Konstantin Gorbatov (1876-1945)
Konstantin Gorbatov (1876-1945)
Konstantin Gorbatov (1876-1945)
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These lots have been imported from outside the EU … Read more PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, GERMANY
KONSTANTIN GORBATOV (1876-1945)

Golden autumn

Details
KONSTANTIN GORBATOV (1876-1945)
Golden autumn
signed in Cyrillic and dated 'K. Gorbatov. 1924' (lower right)
oil on canvas
28 ¾ x 36 5/8 in. (73 x 93 cm.)
Provenance
By repute, acquired by Hans Müller in Berlin, circa 1930.
By descent to Annigretl Müller (1924-1993).
Gifted by the above to the mother of the present owners in 1992.
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These lots have been imported from outside the EU or, if the UK has withdrawn from the EU without an agreed transition deal, from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime.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.

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Margo Oganesian
Margo Oganesian Head of Department, Fabergé and Russian Works of Art

Lot Essay


Painted in 1924, two years after Gorbatov emigrated, Golden autumn is an evocative depiction of rural Russia, with its overwhelming natural beauty and tranquillity. At the height of his success abroad and participating regularly in international art exhibitions, including those at the Hague in 1924 and in Pittsburgh in 1925, Gorbatov achieved both popularity and acclaim for his almost architectural landscapes that were masterfully constructed with key elements, most recognisably the spindly, curved trunks of native birches, topped with fiery heads of gold.
An impressive, large-scale work, Golden autumn exemplifies Gorbatov’s Russian landscapes, which according to Igor Grabar (1871-1960) were the artist’s preferred subjects: ‘[…]more than anything he liked the backyards of the provincial northern cities towards the end of winter, when the snow turned grey and sludgy, when the first puddles start to appear and the birches come back to life.’
Gorbatov settled permanently in Berlin in 1926 and it is likely that Golden autumn was acquired by the original owner, Hans Müller circa 1930. Since then, it has remained in a private collection and appears at auction for the first time. For further information on Konstantin Gorbatov, see lots 11 and 61.

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