Jun 13, 2019 - Sale 2513

Sale 2513 - Lot 221

Price Realized: $ 8,450
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 5,000 - $ 8,000
ESPHYR SLOBODKINA
Abstract Composition.

Gouache on board, circa 1940s. 170x250 mm; 6 3/4x9 3/4 inches.

Ex-collection the artist's estate; Kraushaar Galleries, Inc., New York, with the label on the frame back; private collection, Pennsylvania.

Russian-American artist Slobodinka (1908-2002)escaped the Russian Revolution of 1917 with her family and eventually settled in the United States in 1928. She is known primarily for her children's book illustrations. However, she also played a critical role in founding the American Abstract Artists group with her husband Ilya Bolotowsky and Charles Green Shaw (see lots 219 and 220) in 1936. As with many Russian-American modernists, her oeuvre is defined by rich colors and suspended, interlocking forms. Her experimentation with a wide-range of creative media—wall hangings, constructions, dolls and jewelry—also speaks to the Russian crafting tradition, and her artistic innovation in these fields throughout her lifetime affirm her role as a significant figure in the development of the avant-garde tradition.