Lot 3164: PETROV-VODKIN, KUZMA SERGEEVICH. 1878-1939.

Aoiya Prikliucheniya Andriushi i Kati v vozdukh na zeml i pod zemlei. [AOIIA: The Adventures of Andriusha and Katya in the Sky, on Earth and Underground.] St. Petersburg: "Gryadyschii Den," 1914.
8vo. 116 pp. Original decorated wrappers. Wrappers soiled, spine replaced, pages buckled.

FIRST AND ONLY EDITION of this rare children's book written and illustrated by the famous Russian avant-garde painter. Petrov-Vodkin was a well-respected and controversial artist who introduced erotic elements to the traditions of icon painting. This story for children, published just as World War II broke out, describes the wild adventures of two friends, Andriusha and Katya, who fly away in a hot air balloon to a strange island called "Aoiya," all illustrated in Petrov-Vodkin's inimitable style. Not in MoMA.