Lot 257: Eduard Gorokhovsky , Russian 1929-2004 Oval Composition, 1990 mixed media on paper

signed in Cyrillic and dated 90 (lower right); signed and titled in Cyrillic and dated 90 (on the reverse) mixed media on paper

measurements 37 1/2 by 27 in. alternate measurements 95.5 by 68. 5 cm

Alexander Borovsky, Eduard Gorokhovsky The Limits of the Rectangle: My Unlimited Space, Moscow, Palace Editions, 2004
Yevgeny Barabanov, "Eduard Gorokhovsky, A Country with No Name" in Alla Rosenfeld, editor, Zimmerli Journal, Fall 2006, no. 4, Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University, pp. 6-31

PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION
Eduard Gorokhovsky was one of the first Soviet nonconformist artists to use photographs as the main source for his prints and paintings. His works usually consist of two elements: photographic imagery, which acts as the basis of the work, and a second element that intrudes upon the photographic space--a geometric figure, silhouette, text, or another photograph. From these components, Gorokhovsky creates individual and serial images, often intentionally unresolved.

Gorokhovsky's artistic concepts are informed by the traditional Russian family portrait. He has used this genre to represent complex themes such as the destruction of the family unit brought on by the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, as well as the forced relocations resulting from the Stalinist policy of collectivization.

Although initially trained as an architect, Gorokhovsky, like many of his fellow nonconformist artists, supported himself by illustrating children's books, doing so from 1955 to 1967. During this time he began experimenting with the color-etching process, a technique that would inform his later work. In 1968, after his first solo exhibition, held in Novosibirsk, Gorokhovsky was officially accepted as a member of the Artists' Union of the USSR. He left Novosibirsk in 1973, moving to Moscow.

In 1973-74, Gorokhovsky started incorporating photography into his paintings and silkscreens. His interest in political subject matter became especially keen in the 1980s, and he began producing works on historical and political themes, including images of Stalin appearing alongside those of his anonymous victims.