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an image of a painting of a person standing on a platform
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23 - 23. * Oleg Vassiliev (Russian, 1931–2013)
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Estimate €8,000 - €10,000
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Description
23. * Oleg Vassiliev (Russian, 1931–2013) Fallen Painting, circa 1973 signed in Cyrillic (bottom right) coloured pencils on paper 50 x 35 cm (19 11/16 x 13 3/4 in). unframed Provenance Acquired directly from the artist in Moscow Collection of Eric Peschler, Switzerland Thence by descent to the present owner Oleg Vassiliev, the most ‘artistic’ of the constellation of artists associated with the unofficial art movement, explored the depths of artistic dissent whilst remaining a devotee of the classical school of painting, just like Erik Bulatov. His realistic painting technique was usually combined with spatial construction within the composition. By dividing the canvas into planes and playing with colour and light, he constructed a space subordinate to the central idea of his painting – metaphysical memory. The theme of memory is central to Oleg Vassiliev’s work; through it, he explored the interplay between the present, the past and the future. ‘After all, memory is not merely an imprint, but a “metaphysical, creative mystery”; it selects certain elements from the past, amplifies them, whilst erasing or transforming others, embellishing them or dramatising them. ‘The theme of memory is one of the most important for me’ (Oleg Vassiliev, How I Became an Artist (Instead of an Autobiography), St Petersburg, 2004, p. 22.) Vassiliev had already established the key tenets of his artistic language—which consisted of a combination of abstraction and hyperrealism, as well as a blend of spectral colours—at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s.
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About the sale The Eric A. Peschler Collection: Non-Conformist Art of the Soviet Era
Auction location
Auction time 10/05/2026 at 12:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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