Stories of paintings and collections

[Маруся]

From the memoirs of Solomon Shuster:
"In the mid-fifties to the" book ", that is, the line I met by famous actor and bibliophile Nicholas Pavlovich Smirnov-Sokolsky. Despite the difference in age, familiarity is reinforced and even became a friendship. For many years we were going to make a movie of his stories about the books. " They met in a welcoming, hospitable in Moscow home Nicla Pavlovich and Sofia Petrovna and speaking about the future - I am among fables and endless conversations about books and people, paintings and interesting life conflicts, connected with them, getting extremely important lesson focused collector activity.
Collection Nicholas was bookish, a central place in it took "Pushkiniana. Paintings and drawings, I must say, excellent - Briullov and Shchedrin, Kiprensky and Tropinina - as if "accompanied" the main assembly.
And among these paintings hung one above the door, no accompaniment, but rather which imparts a dissonance. Amid screaming sharp combination of paints landscapes with birds frozen in flight polusidel, lying on the windowsill brash young man, thrusting his leg. His shoes, perhaps, served in the picture no less a place than a person - both in size and in meaning.
- Nikolai Pavlovich, - earnestly and in t the same time with the sly I said - why do you need this painting? This is the twentieth century. Not your profile. Give it to me.

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my trick was, of course, naive. In this paper, I learned the hand, or rather foot - very leg that was expressive - the artist Alexander Yakovlev, shocked with his friend Basil Shuhaevym, St. Petersburg public pre-revolutionary years. In the 20-ies they were in France, then parted ways with friends - Yakovlev went to America, Shukhaiev in the mid 30's he returned to Russia, organized the exhibition, was then arrested and taken to the Magadan. It seemed to end 50-ies, they were firmly forgotten at home, but I fortunately saw a lot of preparatory drawings sanguine in the house of Moscow's famous theatrical critic Nikolai Dmitrievich Volkov, the author of a book on quasi-Meyerhold and her second husband's first wife Yakovlev - who died early actresses Kazaroza.
- E-uh, my Drogo - gave Nikolai Pavlovich, - this is a portrait of Vaska Shuhaeva work Sashka Yakovlev.
These familiarity "Vaska" and "Sashka" I felt nonrandomness finding pictures in the "Empire style" meeting Smirnov-Sokolsky.
- However, - he continued, - if you like. You know, I will give for the anthologies of Pushkin's era. The picture is worth three thousand. Bring me out of Leningrad anthologies, which I do not, and as you reach the amount, take Sasha vpridachu with Vaska. Okay?
Some years I dragged Nikolai Pavlovich almanacs, filling his dezideraty. Nikolai Pavlovich took them, thanked them and kept quiet ....
Finally, I broke down and started talking about that picture and it is time to give.
- Well, - he answered amiably - another almanashek, and ... taken away.
So there I went to Leningrad.
I soon learned about the death of Nicholas. Sofya Petrovna survived him for many years, she has done much to perpetuate the memory of her husband - has issued a description of his library, gave the collection's rare books department of our principal - Lenin - the library.
I did not consider it possible, and I think they do not properly considered, remind her of our missed exchange.
My collection grew and built. In the early eighties, I heard about the death of Sophia Petrovna, but then died and my mother. They were once friends. Both - the actress at the beginning of the revolution played together in a theatrical studio. Confess the first time in almost twenty years, the idea struck - what happened to the portrait? Flashed ... and left.
Several more years. I finished the film on Chekhov's story "Lights" and more than a year, almost never met with collector fraternity, has been and in art galleries, is still - in the "commission store.
And suddenly, for some reason - it was not long before his trip to Moscow to hand over the film in Kinokomitet - I say to his wife:
- You know, anything to me, perhaps, a pity that the lost, but Yakovlevskij portrait Shuhaeva not forget oxford.
- Do not be sorry, - wisely replied his wife, - If things are destined to be with us, it will come.
And she came.
December 29, 1984 at 6 pm, leaving the State cinema after the date of the film and the film must have had to take the end of the year - cracked crackled studio lenfilmovsky plan - I sighed with relief and decided to make a gift - to sit in the car and go on Smolenskaya Embankment - in the commission.
Fifteen minutes later I was walking up and down on his ill-lit, deserted before closing the halls. Banal uninteresting painting, lovely saleswoman, bored waiting for the last visitor left. How many times in my life, I went on a similar hunt, and not everyone gave at least some results. And yet I firmly remember the rule, suggested to me by my father: "Do not hurry. Be considerate. Collector concentrates in itself and the entire museum, and its procurement commission of experts, and even ... an accountant. "
And suddenly ... I saw a pillar of hiding now, or rather part of it - a characteristic profile gruff, simple wood frame and legs .... "Yakovlevsky" - can not be mistaken - leg Vaska Shuhaeva.
I pulled out of the pylon and now, not looking, quickly pulled her to the checkout. Prior to the closing five minutes remaining.
Familiar cashier smiled. "They found something? Ah ... this ... you sure? She teaches us the fourth month. And already declined. Was under examination in the Tretyakov Gallery.
Until now wrapped up, I watched torn label. On the back was written: "08.09.1984 g. Examination of the State Tretyakov Gallery. Portrait of an unknown man by an unknown artist of the twentieth century.
Dear State Tretyakov Gallery. I do not want to quarrel with you. In a sense, I was even grateful to you. This year you gave me a permanent "gold" ticket at the entrance to your still closed rooms. But I want to tell you - you have no right so to conduct examination. Because you are STATE and the Tretyakov.
And it's not the fact that the painting has a signature - it was hidden by a rough frame. The fact that the picture is another sign - "Yakovlevskaya", and draw another, leg. And your critics have to know the signature. Otherwise, why would they - Researcher - with you, Tretyakov, to cooperate? »

[Allena]

Maroussia, very interesting! Thank you! Continue, please!

[Маруся]

Here's another story from a letter to the Editor of "Our Heritage" (Published HH. 1990. № 5).

"Stockholm, March 1990
I want to talk about "Portrait of a Boy", the famous artist brush Valentina Khodasevich. The picture is wonderful: the background of the sea on a bright sunny day, shows a boy of ten years in the white panamke and a striped blue and white shirt, and behind - transparent souls sky. A boy named Edgar, or a diminutive, Garik and he was the son of Anna Ivanovna Chulkovo (known in literary circles as the pre-revolutionary Moscow Nura Chulkov), sister of the writer George Ivanovich Chulkov. In 1911, Anna, mother of Edgar, became acquainted with the poet Vladislav Khodasevich and became his wife. By the way, above all, it concerns the painful poet was obliged to its relative prosperity in the years of famine. In 1922 Khodasevich left Russia - Anna stayed in Moscow.
Valentina Khodasevich, the artist was the niece of the poet, and a portrait of the son of Anna Ivanovna Chulkovo said she remembers, with a love. Then, when the boy grew, he became a movie actor, known under the pseudonym Edgar Garik. That Edgar Garik starred in the role of the Swedish King Karl XII in the famous film director Petrov "Peter" on the script by Alexei Tolstoy.

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But to return to the portrait. He got his time in Moscow lawyer and collector Nicholas Mironovich Tereshkovich, husband of Vera Veniaminovna Stoklitskoy Tereshkovich-known Soviet historian, medievalist, a great connoisseur of medieval western city. In the last years of her life, when already widowed and retired, with her because of interest and close proximity befriended my husband - also a historian. Incidentally, Stoklitskaya tried to bequeath their savings to the history faculty of Moscow State University with a condition to establish a scholarship for the best student of the Middle Ages, but her charitable impulse of support at the university had not received - personal scholarships were exclusively Stalin or Lenin.
So, it was Vera Veniaminovna gave in 1959 "Portrait of a Boy" to my husband. This prompted her, apparently, the fact that the author's portrait accounted aunt to her husband, though canvas stayed in our house not long: Anna Chulkov, hearing this, begged her to give a picture that you promised to return after her death, according to testament. My husband took a portrait of himself in the family one-story mansion Chulkov on the Garden Ring near Zubovskaya Square, where the artist was still living in the house of his brother, a writer, a very unusual house, completely lined by cells with parrots and canaries.
In autumn 1964 we were told that Anna had died and refused, kept his promise, a portrait of her husband. Thus, "Portrait of a Boy" has returned to us in a communal apartment in Starokonyushny Lane. The portrait hung on the wall of our room, narrow as a pencil case, and high as the cathedral. I loved waking up in the morning, look at it further in the window at the sky, which was widely seen, until then, until the contrary has not grown pink-beige house the Central Committee, contemptuous sideways to our "old man" of the last century.
At the boy in panamke I looked with tenderness and sadness. In the living there was no longer a boy and none of those to whom we were obliged to present - neither his mother nor Stklitskoy nor Khodasevich-artist, nor Khodasevich-poet. It seemed that the boy looks at me with her eyes all gone.
And yet, I confess, the usual lack of money for us next, I easily persuaded her husband to take it to the commission store - the same shop on Old Arbat Street between the barber and the "military book", which is subsequently erased from the face of the Arbat bulldozer: in its place and still a gaping void, through which the visible gray cracked Designator house prewar masonry. Portrait taken reluctantly, and was worth only 40 rubles. And now clearer than ever that one of the rare portrait of the wonderful Khodasevich took my husband for nothing.
From time to time retelling the story in a friendly circle, and finally be forgotten, moreover, that in 1987 my husband and son emigrated. Now living in Sweden, her husband teaches, the son of working and studying in high school for adults. Over the border in neighboring countries who they or a family in Moscow.
Last summer 1988 we stayed with friends in Copenhagen. Denmark, I must say, an unusually friendly towards Russia, its traditional ally in former times. Maybe that's why this great success the Soviet Exhibition "Time for a Change, 1905 - 1930. Russian avant-garde from Private Collections "by placing in the bottom of the capital's palaces - Charlottenburg. With great excitement I went to this exhibition, as if something had been anticipating. And this foreboding has not changed me. As if seeing nothing, I went to the very back wall of these as "communicating vessels", halls. That's where we hung a portrait. The boy looked all the same sad eyes, as if from an era that will never come back. Moreover, we met again to leave, probably forever. I recorded the name of the collector - VA Dudakov, and several months later to find him, being in Moscow and spoke with him by phone. It turns out that a collector bought the portrait a few years ago with the sale of the collection of another Muscovite - YM Rubinstein.
What I would like to say more? I guess what I'm really glad: the picture was in good hands of a true connoisseur of painting. I'm overseas, I always remember about this portrait, when the pass in Stockholm by the monument to Karl XII. For some reason, always wonder how cool he looked like in the movie "Peter I» our Edgar Garik on militant Swedish rabbit.
A. CAN.

P.S.
In November 1994, at the next (23 th in a row) auction company "ALFA-ART" was put up for sale 74 works, including many works already known for exhibitions and publications. Among them was listed and "Portrait of a Boy" Khodasevich ($ 15 000-17 000).
Is this the boy and in whose safe hands, he is now - history is silent. It is known for only one thing: "The boy was!" In the collection of VA Dudakova.

[uriart]

Maroussia Thank you for the interesting story.
Portrait is magnificent!

[Маруся]

In 1926, in the December issue of the newspaper "Russian vote" in New York was published an essay by Boris Gigoreva "My meeting with Sergei Yesenin":
 
Sergei Alexandrovich Esenina I've never met before, in March 1923 I heard that the poet and his wife Aysadoroy Duncan arrived in Paris from a trip to America.
Just at this time and took my first meeting with SAEsenin.
In Paris, while his brother lived sandals Duncan; little different quirks - wore a tunic of the Greek-cut and often the streets barefoot шпарил.
That a brother of the famous dancer in his theaters (he had any) to arrange an evening in honor of their relatives.
I was among those invited. The people there at all was a mass - even Milyukova saw the crowd around Esenina and Aysadory Duncan, which was unchanged, as was said, his red tunic turns all drove in a corner and regaled a good French wine.
The evening ended. Center it was - of course, reading SAEsenin his poems.
He read them a unique and inimitable.
After the theater Aysadora Duncan drove for a few invited to the house. Among them was myself.
Dear suggested SA a portrait of him.
- Tomorrow will start, come at 11 o'clock.
The next day at 11 am. Duncan arrived at the palace.

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Sergei was in the bath. Soon he came out of it on her naked body was wearing a blue robe. In it, he posed for me, but I always saw SAEsenin - in red, and painted him in a red gown, although the model posed for me in a bright blue.
Expressive!
SA Yesenin sat in front of me. His face was very pale, had bruises under his eyes - he was very drunk, and the bath did not help ...
But he did not want to show me that he was drunk.
For me it was not important merely appearance, I wanted to write SAEsenin the way I felt it, and not what he was before me, in kind.
By SAEsenin I traveled seven days. A week later, the portrait was finished.
I wrote Esenina - bread, rye. Like a ripe ear of a worn out late in the summer sky, in which somewhere already wringing their hands a terrible storm ...
Hair I SAEsenin wrote a light straw color, they are with him and in fact were.
In SAEsenin I saw so many, plenty, from old Russian icons - and writing.
Special audacity noted in Burn, a little from a fallen angel (!), A smile, that bent his eyelids blue, cornflower blue eyes.
During sessions SA talked a lot, read poems.
And then I heard that he was put in a lunatic asylum in Paris ...
I loudly said:
- Esenina are not in a mental hospital must send, and in Russia ...
Then I heard about his terrible punishment on himself ...
I thought: Yesenin died because he could neither understand nor accept Europe.
All who are not able to do so - die.

* * *
Remembered the last sentence, when parted ...
I said SAEsenin:
- You've been in Europe, now you will be hard to live without her ...
I was told later that the SA Yesenin in conversation with friends in the Soviet Union - then remembered my sentence.
Yesenin said:
- I do not want Europe, do not understand it ... you are all wrong! ..
Rejoiced that he was returning to his native country, homeland.
Loss of all of us SAEsenin - fresh, oppressive loss.
Today, a year that SAEsenin, a gifted poet - was no more.
New York, December 27, 1926.

P.S.
Naturally, the first artist invited to buy a portrait of the poet himself, but he refused ...
Then the work was exhibited at the exhibition Boris Grigoriev to the New Gallery in New York in 1924. I sold ...
In a letter Zamyatin in July 1924, Boris Grigoriev wrote: "Incidentally Esenina portrait sold for $ 1,000 in New York Osborn in good hands, but he did not want to buy it for 3000 fr all, when I was a pauper. Of course, all the case and nonsense! "
And then history becomes a riddle with many unknowns:
Boris Grigoriev calls himself a member of the New Gallery buyer Sidney Osborne (Sydney G. Osborn). But David Burliuk, often helps the artist to sell his work in America in 1929, reported in a letter to SA Tolstoy Yesenina that the portrait Esenina acquired American millionaire Adolph Levison (Adolf Lewisohn).
Since that memorable exhibition portrait is nowhere on display and never published. Only the exhibition of his photography. And now, as they say, the location of the unknown.

[Маруся]

Always know that the avant-garde - is the talented people "all over", but I confess honestly had no idea what Alexander Volkov was a famous poet Imagists.
Actually, writing a story about how "Garnet teahouse" experienced Tashkent earthquake of 1966, and came across an article E. Babayev poetry Alexander Volkov. (Fully published in the journal "Our Heritage". 1995. № 34)

Alexander Volkov - the legend of Tashkent.
Everything about him could hear, it seemed unusual.
"This is an artist who can portray on canvas the creaking carts", - some said. "This is a man who walked around the foot of Tashkent" - claimed others. "This is a poet who read his verse from the minaret", - assured the third.
Volkov, wearing a black beret, velvet cloak, and, as we now would say, "shorts".
It looked extravagant, was kind of a free artist of the century. It was impossible not to notice this amazing man in the street of the city, on the opening day, on a mountain road in the Bridge-mule ... In his figure, for all his artistic freedom, felt the military fold and deportment.
After all, he learned not only in the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, but also in the Orenburg Cadet Corps. Squinting his eyes, intelligent and silent, he looked at people in the trees, the clouds.

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His appearance was so unusual that one day when he climbed on a hill, began to consider a neighborhood, choosing the "motive for the landscape", he was approached by an alert policeman and ordered to "stop monitoring" ...
Volkov has lived and worked in Tashkent. Here, founded his own art school, here found his fame when he created his GARNET tea-house. Can not imagine Tashkent 20-ies without Volkov and his vivid poetry, impressed in paint, words and music.
It was not a vain man. He believed in his talent and his art. Those tokens which he had seen during his life, answered his expectations.
I remember a time when "Garnet teahouse", now housed at the Tretyakov Gallery, modestly adorned the wall in his Tashkent home.
Incidentally, this wall survived during the earthquake of 1966, as if she kept from falling some supernatural force.
On the canvas was not a single scratch ...
Were in the life Volkova and such events that seem to be surpassed his expectations. But they never caught the him by surprise. As if in this case in his house were open doors.
Since the spring of 1921, in May, says Volkov, "the open door of my apartment in Tashkent on Sadovaya came Yesenin, and with it Shiryaevets".
"It was so unexpected and so simple", - says Volkov. Yesenin was "quite young, beautiful, sparkling with joy ..."
That "the dense imagery and metaphorical density" paintings Volkova, in which he sought, he said, to "primitive" Oriental carpets and Suzane captivated the imagination of Esenina. Indeed, tropology Volkova was highly expressive when he said "Caravan - Desert carnival!". That this is what was called "Imagism" in a circle Esenina. And he, looking at the painting, saying: "Our, our, Imaginists ..."
But what is a meeting of poets without reading poetry? Esenin read in Volkova in the house "Song of the Dog." Volkov and read him his "Song of Belder-sai ...
After reading the poems Yesenin Volkov said: "Yes, well ... Write most like your song" Oh, Belder-sai ... "
Selecting Esenina was unmistakable. He pointed to the poem, which is one of the best examples of lyrical Volkova. However, he identified and the most natural for the genre of the poet's "Eastern Song", taken as it is not in translation, as in the original ....
In his poetry Volkov was quite distinctive Russian poet, as he was a distinctive Russian artist in his paintings. There is no imitation in the works Volkov was not. That is why, and invited him Imaginists Yesenin, believing that this new direction in art needs a strong and original talent.

BELDER-Sai
Oh, Belder-sai
How good Belder-sai --
There is my village in the foothills of the mountains;
I weep for thee, my Belder-sai
They kept them and driving the goats
I'm on colored carpet.

As the aroma, gentle air,
Belder-sai
When the tulip dresses
you in the spring.
Your stars shine brightly, Belder-sai
Mallows white, covered with dew.
A trickle of water your fun. Belderr-sai.
Zvonko pouring - just songs of children.
In my heart always with you, Belder-sai.
Previous hot flowers to me
my homeland.
Your sun, my hot Belder-sai
Fills sweet
dream
Do not forget you, beloved Belder-sai
There remained dear, my dear.
1923

CARAVAN
Caravan - desert carnival.
Stretchy-call - tough tin.
Corals caravan assembled.
In the carpet a handful of coral
weave.
Caravan - desert carnival.
Flames sun-baked oven.
Palaces striped postlal,
In the sand-dunes tissue
light.
Caravan - desert carnival
Saffron on the shoulders of the yellow-burningly.
Iron are chained
By swinging steep humps.

Caravan - desert carnival
Kayukov - gay dimensional wavelet.
In the eyes of the camel went up in flames
Dawn evening chalcocite.
1924

[Маруся]

Thanks to everyone who has supported the creation of this theme! It remains only to take part in it. Sure many forum members, there is much to tell.

[Пажитнов]

E. Garrick stepson Khodasevich. This surname of his father Grentsion Evgen'evich Edgar (1907 -?). His father, first husband of Anna Ivanovna, his name was Yevgeny Karlovich Grentsion, under the Soviet regime, he worked in the newspaper Izvestia in Moscow. Edgar often he lived. Edgar went on line actor, played in the movie "Peter 1" and "Heroes of Shipka." Mandelstam he mentioned in verse ---- This Garik Khodasevich named Grentsion,
Despite that Alcyone is the elegy Chenier ... "The year of his death is unknown. Unknown composition of his family.

[Кирилл Сызранский]

Pajitnov, is interesting, thanks.
When I just read the magazine story this portrait, remember, and then somehow trying to learn about the life of this actor, and anything and did not recognize.

[Пажитнов]

Anthology of everyday stupidities



M. Joseph by these various epigrams --
No other Joseph did not have Osip Mandelstam.

___

This is Anna Ivanov - Art-house people
Despite that, House of Art can take bath.

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This Garik Khodasevich named Grentsion,
Despite that Alcyone is the elegy Chenier ...

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This is Luknitsky Pavel Nikolayevich man
If not Luknitsky, this means that Milyukov.

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Alexei Maksimych Peshkov - very bitter man,
Despite the fact that Peshkov - not a bitter man.

1925 Pro Gorky's sick. Looks like if he was still less.