Lot 65: Eva Levina-Rozengolts (Russian, 1898-1975) Untitled, 1958 (from 'People: Rembrandt Series')

Untitled, 1958 (from 'People: Rembrandt Series')
inscribed and titled on verso by the daughter of the artist, E.B. Levina
ink on paper
28.8 x 20.6cm (11 5/16 x 8 1/8in).

There is a special place reserved for Eva Levina-Rozengolts in the history of Russian art of the second half of the twentieth century. Considered by Robert Falk to be one of his best pupils at VKhuTeMas during 1921-1925, Levina-Rozengolts was heavily influenced by her teacher and also by the works of J.M.W. Turner. In 1926, after graduating from VKhuTeMas, the artist travelled to London to visit her brother who was Ambassador to the Soviet Union in Britain at the time and there she was able to study the paintings of Turner in the London collections. On returning to Moscow, the artist’s life underwent a tragic turn of events. Her brother, A. Rozengolts, then Minister of International trade and a close ally of Bukharin, a political opponent of Stalin, was executed in 1937 on false charges. Levina-Rozengolts was fired from her job and prosecuted. The majority of her works were confiscated and burned in the courtyard of her own house, and she was arrested and sent to Siberia and Kazakhstan for ten years. In 1956, she was rehabilitated and returned to Moscow. The tragic events of recent years inspired her to create several cycles of graphic works, each characterised by a sense of inevitability and looming horror. This post-Gulag period (1956–1975) was very productive; it brought her fame among the liberally-minded Moscow intelligentsia and a salon sprang up around her, becoming a meeting place for the young artists of the 1960s, who later became leaders of Russian non-conformist art: E. Bulatov, O. Vassiliev, M. Mezheninov and I. Kabakov.

In recent years, works by Levina-Rozengolts have been exhibited not only in Russia, but also in the United States. Many of her works are in private collections such as the Zimmerli Collection, Rutgers University Collection and the collection of Norton and Nancy Dodge.