 12-13signed with initial 'D' in Cyrillic (lower left)ink and watercolour on paper36 x 52.5cm (14 3/16 x 20 11/16in). Provenance: Acquired in Moscow in 1970sPrivate collection, HungaryLiteratureBezbozhnik u stanka, 4th issue, 1926, pp. 12-13 illustratedDeineka. Graphics, Moscow, 2009, p. 156 illustrated
Watercolor, ink and wash on cardboard attributed to Alexander Aleksandrovich Deineka (Russian, 1899-1969). Depicts a bearded man with black cap and coat. Signed lower left and dated 1951. Measures 16 1/2" (41.8cm) x 11 1/2" (29cm).
Alexander Alexandrov DEINEKA (1899-1969) ; Nude ; 1927 ; pencil on paper - framed ; dimensions 23 x 18 cm (9 x 7 in.) ; signed & dated lower right corner ; Shipping to USA: DHL - $160 / National post with tracking service - $80 ; Shipping to Europe, Russia, Middle Assia: DHL - $100 / National post with tracking service - $40
DEINEKA, ALEXANDER Seated Nude. Bronze, height 28.5 cm. Executed in the 1950s. Provenance: Collection of the artist’s family until the mid-1990s. Russian Art, Christie’s London, 28 November 2011, lot 133. Acquired at the above sale by the present owner. Important private collection, USA. Literature: Deineka. Monumentalnoe iskusstvo. Skulptura, Moscow, Interros, 2011, p. 336, No. 50/1, illustrated and listed; pp. 418 and 419, illustrated. Related literature: For similar work, see Monumentalnoe iskusstvo. Skulptura, Moscow, Interros, 2011, p. 336, No. 50/2, listed.
DEINEKA, ALEXANDER Woman in a Yellow Dress, signed and dated 1955. Oil on canvas, 65 by 83 cm. Provenance: Private collection, Europe. Authenticity certificate from the expert T. Zeliukina. Related literature: For the work Mayakovsky's Verses, see V. Sysoev (ed.), Alexander Deineka, Leningrad, Aurora Art Publishers, 1982, p. 13, mentioned in the text. Deineka. Zhivopis, Moscow, Interros, 2010, p. 165, illustrated and listed; p. 334, No. 261, illustrated. The portrait Woman in a Yellow Dress, which MacDougall's is now presenting for auction, was painted by Alexander Deineka in 1955. The artist was, at that time, focusing particularly on female images, and he created several portraits that were seen by his contemporaries as expressing the spirit of the age. In these works the artist is looking in individual features for those that are typical; he seeks not only to convey the appearance of a particular model, but also to create a generalised portrait of the woman of his times. The Portrait of the Architect Tamara Mileshina (1955) and Mother and Sister (1954) are apposite examples, as well as a whole series of portrait or genre-and-portrait compositions in which the principal female figures are unnamed and act as typical representatives of Soviet womanhood at work ( The Milkmaid, 1959; Peaceful Construction, 1959-1960; At the Seaside, 1957), on holiday ( In the Crimea, 1956; Bathers, 1952) and in sport ( The Snow Maiden, 1954; The Race, 1958-1959). This enables the viewer to see each of Deineka's female subjects as a particular social role -- that of mother, young professional, peasant, student or middlebrow housewife -- to get a feeling for their personality and hear a familiar personal "history". Deineka himself is keen to use the "typecast" nature of his subjects, using them for appropriate roles in his large multi-character genre compositions. Accordingly, the present model, slightly self-conscious and focussed, here sitting against the carpet backdrop, also appears as one of the central protagonists in Deineka's picture Mayakovsky's Verses (1955, National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan). But while the portrait is delicate and imbued with lyricism, and the sitter who came round to Deineka's studio wearing a smart, brightly coloured dress, with her hair and nails done for the occasion, seems to be merely a "neighbour" and one the of his contemporaries, her representation in the picture Mayakovsky's Verses is pure social satire. Deineka painted the picture at the peak of his powers, when he had long been lauded as one of the foremost masters of Soviet painting and had under his belt commissions for the famous showcase mosaics at metro stations, as well as monumental compositions for Soviet pavilions at international exhibitions. Nevertheless, here he draws on his lengthy earlier experience as a magazine illustrator, deliberately accentuating the features of the sitter. She is endowed with a few extra attributes -- a small gold watch and a coquettish topknot on her forehead, protruding from underneath a headscarf, and turns her into an amiable, inquisitive, petty bourgeois woman from Soviet comedy films, who munches her sandwich in a suburban train, while young people in the seats nearby enthusiastically recite Mayakovsky's poems. But this is merely a tribute to the artist's concept of the work, whose other protagonists he borrows from his other compositions spanning many years. The portrait presented here is, conversely, an embodiment of another artistic quest. Deineka describes its magnitude in his article Moi raznye sovremenniki (My Various Contemporaries) : "I particularly like to focus on the greatness of common people and to discover bigger human qualities in their faces... To be hone
[DEYNEKA], V OBLAKAH, 1930 DEYNEKA ALEKSANDR ALEKSANDROVICH (RUSSIAN 1899-1969), illustrator, V OBLAKAH [ In the Clouds], ([Moscow]: GIZ, 1930). Edition of 35 000. 8vo (225 x 195 mm). 12 pp. Text in Russian. With original color lithographed wrappers.
[DEYNEKA], PARAD KRASNOY ARMII, 1930 DEYNEKA ALEKSANDR ALEKSANDROVICH (RUSSIAN 1899-1969), illustrator, PARAD KRASNOY ARMII [ Red Army Parade], ([Moscow]: GIZ, 1930). First edition of 35 000. 8vo (228 x 195 mm). [16 pp.] Text in Russian. With original color lithographed wrappers.
ALEKSANDR ALEKSANDROVICH DEINEKA (1899-1969) Sketch for the painting ‘Left March’ signed with Cyrillic initials ‘AD’ (lower right) watercolour and pencil on paper 41.5 x 99.7cm (16 5/16 x 39 1/4in).
*DEINEKA, ALEKSANDR (1899-1969) Heroes of the First Five-Year Plan Oil on canvas, 135 by 199.5 cm. Executed c. 1936. Provenance: Collection of the artist. A gift from the above to the artist Nikolai Ponomarev. Important private collection, USA. Authenticity certificate from the expert T. Zeliukina. Exhibited: Soviet Dis-Union. Socialist Realist and Nonconformist Art, The Museum of Russian Art, Minneapolis, 20 April–19 August 2006. Literature: V. Swanson, Soviet Impressionism, Woodbridge, Antique Collectors’ Club, 2001, p. 69, pl. 41, illustrated as Construction (mural study). Exhibition catalogue, Soviet Dis-Union. Socialist Realist and Nonconformist Art, Minneapolis, The Museum of Russian Art, 2006, p. 14, No. 5, illustrated; p. 45, pl. 7, illustrated; p. 44, listed as Study for a Mural. V. Swanson, Soviet Impressionist Painting, Woodbridge, Antique Collectors’ Club, 2008, p. 65, pl. 45, illustrated as Construction (mural study). Deineka. Zhivopis, Moscow, Interros, 2010, p. 115, No. 154, illustrated and listed as Eskiz monumentalnoi kompozitsii. Related literature: For similar works, see A. Deineka, Zhizn, Iskusstvo, Vremia, Leningrad, Khudozhnik RSFSR, 1974, p. 153, illustrated; p. 87, mentioned in the text. Exhibition catalogue, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Deineka. 1899–1969. Vystavka proizvedenii k 80-letiiu so dnia rozhdeniia, Moscow, Izobrazitelnoe iskusstvo, 1980, p. 54, listed under years 1936 and 1937. V. Sysoev (ed.), Aleksandr Deineka, Leningrad, Aurora Art Publishers, 1982, pl. 168, illustrated; p. 292, No. 208, listed; p. 280, mentioned under year 1936. V. Sysoev, Aleksandr Deineka, Moscow, Izobrazitelnoe iskusstvo, 1989, p. 181, mentioned in the text. Deineka. Zhivopis, Moscow, Interros, 2010, pp. 93, 96 and 113, Nos. 121, 134, 135 and 141, illustrated and listed; pp. 307–309, illustrated; pp. 406, 407, 470 and 471, details, illustrated. Exhibition catalogue, Aleksandr Deineka. 1899–1969. An Avant-garde for the Proletariat, Madrid, Fundación Juan March, 2012, pp. 45 and 64, Nos. 29 and 7, illustrated. Alexander Deineka’s two-metre canvas Heroes of the First Five-Year Plan is a unique example of the artist’s monumental work. It belongs to the most famous series of the very large representational compositions that develop the theme of the new Soviet “hero worker”, which Deineka created over the second half of the 1930s. All the paintings in this series, apart from the work offered for auction, are now in museum collections. After returning in 1935 from an extensive foreign tour of the USA, France and Italy, where he held solo shows, Deineka was commissioned to design the Soviet pavilion for the 1937 International Exposition in Paris. It was the first exhibition of the achievements by the world powers in which the USSR was to take part, so the stakes for the Soviet government were as high as they could possibly be: the aim was to showcase all of the young socialist state’s varied triumphs and accomplishments. Deineka was entrusted with executing a 12-metre panel that was to hang on the walls of the Soviet exhibition’s main hall – the Hall of Glory – and to act as its keynote image. Deineka decided that the theme of his future composition would be a festive march-past of “notable people in the Land of the Soviets” – miners, steelworkers, weavers, engineers, airmen and other heroes – who had delivered the first successes of the industrialisation policy proclaimed by the party. The actual idea was largely a continuation of the artist’s work with prints and posters, which in the 1930s were extensively developing a formula for marking a clear-cut contrast between “those who were celebrated and distinguished because of their work in the land of socialism” and those who were regarded as nobility in tsarist times – bureaucrats and officials, clergymen, landowners and police officers. In most of his monumental, multi-figure canvasses between 1936 and 1939, the artist applied himself to converting this ideological formula into artistic compositions. The imposing canvas for the legendary Soviet pavilion, designed by the architect Boris Iofan and the sculptor Vera Mukhina, is known only from photographs, sketches and early versions. Deineka started work on the canvas in 1936. Two monumental paintings that the artist produced during those years while preparing for the International Exposition are still accessible to specialists. They are the Heroes of the First Five-Year Plan in the collection of the State Museum of Arts of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Almaty) and the eponymous picture that is now being auctioned, which was kept for many years in an American private collection. The work displays features that are typical of the artist’s compositions at that time – flatness of space, concise colour scheme and minimalist treatment of the figures. As Tatiana Zeliukina, a specialist in the artist’s work, points out, these features are also combined with another, particular technique: “cropping so as to accommodate experimental searches” – this is how she defines the technique “of deliberately cutting off parts of the female figure in the foreground”. Unlike his later works with a similar subject matter, in the early version of the Heroes of the First Five-Year Plan Deineka does not depict real historical persons – the miner Alexei Stakhanov, the pilot Valery Chkalov or the weavers Maria and Evdokia Vinogradovy – but rather the members of a single, cohesive team, who are walking towards the viewer. This constitutes a kind of generalised image of ordinary Stakhanovite workers and young Soviet “specialists”, the heroes of the first Five-year Plan; while their march is an allegory for the vast social transformations ushering in a socialist harmony. A similar treatment in the depiction of Soviet people, moving in a single line at a rather heavy yet unstoppable pace, marked a new departure in the theme of the parade, which Deineka had pioneered in his Defence of Petrograd, painted in 1928. Inspired by Iofan’s design for the pavilion and by Mukhina’s Worker and Kolkhoz Woman sculpture that crowned it, Deineka turns the same images of Classical sculpture that can be perceived symbolically in the building’s architecture, into a leitmotiv of his monumental compositions. The obvious prototypes of the dynamic angle seen in the Worker and Kolkhoz Woman – the theme of the forward and upward movement of the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the design for joining the figures in the Tyrannicides statuary group by Kritios and Nesiotes – find a logical continuation in the Heroes of the First Five- Year Plan: the inclusion in the composition of the same Winged Victory of Samothrace or the Discobolus is meant to visually represent the Classical ideal as being the basis for the artistic doctrine of socialist realism. At first glance, the depiction of the Classical statues (the Discobolus in the picture presented for auction, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace in the Almaty version) looks like nothing more than a romanticising device, with the whole scene being just the symbolic space of the new way of life. Yet surrounding the Stakhanovites with ancient Greek sculptures, Deineka was starting out from a concrete reality – the Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure (Moscow), where in the 1930s there used to be a Central Avenue, decorated with copies of Classical statues. Alongside it there was also a Shock Workers’ Avenue, in which the busts of the foremost workers were displayed. No less customary for people at the time were the mass parades of workers from the country’s factories, held regularly to mark all Soviet public holidays. Arguably, Deineka was not creating an imaginary picture of the new Soviet reality, but a generalised one. Yet try as he might to conform to party and government guidelines, the great painter’s attitude to that reality can be unambiguously discerned in this work. People with heavy masklike faces, who virtually ignore the viewer (Oleg Tselkov was to pick up the baton of the masklike faces 30 years later), wearing crumpled overalls, dusty old shoes and tarpaulin boots, and all but walking in footcloths, wend their way after a long working day. Individualities are blurred, the crowd is monolithic, and there is even a figure with no visible head at all clomping along in the foreground. Indeed, what did a Soviet worker need a head for?! Nevertheless, the work does not produce a depressing impression. The canvas is grandiose: the semi-people marching straight towards the viewer, a powerful, colourless crowd. And at the same time an incredible contrast is conveyed by joyous lightness, floating in the air and practically perceptible by the viewer – the joy of the beginning of the New World, the starting point of existence. Communist nirvana. This early work, the most emotionally striking, sincere and consistent, naturally came in for the harshest criticism. A new “edition” was soon to appear, and, after being “carpeted”, Deineka makes no more ideological errors. In the new version of the picture (kept in the Tver Regional Art Gallery), Soviet Stakhanovites – decked out in white suits, wearing ties and white shoes, flashing festive, white-toothed smiles, cheerfully looking straight ahead, carrying flowers and banners, and accompanied by children and elderly women – stride in monolithic formations into the bright future. There too are sportswomen and the Palace of Soviets (in the actual pavilion in front of the panel with the marching workers stood a statue of Stalin leading his people on), and – instead of Greek sculptures – a monument to Lenin. Our everything is there – the great past, the present and the bright future. The artist had performed all that was required of him, and the idea of a triumphant apotheosis, a joyous affirmation of the achievements of socialism, had been implemented. But at what cost?! It most certainly will be a daunting task to find two such works in the oeuvre of any artist – works that testify to an artist’s tragic compromise for the sake of self-preservation: from a grandiose (albeit circumspect), yet meaningful, original canvas to the ideologically correct, selection committee-approved version, Stakhanovites. Notable People in the Land of the Soviets. The 1937 International Exposition in Paris proved to be one of the most significant in the 20th century. It showcased Art and Technology in Modern Life (Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne), and it has gone down in history as a parade of mankind’s achievements on the eve of the Second World War. Even before the exhibition opened, it had become clear that the main display axis, from the Eiffel Tower to the Trocadéro, would become a propaganda arena in which the participating countries would show off their political and economic systems. Therefore, the USSR pavilion absolutely had to ensure a real triumph of Soviet art. The reality, however, exceeded all expectations. The building designed by Iofan and Mukhina, with its front part sweeping up in rising ledges, and crowned by the massive 24-metre statuary group of the worker and the kolkhoz woman, caused a genuine sensation. Pablo Picasso, who helped to design the pavilion of the Second Spanish Republic and presented his Guernica there, marvelled at the Soviet pavilion building and at how the sculpture looked against the backdrop of the lilac-coloured Parisian sky. Inside, the actual exhibits were few. The last hall, with which the pavilion ended, housed only a large model of the planned Palace of Soviets, behind it was the statue of Stalin, and the vast wall that enclosed the suite of five galleries featured Alexander Deineka’s panel, which dominated the whole exhibition. It was for this that the artist was awarded a gold medal in the Painting section, as stated in the report on the decisions of the Paris International Exposition’s jury, dated 15 June 1938. Since we are presenting for auction the artist’s unique, earlier monumental work called Heroes of the First Five-Year Plan, it can be confidently said that it was in this picture that Deineka found the all-purpose formula for the triumphant parade of heroes that he later used on more than one occasion in his oeuvre and which his successors reproduced. In it, the creative guideline for depicting the epic story of modern times in a monumental format took on its final shape. The history of most such Deineka's works came to a sudden end together with the closure of the exhibition pavilions for which they had been intended. That is why it is a great stroke of luck that a canvas as large in its scale as Heroes of the First Five-Year Plan has been preserved in a private collection. It is, after all, not only a remarkable example of the artist’s work; it is also a unique monument to a whole historical period.
ALEKSANDR ALEKSANDROVICH DEINEKA (RUSSIAN 1899-1969) Ferry, 1937 India ink on paper 28.5 x 37 cm (11 3/4 x 14 1/2 in.) signed with initials and dated lower right PROVENANCE Collection of V. Frolov, Leningrad
ALEKSANDR DEYNEKA [ILLUSTRATOR], KUTERMA, 1932 Illustrated by DEYNEKA, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich (1899-1969), text by Nikolai Aseyev. KUTERMA. ZIMNYAYA SKAZKA [Topsy-turvy. A Winter Tale]. Second edition. Moscow and Leningrad: OGIZ Molodaya Gvardiya, 1931. Original color lithographed wrappers. 16 pages. 8vo (222 x 173 mm). Printed in Moscow, edition of 20,000. Children`s book.
* ALEKSANDR ALEKSANDROVICH DEINEKA (1899-1969) African hunters inscribed and dated ‘1926’ with pencil study of female figure (on verso), further inscribed in Cyrillic ‘To my dear Kolya Ozerov in memory, may this picture remind you of days spent in faraway, hot Ethiopia. E.P.Deineka, 23/II 1986’, with applied label inscribed with the title and exhibition title (on mount verso) watercolour and pencil on paper 29.4 x 24.5cm (11 9/16 x 9 5/8in).
*DEINEKA, ALEKSANDR (1899-1969) Football Players. Bronze, height 81 cm. Provenance: Acquired by the present owner in Moscow in 1998. Private collection, Switzerland. Related literature: For the initial composition in wood, see Alexandr Deineka. Zhivopis. Grafika. Skulptura, Moscow, The State Tretyakov Gallery, 2010, p. 185, illustrated; p. 198, No. 160, listed. The sculptural group Football Players by Alexandr Deineka, offered here for auction, is the author’s bronze cast of his eponymous wooden sculpture. Deineka’s decision to produce this and two other known casts of the same sculpture is specifically connected with his artistic career in the late 1940s and 1950s. As Deineka himself admitted, he first started dabbling in sculpture in the late 1930s, when he became interested in exploring three-dimensional space in art. However, most of his sculptures were executed after World War II, when he was head of the Sculpture Department at the Moscow Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts. He used the Institute’s facilities to work with materials (bronze, wood and ceramic) that he rarely used in his pre-war work; therefore it is reasonable to assume that the recasting of the original wooden sculpture Football Players (1950, The State Tretyakov Gallery) into bronze was part of this learning process. In any case, Football Players is a work that further develops Deineka’s artistic objectives, which he explored in his series of sculptural studies, namely the representation of movement and the compositional structure of two figure, table-top sculptures. Deineka’s choice of subject is not accidental, and his sculptures always have connections with his work in other art forms. The artist had been preoccupied since the 1920s with the idea of creating expressive compositions that captured movement in sport, and as a keen sportsman himself, he used his art to forge an image of the new Soviet citizen: an athlete with a “spring” in his step. All of Deineka’s works dedicated to sport are filled with an enthusiasm bordering on passion, for example, the famous large-scale painting Goalkeeper (1934) or the sculpture Football Player (1948–1950). The artist was also passionate about boxing, football and skiing, and it was not from mere civic duty that he showcased these sporting activities in his works. He admitted that his first experiments with the artistic rendering of movement were inspired by football: “The game of football is what spurred me to find my own artistic language” (A. Deineka, “Tvorcheskaya komandirovka”, 1935, quoted in V. Sysoev (ed.), Alexandr Deineka, Moscow, 1989, vol. 2, p. 12). When preparing to paint a picture or create a sculpture glorifying the game of football, Deineka made numerous sketches and was convinced that the composition should not be just a simple snippet of a real-life match. He strove to imbue these works with a special expressivity that would transform immediate impressions into signs and symbols. The artist found this expressivity primarily when vigorous sporting movement – jumping and running – was viewed from certain angular perspectives, from above or below, and as such, was reminiscent of Alexandr Rodchenko’s photographs, so much in vogue at the time. For his new Soviet hero, Deineka conceived an ideal of physical beauty quite different from that of classical art: a muscular, agile body, shaped by daily work and polished by sport, with short, strong legs, a svelte torso and a small head on broad shoulders. In this, his athletes of the late 1940s are no different from their pre-war predecessors. From 1948 and on into the 1950s, the artist created several sculptures and relief compositions on the subject of football. These are the reliefs on the grid, Football Players and Football Player, as well as several relief portraits of a football player’s head. The sculpture presented here at auction further develops this series. The artist successfully addresses a difficult challenge, trying simultaneously to experiment with volume and composition. Deineka’s relaxed treatment of proportion and form highlight his familiarity with the uninhibited sculptural language of the leading European masters of the early 20th century. These features make Football Players one of Deineka’s best sculptural works, fully in keeping with the vitality of his sporting works of the 1930s. In the years to follow, other artists’ versions of this and other famous compositions by Deineka – divers suspended over water, footballers depicted from a complex angle – would be transformed into a banal template for the decoration of Soviet social and recreational spaces. But that does not detract from the artistic merits and perfection of the original.
![[DEYNEKA], V OBLAKAH, 1930](https://stageimg.invaluable.com/housePhotos/shapiroauctions/20/625720/H3884-L144130520.jpg)
![[DEYNEKA], PARAD KRASNOY ARMII, 1930](https://stageimg.invaluable.com/housePhotos/shapiroauctions/20/625720/H3884-L144130519.jpg)
![ALEKSANDR DEYNEKA [ILLUSTRATOR], KUTERMA, 1932](https://stageimg.invaluable.com/housePhotos/shapiroauctions/54/599054/H3884-L107982764.jpg)
