Painter, Lithographer, Photographer, b. 1890 - d. 1941
Lazar Markovich Lissitzky (November 23 [O.S. November 11] 1890 – December 30, 1941), known as El Lissitzky, was a Russian artist, designer, photographer, typographer, polemicist and architect. He was an important figure of the Russian avant-garde, helping develop suprematism with his mentor, Kazimir Malevich, and designing numerous exhibition displays and propaganda works for the Soviet Union. His work greatly influenced the Bauhaus and constructivist movements, and he experimented with production techniques and stylistic devices that would go on to dominate 20th-century graphic design.[1]
Lissitzky's entire career was laced with the belief that the artist could be an agent for change, later summarized with his edict, "das zielbewußte Schaffen" (goal-oriented creation).[2] Lissitzky, of Lithuanian Jewish ?rigin, began his career illustrating Yiddish children's books in an effort to promote Jewish culture in Russia. When only 15 he started teaching, a duty he would maintain for most of his life. Over the years, he taught in a variety of positions, schools, and artistic media, spreading and exchanging ideas. He took this ethic with him when he worked with Malevich in heading the suprematist art group UNOVIS, when he developed a variant suprematist series of his own, Proun, and further still in 1921, when he took up a job as the Russian cultural ambassador to Weimar Germany, working with and influencing important figures of the Bauhaus and De Stijl movements during his stay. In his remaining years he brought significant innovation and change to typography, exhibition design, photomontage, and book design, producing critically respected works and winning international acclaim for his exhibition design. This continued until his deathbed, where in 1941 he produced one of his last works – a Soviet propaganda poster rallying the people to construct more tanks for the fight against Nazi Germany. In 2014, the heirs of the artist, in collaboration with Van Abbemuseum and leading worldwide scholars on the subject, established the Lissitzky Foundation in order to preserve the artist's legacy and to prepare a catalogue raisonné of the artist's oeuvre.
Composition with Wooden Statue, 1930, Gelatin silver print, 23.7x17.8 cm. Provenance: Jen Lissitzky Archive, the artist’s son. This photograph of a wooden sculpture was taken by El Lissitzky in the early 1930s. It is made in the best tradition of avant-garde foreshortening. The composition is based on the combination of the geometry of light with the three-dimensional object of the exotic statuette. The dynamic of the light rays falling on different planes creates the effect of the figure's detachment from the earthly and its dynamic tension in space. The wooden sculpture photographed by El Lissitzky has a long and very interesting history. It begins in the 80s of the 19th century, when the father of Sophie Küppers-Lissitzky (Schneider), the artist's wife, brought this statuette from the islands of Oceania. In the 1890s, Dr Christian Schneider was a military doctor on the ship Gneisenau. As well as treating the crew, he also treated the local population. He was respected by them and often received gifts from them. During his service he amassed a very valuable oriental collection. Much of this collection, mostly from the islands of Oceania, was donated to the Ethnographic Museum in Munich in the 1920s. This wooden figurine from his collection, which Sophie liked very much, remained in the family. It was brought to Moscow from Germany by Sophie in 1927. El Lissitzky died of tuberculosis in Moscow in 1941. During the deportation of Sophie (as an ethnic German) and Jen from Moscow to Novosibirsk in 1943, the statuette was left with the family of their friend, the eminent film director Sergei Eisenstein, along with other items that Sophie managed to save. In 1947 it was sent to Novosibirsk by Jen Lissitzky (who had come to Moscow without permission) (from Sophie's memoirs: Ingeborg Prior, (Sophie's Legacy"). This wooden statuette, of considerable value in itself, is now in the family. After Jen Lissitzky emigrated to Germany in 1989, this photograph was in the possession of Jen Lissitzky, first in Germany and later at his estate in Andalusia (Spain), which he bought in 2000 and where he died in 2020. There is also his grave and a monument. In 2023, along with Ian's entire archive. In 2023, together with Jen's entire archive, this photograph was taken to Israel, where Sergei Lissitzky, Jen Lissitzky's only son and El Lissitzky's only grandson, has lived since 2007. *Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein (1898 –1948). Was a Soviet film director, screenwriter, film editor and film theorist. He was a pioneer in the theory and practice of montage. Battleship Potemkin is widely considered one of the greatest films of all time. Doron Polak, International Artist Museum
Composition with Jen Lissitzky, 1931, Original photograph, gelatin silver print, 12x18.2 cm. Signed by the artist’s son, Jen Lissitzky. Provenance: Jen Lissitzky Archive, the artist’s son. This photograph of El Lissitzky shows him in a composition with his son Jen. It is not a child photograph in the usual sense, nor is it an adoration of a newborn or the joy of parenthood. It is a purposeful composition on the theme of the child of the future, a child who will grow up in a society of bright ideals. While in ordinary photography light is a tool for obtaining an image, in the hands of Master Lissitzky light is both an object - like the sun and warmth - and a semantic content - like the aspiration for a bright future. At that time, the Lissitzky family had a black cat (the original photograph of which was taken by El Lissitzky and is now in Jen Lissitzky's archive) with which adults and children played with a toy made of feathers and thread. This toy can be seen in the photograph, which is difficult to understand without knowing what it is about. Perhaps the artist intended it to be a secondary object in this composition. Jen Lissitzky appears in many of El's compositions and photo collages. Among the best-known are several variations for the play "I Want a Child" at the Meyerhold Theatre. On the back of the photograph is a note signed by Jen Lissitzky, confirming that the photograph was taken by El Lissitzky. Doron Polak, International Artist Museum
Eiffel Tower, 1928, Original negative, 6.1x10 cm. Attached is a document transferring the copyright in this negative to the buyer. Provenance: Jen Lissitzky Archive, the artist’s son. One of the rare negatives of the Eiffel Tower taken by El Lissitzky and preserved in Jen Lissitzky's archive. The composition of the image is based on the artistic concept of Proun. Proun is a project of affirmation of the new, a neologism coined by El Lissitzky to denote a new artistic system that combines the idea of the geometric plane with the laws of constructive formation of volumetric form. This is very different from classical architectural photography, which was a documentary, often coldly detached representation of the reality that photographers of the time captured. El Lissitzky's photographs are dynamic constructions that float in space with no bottom or top, combining the effect of transparency and the interpenetration of volumetric and flat figures, a clear correspondence with Proun's philosophy, "The conquest of space through form". Historical note: El Lissitzky took photographs with the camera of Ilya Ehrenburg, whose family he and his wife Sophie met in Paris in 1928. Ilya Grigorievich Ehrenburg (1891- 1967) was a Russian writer of Jewish origin, poet, essayist, journalist, war correspondent, translator, social activist and photographer. He lived in exile from 1908 to 1917 and from 1921 to 1940, and in the USSR from 1940. During the Second World War, Hitler declared him Germany's greatest enemy and his personal enemy. Doron Polak, International Artist Museum
Eiffel Tower, 1928, Original negative, 6.1x9.9 cm. Attached is a document transferring the copyright in this negative to the buyer. Provenance: Jen Lissitzky Archive, the artist’s son. This unique negative of a fragment of the Eiffel Tower by El Lissitzky shows us how interesting and ahead of his time El Lissitzky was as a photographer and architect. Here we see an unusual photographic angle and the choice of a fragment that no photographer in Paris at the time would have taken of the Eiffel Tower. A further development of the theme of dynamic structures floating in space is the lack of support at the base of the tower. A virtuoso transformation of plane into volume and back again - the texture and multi-dimensionality of asphalt. The effect of transparency and interpenetration of volumetric and planar figures - refraction of shadows, like the refraction of an object in a water environment. A photograph made from this negative was sold at Christies auction house in New York (Christies sale, lot 124, 22.02.2024, provenance Jen Lissitzky). Historical note: El Lissitzky took photographs with the camera of Ilya Ehrenburg, whose family he and his wife Sophie met in Paris in 1928. Ilya Grigorievich Ehrenburg (1891-1967) was a Russian writer of Jewish origin, poet, publicist, journalist, war correspondent, translator, public figure and photographer. He lived in exile from 1908 to 1917 and from 1921 to 1940, and in the USSR from 1940. During the Second World War, Hitler declared him Germany's greatest enemy and his personal enemy. Doron Polak, International Artist Museum
Cover of brochure for Pelikan company in Germany, 1924, gouache and bronze powder on paper, 24x17 cm. Provenance: Jen Lissitzky Archive, the artist’s son. Literature: Sophie Lissitzky- Kuppers ”El Lissitzky”, p. 124, Dresden, 1967. El Lissitzky was an architect, painter, photographer, designer, and the founder of a new trend in advertising. At the same time, he considered himself first and foremost an inventor. He constructed his new world and invented new laws of art. Lissitzky made a special contribution to the development of avant-gardism and eventually became an influential figure in world art. One of the most striking works that showcases his versatile talent is the design of a brochure for the Pelikan company in 1924. The cover of this brochure was created by stenciling gouache and bronze color on thin pencil tracing paper. It stands out for its technical perfection. The work is made by hand in an art studio under minimal technical conditions. At the same time, it combines the skills of a printmaker with those of the inventor of a new font. As an image and language of advertising, the Pelikan font was ahead of its time in the 1920s. Even today, a century later, it looks quite modern. Simplicity in complexity and complexity in simplicity - a combination inherent in Lissitzky's work. The aggressive color palette, multi-vector and multi-scale fonts make the Pelican brochure cover memorable and stand out from the "juvenile" printed matter of the 1920s. Once again, Lissitzky's work is ahead of its time. Doron Polak, International Artist Museum David Spektor, photographer, specialist in analog photography El Lissitzky is known not only as an avant-garde artist, but also as an art theorist, architect, theatre designer, book illustrator, designer and photographer who was ahead of his time. He was a Master of Graphic Design and photomontage. In each of these fields, he left a luminous mark, thanks to which his name has entered the practice and theory of 20th-century art. Lissitzky was characterized by a universal approach, innovation and the attempt to work in several directions at once. He is rightly considered one of the most prominent representatives of the Russian and Jewish avant-garde. His name is closely associated with the avant-garde movements of the beginning of the last century - Suprematism and Constructivism - and Lissitzky's ideas greatly influenced the founders of the Bauhaus. El Lissitzky not only embraced the ideas of Suprematism, he helped to embody it in architecture. Lissitzky also developed radically new principles of display, presenting the exhibition space as a unified whole. Lazar Lissitzky was born in 1890 to a Jewish family in the Smolensk province of the Russian Empire. After the family moved to Vitebsk, he attended the school of Yudel Penn. He graduated from the science school in Smolensk (1909). He studied at the Faculty of Architecture of the Higher Polytechnic School in Darmstadt and at the Riga Polytechnic Institute, and after graduating he worked in an architectural office. In 1917 he began to illustrate books published in Yiddish, including Jewish authors of his time and works for children. In 1919, at the invitation of Marc Chagall, he moved to Vitebsk, where he taught at the People's Art School. Like most young Jewish artists, he welcomed the revolution. Unlike Chagall, who was drawn to traditional Jewish art, Lissitzky turned to Suprematism from 1920, under the influence of Malevich. Working at the intersection of architecture and the visual arts, he did much to transfer to new architecture the formal and aesthetic insights that had helped to shape modern artistic culture. Between 1919 and 1921 he created his famous PROUNs (Projects of Approval of the New) - images of variously shaped geometric bodies in equilibrium, resting on a solid base or floating in space. Between 1921 and 1925, Lissitzky lived and worked in Germany and Switzerland with the permission and encouragement of the Soviet authorities. In fact, he was the first representative of the Russian avant-garde to meet many famous European artists, who were influenced by his ideas and found support and understanding. It was in Germany that Lissitzky met his future wife, Sophia Küppers (Schneider), a gallerist and art historian. They married in 1927 in Moscow, where Lissitzky returned at the end of his European "business trip". Sophie and her two sons from her first marriage also moved to the USSR. In 1930 the artist's only son, Jen Lissitzky, was born in Moscow. The fate of the artist and his family was tragic. They were victims of Stalin's repressions in the USSR, which intensified in the 30s and 40s, and of the rise of fascism in Germany. In 1941, El Lissitzky died of tuberculosis in Moscow at the age of 51. Two years later, Sophie Küppers -Lissitzky and her son Jen were interned in Novosibirsk as ethnic Germans. The fate of much of the artist's work was sad. Most of Lissitzky's architectural projects were never realized, and many of his works were destroyed or lost. For many years, despite the harsh living conditions in Siberia, Sophie made great efforts to preserve her husband's legacy. She collected pieces of her husband's work and entrusted them to friends and relatives for safekeeping. In this way, the invaluable Lissitzky family archive was collected and preserved. Sophie Küppers -Lissitzky died in 1978 in Novosibirsk at the age of 87. In 1989, Lissitzky's son Jen was able to take up permanent residence in Germany and took with him the family archive and the surviving originals of the artist's works. Nowadays, some of El Lissitzky's works can be found in the world's leading museums: MoMA, Van Abbe Museum, Guggenheim Museum, Tretyakov Gallery, GRM, etc. Lissitzky's name is becoming known to a growing number of art lovers, not only specialists, his works are attracting the attention of collectors and connoisseurs, the cost of his works and artefacts from the family archive is increasing every year. In 2019, at Christie's auction house in London, one of El Lissitzky's famous photographs from the “Constructor” series sold for $1,250,000. Doron Polak International Artist's Museum
Watercolor, gouache and chalk on paper ca 1923 Signed (lower right). 29 x 23.5 cm (without frame) Provenance: Private collection, Israel. Notes: Accompanied by an authenticity certificate by Jean Chauvelin, 2006. Available upon request. Condition: For a detailed condition report, please contact us at info@hammersite.com
Watercolor, gouache, and chalk on paper 1923 Signed (lower left) 34.7 x 48.8 cm Provenance: Private collection, Israel. Notes: Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity by Jean Choublain from 2006, which also states that this work is a preparatory piece for a lithograph album of ten works printed in 1923. Condition: For a detailed condition report, please contact us at info@hammersite.com
Beat the white with the red Wedge Entwurf 1919, wohl späterer Abzug Farbplakat. Ca. 48×59 auf 52×67 cm (gebräunt, fleckig, faltig bzw. kl. Knicke, teils rückseitig m. Tesafilm hinterlegt). (61133)
The Constructor. 1924/printed 1985. Gelatin silver print from the original glass plate negative on Agfa paper. 20,2 x 22,2 cm (40,5 x 30,8 cm). With "griffelkunst" edition stamp and photographer's signature stamp on the verso as well as annotated by another hand in pencil on verso. Small crease in lower left corner, some buckling and small surface irregularities, otherwise in very good condition. - Sollten Sie detailliertere Zustandsberichte wünschen, kontaktieren Sie uns bitte. / Should you need more detailed condition reports, please contact us.
EL LISSITZKY (Lazar Markovich Lissitzky 1890-1941) COMPLETE SET OF HIS 6 ORIGINAL 1922 LETTERPRESS WORKS OF ART IN POSTCARD FORMAT AND THEIR ILLUSTRATED WRAPPER- “SUPREMATISCH WORDEN VAN 2 KWADRATEN IN 6 KONSTRUKTIES“ The wrapper only shows the usual minor age related faults due to its function (incl. 3 cm tear at top left ), the six postcards are in very fine and fresh condition. Size 140mm x 95mm each. THESE WORKS OF ART PRINTED BY LISSITZKY IN POSTCARD FORMAT IN 1922 ARE UNIQUE AND REPRESENT A SIGNIFICANT ADDITION TO HIS ARTISTIC OEUVRE. PRIOR TO THEIR DISCOVERY, THESE PIECES WERE UNKNOWN TO DR. TATIANA GORYACHEVA OF THE TRETYAKOV GALLERY IN MOSCOW WHO MENTIONED THAT LATER, ARTISTS OF THE BAUHAUS MOVEMENT WERE KNOWN TO HAVE ISSUED THEIR WORKS IN POSTCARD FORMAT FOR THE FIRST BAUHAUS EXHIBITION IN 1923, SUCH A SET OF 20 POSTCARDS WAS LATELY BOUGHT BY THE MoMA. Art historical context: One of El Lissitzky's best-known works is the short picture book, "About Two Squares", intended for children of all ages. Lissitzky was a Russian artist, architect, designer, typographer, and photographer who was involved in the avant-garde movement in Soviet Russia and Germany until the rise of Soviet Realism in 1930. He influenced the typographical and advertising innovations of the Bauhaus. In 1922 Lissitzky was invited to design a double issue of the De Stijl journal of The Hague, Netherlands. It played a significant role in shaping the development of modern architecture, design, and abstract art. Forming Part of his Proun portfolio "About Two Squares" was a powerful expression of revolutionary Communism and modern art, it follows the journey of a black square and a red square as they travel from afar and land on Earth. For Lissitzky, these squares symbolize the superiority of the new Soviet order represented by the red square over the old order symbolized by the black square. Lissitzky's artistic style, particularly in "Two Squares," reflects his alignment with Russian Constructivist principles after 1921. His aim was to incorporate Suprematism's abstract language into the service of the new social and political order. Provenance: from the collection of a prominent Belgian collector of the 1930s Bibliography: The wrapper was Lissitzky´s cover design for De Stijl, 1922, no.10/11. Friedman, p.159. Illustration plate VI
(Potschinok 1890-1941 Moskau; nach), Selbstbildnis. 3 Schwarzweiß-Fotografien auf Agfa-Fotopapier. Verso mit Nachlass-Stempel Jen Lissitzky, nicht sign. und dat. (1924/85). Plattenmaß: 17,5 x 12,3 cm; Blattmaß: 39,5 x 29,4 cm. (99) Originalabzüge vom Glasnegativ für die Edition Griffelkunst 240 C1, C2 und C3.
Attributed to El Lisitsky, Russian, 1890 to 1941, an oil painting on board showing a couple with the industrial landscape behind. Inscribed and dated 1935 to the back. Lazar Markovich Lissitzky, better known as El Lissitzky, was a Russian artist, designer, photographer, typographer, polemicist and architect. Russian Avant Garde Paintings And Art Collectibles.
Lissitzky, El. Ohne Titel. (Proun-Studie). Graphit und Aquarell auf chamoisfarbenen Karton. Um 1920. Blattmaße: 13 x 24,5 cm. Schöne, kleinformatige Arbeit des Künstlers El Lissitzky (1890-1941). - Das Werk wurde unter anderem auf folgenden Ausstellungen gezeigt: Kat. Astrattismo in Europa. Bard, Forte di Bard, 2015. S. 155, Abb. S. 79. - Kat. Formen auf weißem Grund. Köln, Galerie Stolz, 1986. Nr. 89. - Verso an zwei Punkten auf weißer Kartonunterlage unter Passepartout montiert. - Minimal gebräunt, der Rand stärker, Grundierung leicht nachgedunkelt, partiell leicht berieben, die obere linke Ecke mit winzigem Nadellöchlein, entlang des oberen und linken Blattrandes, insbesondere an der linken Ecke, vereinzelte Fehlstellen. - Es liegen zwei in den Katalogen nicht erwähnte kurze Expertisen vor, jeweils eine kurze handschriftliche, signierte und datierte Notiz, verso auf dem Abzug einer Photographie des Werks: I. Dr. Miroslav Lamac: "Es handelt sich um eine Arbeit von El Lissitzky. / Nürnberg, 15.08.1983". Dort mit weiteren Typoskript-Annotationen der Galerie Johanna Ricard, Nürnberg sowie nummeriertem Sticker des Photographen. Diese Expertise wurde aus dem Bestand der Galerie Stolz am 19.01.2006 dem Besitzer des Bildes übersandt. - II. Andrei (Borisov) Nakov: "The work reproduced on this photograph is in my opinion an original non-objective sketch by El Lissitzky. / Paris, March, 16th, 1987". Dort mit weiterer Typoskript-Annotation. - Provenienz: Galerie Johanna Ricard, Nürnberg; Galerie Stolz, Köln; Sammlung Dr. Gerhard Cromme, Essen.
Attributed to El Lazar Markovitch Lissitzky (Russian, Soviet, 1890 - 1941), gouache, ink, and pencil on paper painting depicting a Suprematist composition. Signed lower right with initials 'EL.' Note: El Lissitzky is an iconic figure of the Russian avant-garde, architect, artist, designer, the first Russian graphic designer, photomontage master, and engineer. Please make all inquiries before bidding. All lots are sold "as-is", refer to our T&C. Helios Auctions does not ship in-house. A list of recommended shippers will be provided.
[LISSITZKY, EL], DER BER, 1919 Ben-Zion Raskin, DER BER, illustrated by El Lissitzky (1890-1941), Kyiv-St. Petersburg: Yidisher Folks Farlag, 1919. Quarto 19.8x16 cm., 10 (2) pp. Original illustrated wrappers, with title page and 8 illustrations by Lissitzky. Mild toning, rubber stamp to front wrapper and p. 5. 10, [2] p. Unknown edition size. LITERATURE Nisbet, El Lissitzky 1919/3. Tradition and Revolution: The Jewish Renaissance in Russian Avant-Garde Art, cat. 94, illustrated pp. 186 187. Futur-anterieur, 123. LOT NOTES After 1923, Lissitzky ceased illustrating Yiddish books and concentrated his great talents on Constructivism, photomontage and architectural design, making significant contributions in all of them. His illustrated Yiddish books remain unsurpassed to this day. (Tradition and Revolution, p. 66) Although this side of his work was little known until fairly recently, Lissitzky produced several extraordinary Yiddish children s books while living and working in Kiev soon after the Revolution. As a member of IZO Narkompros (People s Commissariat of Enlightenment), he helped set up the Kultur-Lige there. In 1919, he and the writer Ben Zion Raskin signed a contract with Yidisher Folks Farlag Kooperativ for 11 children s books in the Kinder Gorten series. Only two titles other than this one were ever published: The Miller, his Wife and the Millstones and The Hen that Wanted a Comb. These Yiddish children s books are extremely rare as many disappeared when Yiddish publications were officially banned by the Soviet State. OCLC locates 1 copy, at Getty. Faint deaccession stamp on cover, else NF. N.B. Condition reports are available upon request. 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.
[LISSITZKY, EL] INDUSTRIYA SOTSIALIZMA, 1935 El Lissitzky: INDUSTRIIA SOTSIALIZMA. Tiazhelaia promyshlennost'k VII vsesoiuznomu s'ezdy sovetov. (The Industry of Socialism. Heavy Industry for the Seventh Congress of Soviets). Moscow: Stroim, 1935. Seven separately bound volumes (each 35.1 x 25.8 cm) in photographically illustrated slipcase of cloth over boards. Lavishly illustrated with numerous gravure plates, fold-outs, gatefolds, accordion folds, collages and cutouts, printed on a variety of paper types. The seventh volume is a folder containing two folded maps and a printed brochure. LITERATURE Refs: Roth pp. 82-83; Parr/Badger pp. 160-163; Woodruff/Grubisic 254; Karasik/Heiting 214 LOT NOTES The entire project designed by Lissitzky and published on the occasion of the Seventh Congress held in February 1935. Lissitzky was rewarded with high praise and a substantial financial bonus by the Minister of Heavy Industry for the successful completion of this album. "A monument of late Lissitzky over-the-top typographical and book design, leaving no flap unturned...it is a feast for the eyes." (Roth) ..."a cornucopia of graphic design and photomontage, arguably the high point of Lissitzky's book-designing career and of the Soviet propaganda photobook. In no other book is the imagery quite so brilliantly piled up, one picture upon the other, the ideas constantly inventive and dazzling. It is as if Lissitzky found the normal form of the book page so restricting that he was compelled to push beyond its boundaries at every turn. Thus we have fold-outs, overlays, peek-a-boo images, half pages, accordion foldouts and gatefold pages, and even stuck-in pieces of cloth. The complex photo-collages almost gallop across the pages and beyond them in exuberant proclamation of the book's simple message - Production is Up on the Last Five-Year Plan!" (Parr/Badger) A very good and complete copy of one of the most important Soviet photographically illustrated editions. This copy in superb condition. N.B. Condition reports are available upon request. 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.
El Lissitzky (Polschinok/Smolensk 1890 - 1941 Moskau) Komposition Bleistift, Aquarell und Deckfarben auf dünnem gelblichen Transparentpapier / Pencil, watercolour and opaque paint on thin yellowish transparent paper Um 1920 36,6x84 cm, Blattgrösse / 36.6x84 cm Provenienz / Provenance Privatsammlung Galerie Gmurzynska, Köln, dort erworben von Privatsammlung Schweiz Auktion Galerie Kornfeld, Bern, 6. Juni 2008, Los 87, dort erworben von Privatsammlung Schweiz Private collection Gallery Gmurzynska, Cologne, acquired there by Private collection Switzerland Auction Galerie Kornfeld, Bern, 6 June 2008, lot 87, acquired there by Private collection Switzerland Ausstellungen / Exhibitions Köln 1976, Galerie Gmurzynska, El Lissitzky, Kat. Nr. 90 Cologne 1976, Galerie Gmurzynska, El Lissitzky, cat. no. 90 Zustand / Condition Die Einfassungslinie mit etwas Papierrand. Sauber in der Erhaltung, die Farben frisch. Sauber hinterlegte kleine Fehlstelle The framing line with some paper margin. Neatly restored small loss. In overall good condition and fresh in colour Erläuterungen / Comments Wichtige und seltene Arbeit aus der Reihe der Proun-Projekte von 1919 bis 1920. Vermutlich noch entstanden während Lissitzkys Tätigkeit an der nach 1918 neu gegründeten Kunstschule in Witebsk, wo er, von Marc Chagall berufen, als Lehrer tätig war An important and rare work from the series of Proun projects from 1919 to 1920, presumably created during Lissitzky's work at the art school in Vitebsk, which was newly founded after 1918 and where he was appointed as a teacher by Marc Chagall Erwartete Ausrufzeit / Estimated Auction Time of Lot (+/- 30min) 13.09.2024; 17:15 h (MEST / CET) For further information visit our website (www.kornfeld.ch) Versandkosten / Shipping cost Auf Anfrage / On request
Lissitzky, El (1890-1941) "Portrait Kurt Schwitters" 1924/1985, photograph, verso estate sign./inscr., Griffelkunst, SM 39,5x29,6cm, min. traces of storage Lissitzky, El (1890-1941) „Portrait Kurt Schwitters“ 1924/1985, Fotografie, verso Nachlasssignatur/bez., Griffelkunst, BM 39,5x29,6cm, min. Lagerspuren
El Lissitzky, Russian 1890-1941, “Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge”, c.1919-20; a rare propaganda lithograph and relief print in red and black on off-white laid paper, one of only a few surviving impressions, published by UNOVIS, Vitebsk, sheet: 53 x 71 cm, (framed) Note: the sheet may have been trimmed at some point as sizes of this poster can vary. The drawing itself, the basis for the poster, according to Lissitzky, was lost forever. These posters, printed in various printing houses in Russia, were sent to the Russian front as propaganda. Unfortunately, only a few prints have survived to this day. These posters were used to light stoves as there was a war going on and paper was scarce. The paper of the lithograph corresponds to the paper of that period. There is a typographic error in the text which others have and these prints are often on different sized sheets. UNOVIS was an association of artists, which included Lissitzky and Kazimir Malevich. They designed many of the posters in Vitebsk. Provenance: Acquired in Berlin, where Lissitsky's wife was based | Polish collection
Gouache on paper painting attributed to El Lissitzky, 1890 to 1941, a Russian Avant-Garde artist of Jewish descent. The artwork represents a suprematist composition in red, white, blue, and grey. Signed in pencil in the lower right. Ca. 1910s. White mat, wooden frame. Russian Abstract Art For Collectors.
Soviet Russian Avant Garde Watercolor & Ink Abstract Painting by El Lissitzky. El Lissitzky was a Russian artist, designer, photographer, typographer, polemicist and architect. He was an important figure of the Russian avant-garde, helping develop suprematism with his mentor, Kazimir Malevich, and designing numerous exhibition displays and propaganda works for the Soviet Union. His work greatly influenced the Bauhaus and constructivist movements, and he experimented with production techniques and stylistic devices that would go on to dominate 20th-century graphic design. Size: 15 1/2" x 13 1/2". ~~ . Detailed condition reports are not included in this catalog. For additional information, including condition reports, please contact us at info@sofedesignauctions.com.
EL LISSITZKY (1890 - 1941) klein zgn "Proun" - boekje met kaft met rode cirkel, fotootjes, ... en stempel en met binnenin vijf suprematische werkjes (telkens ca 22,5 x 14,5 cm) in gemengde techniek telkens met stempel en datum (1919 en 1920) op verso toegeschreven aan In 1920 kondigde Lissitzky een nieuw soort kunstwerk aan dat hij een 'Proun' noemde - een acroniem van de Russische uitdrukking die 'project voor de bevestiging van het nieuwe' betekent. Lissitzky en zijn tijdgenoten werkten slechts drie jaar na de revolutie in Rusland, toen er nog steeds een burgeroorlog woedde om de controle o||so-called "Proun" booklet with cover with red circle, photos, ... and stamp and with inside five supremacist works in mixed media, each with stamp and date (1919 and 1920) on the reverse attributed to In 1920, Lissitzky announced a new type of artwork that he called a "Proun"—an acronym of the Russian phrase meaning "project for the affirmation of the new." Lissitzky and his contemporaries were working in Russia just three years after its revolution,when a civil war still raged for control of the country.
Selbstbildnis. 3 Schwarzweiß-Fotografien auf Agfa-Fotopapier. Verso mit Nachlass-Stempel Jen Lissitzky, nicht sign. und dat. (1924/85). Plattenmaß: 17,5 x 12,3 cm; Blattmaß: 39,5 x 29,4 cm. (146) - Originalabzüge vom Glasnegativ für die Edition Griffelkunst 240 C1, C2 und C3.
Selbstbildnis. Schwarzweiß-Fotografie auf Agfa-Fotopapier. Verso mit Nachlass-Stempel Jen Lissitzky, nicht sign. und dat. (1924/85). Plattenmaß: 17,5 x 12,3 cm; Blattmaß: 39,5 x 29,4 cm. - Unter Passepartout. - Originalabzug vom Glasnegativ für die Edition Griffelkunst (240C, verso weitere Nummerierung).
Letterpress leaf, printed in black and red. The Hague, De Stijl, 1922. 22 x 14.2 cm. Fine copy, two folds as issued. Friedman, p. 159, also issued in De Stijl, year V (1922), no. 10/11.
Letterpress card printed in black, 9 x 14 cm. Card depicting a page from Lissitzky's famous children's book, Pro dva kvadrata. Suprematicheskii skaz v 6-ti postroikakh (About Two Squares: A Suprematist Tale of Two Squares in Six Constructions), 1922. Sm. defect verso, not affecting recto.
Gestaltung des Haupteingange von Prof. El. Lissitzky. Pressa Köln 1928. Picture post card showing the Soviet pavilion des. by Lissitzky at the Pressa exhibition in Cologne, 1928. 9 x 13 cm.
Selbstbildnis. 3 Schwarzweiß-Fotografien auf Agfa-Fotopapier. Verso mit Nachlass-Stempel Jen Lissitzky, nicht sign. und dat. (1924/85). Plattenmaß: 17,5 x 12,3 cm; Blattmaß: 39,5 x 29,4 cm. (146) - Originalabzüge vom Glasnegativ für die Edition Griffelkunst 240 C1, C2 und C3.
Selbstbildnis. Schwarzweiß-Fotografie auf Agfa-Fotopapier. Verso mit Nachlass-Stempel Jen Lissitzky, nicht sign. und dat. (1924/85). Plattenmaß: 17,5 x 12,3 cm; Blattmaß: 39,5 x 29,4 cm. - Unter Passepartout. - Originalabzug vom Glasnegativ für die Edition Griffelkunst (240C, verso weitere Nummerierung).
[*] Soviet Display at the International Hygiene Exhibition in Dresden. 1930. Vintage gelatin silver print on carte postale. 9 x 13,8 cm. Annotated by another hand in pencil on verso. Hinge-mounted to mat. - - Some small scratches in lower margin of print, some traces of previous mounting, otherwise in good condition. - - Sollten Sie detailliertere Zustandsberichte wünschen, kontaktieren Sie uns bitte. / Should you need more detailed condition reports, please contact us.
[*] Agitation board in front of a factory in Vitebsk. 1919. Vintage gelatin silver print. 9,4 x 10 cm. Number 256 in pencil on verso. Hinge-mounted to mat. - - El Lissitzky's photographs of agitation boards in Vitebsk capture the fervent spirit of early Soviet propaganda, employing bold graphics and slogans designed to inspire revolutionary zeal. Through dynamic compositions and striking typography, Lissitzky captures the fusion of art and politics, illuminating the power of visual communication in mobilizing the masses. These images serve as poignant documentation of a pivotal moment in history, highlighting Lissitzky's role as both artist and political advocate during the tumultuous early years of the Soviet Union. – Some light silver mirroring in dark areas of print, some traces of previous mounting on verso, otherwise a strong print in very good condition. - - Lit.: Sophie Lissitzky-Küppers. El Lissitzky, Maler, Architekt, Typograf, Fotograf: Erinnerungen, Briefe, Schriften. Dresden, 1967. ill. pl. 42, - Victor Malsy. El Lissitzky: Konstrukteur, Denker, Pfeifenraucher, Kommunist. Mainz, 1990. ill. p, 69. - - Sollten Sie detailliertere Zustandsberichte wünschen, kontaktieren Sie uns bitte. / Should you need more detailed condition reports, please contact us.
EL LISSITZKY (1890 Polschinok - 1941 Moskau) Schwarzweiß-Fotografie, "Porträt Kurt Schwitters" (1924, hier Nachdruck der Griffelkunst-Vereinigung Hamburg von 1985), verso Stempel-Signatur sowie gestempelt "Originalabzug vom Glasnegativ einmalige Auflage für die Griffelkunst 1985 Nachlaß Jen Lissitzky", Motivmaß ca. 22x20cm, ungerahmt
El Lissitzky (1890 -1941), Cubist Figures Pencil watercolor and gouache on paper Signed (lower left). 42 x 31.5 cm Provenance: The Eliezer Perel (1908-1994) collection. Mordechai Perel by descent. Purchased by Albert and Olivia Amar in 1989.
LISSITZKY EL (1890 - 1941) Jenseits der Abstraktion 1999 Illustrate catalogue published on the occasionn of the exhibition held at the MACBA, Barcellona (July 1st - September 5th, 1999) 30,5 x 25 cm Schirmer/Mosel edition Pages 239 Defects
Gouache and pencil on paper sketch by El Lissitzky, 1890 to 1941, a Russian Avant-Garde artist of Jewish descent. The drawing is an unfinished constructivist composition. Signed by the artist in the lower left. Stamped RGALI, Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, on the backside. Russian Abstract Art For Collectors.
Attributed to El Lazar Markovitch Lissitzky (Russian, Soviet, 1890 - 1941), gouache, ink, pencil on paper painting depicting a Suprematist composition. Signed lower right with initials 'EL.' Note: El Lissitzky is an iconic figure of the Russian avant garde, architect, artist, designer, the first Russian graphic designer, photomontage master, engineer.
EL LISSITZKY (1890–1941) Eiffel Tower, Paris, 1928 titled and dated (verso); credited, titled and dated on affixed Sir Elton John Photography collection label (frame backing board) image: 2 x 3 1⁄8 in. (5 x 7.9 cm.) sheet: 2 ¼ x 3 ¼ in. (5.7 x 8.2 cm.)
Lissitzky, El (Lazar Markovitch) Polschinoc, 1890 - Moskau, 1941 Mappenformat: 62 x 46 x 0,5 cm "1st Kestner Portfolio (1° Kestnermappe): Proun", 1923/1992. Folder with 7 silkscreen print after the original graphic works. From the estate of Bernd Barde (1952 - 2021), long-time managing director of Dr. Cantz'sche Druckerei.
El Lissitzky (Počinok, 1890 - Mosca, 1941) FOUR «D61» CHAIRS, PLEXIGLAS STRUCTURE, BLACK FABRIC UPHOLSTERED SEAT QUATTRO SEDIE MODELLO D61 struttura in plexiglas, seduta imbottita e rivestita in tessuto nei toni del nero Produzione Tecta, Germania, 1960 cm H71xL57xP55 Bibliografia di confronto C. & P. Fiell, 1000 chairs, Taschen, 2017, p. 132
Beat the white with the red wedge Entwurf 1919, späterer Abzug Farbplakat. Ca. 47×59 auf 53×70,5 cm. (Randläsuren, hinterlegt u. Randeinrisse, kl. Stellen teils im Bildfeld, Knicke). (60526)
(Portschinok, Russia 1890–1941 Moskow) Proun 3A, signed El Lissitzky, lithograph on thin paper, on the reverse dedicated for Dexel 1922 Hannover, 27.5 x 26.5 cm, framed Provenance: Collection Walter Dexel, Hanover Carus Gallery, New York Sale Hauswedell & Nolte, Hamburg, 6 January 1997, lot 889 Collection Hilmar Kopper, Rothenbach Sale Van Ham, Cologne, 2022, lot 11 - where acquired by the current owner Exhibition/Literature: Cologne, Galerie Gmurzynska, El Lissitzky, 30 April – 30 June 1976, Cologne, exhib. cat. no. 30 (with ill.) Halle, Staatliche Galerie Moritzburg, El Lissitzky 1890–1941, Retrospektive, 7 May – 3 July 1988, exhib. cat. no. 100, p. 152–153 with ill. (painting)
Oil on canvas 1923 Signed (lower left). 109 x 146.5 cm Provenance: The Eliezer Perel (1908-1994) collection. Mordechai Perel by descent. Purchased by Albert and Olivia Amar in 1989. Notes: Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity by Alexander Arzamastsev (2023) stating that the work will be included in the upcoming catalogue raisonne. Acompanied by full laboratory report by Laurette Thomas, Ilenia Cassan and Estelle Itie (2012) A signed copy of the original report by Laurette Thomas (2023) is available by rquest. Condition: For a detailed condition report, please contact us at info@hammersite.com
1 large plate and 6 smaller plates. Design 1920s. Ceramics. Suprematist spray decor in red and black. Large plates D. 30.5 cm, smaller plates D. 19.3 cm. All parts marked on the bottom: 2864 and additional mark (L or Cyrillic G?).
EL LISSITZKY (1890–1941) PLATE, CIRCA 1925 painted ceramic, impressed 2864, 19cm diameter Literature: El Lissitzky 1890-1941, Retrospektive, Hannover, 1988, cat. no.197 Note: El Lissitzky was a Russian-born artist, designer, typographer, photographer and architect who designed many exhibitions and propaganda for the Soviet Union in the early 20th century. His development of the ideas behind the Suprematist art movement was very influential in the development of the Bauhaus and the Constructivist art movements. His stylistic characteristics and experimentation with production techniques developed in the 1920s and 30s have influenced graphic designers ever since.
![[LISSITZKY, EL], DER BER, 1919](https://stageimg.invaluable.com/housePhotos/shapiroauctions/12/781112/H3884-L387136936.jpg)
![[LISSITZKY, EL] INDUSTRIYA SOTSIALIZMA, 1935](https://stageimg.invaluable.com/housePhotos/shapiroauctions/12/781112/H3884-L387136933.jpg)
![[ARCHITECTURE] LISSITZKY, EL (1890-1941). PAVILLON DER UNION DER SOZIALISTISCHEN SOWJET REPUBLIKEN](https://stageimg.invaluable.com/housePhotos/Zwiggelaar/87/771487/H18799-L372865772.jpg)
