Landscape with Leda and the swan

Details

Vladimir Ovchinnikov (1941-2015)
Landscape with Leda and the swan
signed in Cyrillic and dated 'V. Ovchinnikov 78.' (lower right); further signed in Cyrillic, inscribed with title in Russian and dated 'V. Ovchinnikov/1978.' (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
43 ½ x 35 5/8 in. (110.5 x 90.4 cm.)

Provenance

Acquired from the artist by the previous owners in Leningrad.
Property from a private collection, Virginia; Sotheby's, New York, 5 October 2018, lot 100.
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner.

Special notice

These lots have been imported from outside the EU or, if the UK has withdrawn from the EU without an agreed transition deal, from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice. Cancellation under the EU Consumer Rights Directive may apply to this lot. Please see here for further information.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Sarah Mansfield

smansfield@christies.com +44 20 7389 2927

Lot Essay

Landscape with Leda and the swan relates to a subject that Vladimir Ovchinnikov constantly explored in his oeuvre from the mid-1970s onwards. It is probable that the present lot was mentioned in his diary entry from 15-17 October 1978: 'Right now I am finishing a new version of Leda, I’ll take it to Moscow within the next few days'. This would provide an explanation for the canvas's fate, given it was formerly located in a private collection in the USA. The main buyers of nonconformist art during that period in Moscow were employees at foreign embassies.
We would like to thank Mikhail Ovchinnikov for providing this catalogue note.

More from Russian Art

View All