20th century: Avant-Garde

Avant-garde theatre in pre-revolutionary Russia

[EVREINOV, Nikolai] – KAMENSKII, Vasilii Vasilievich

Kniga o Evreinove [A Book About Evreinov]

£250

[EVREINOV, Nikolai] - KAMENSKII, Vasilii Vasilievich, Kniga o Evreinove

Avant-garde theatre - including Wilde and Beardsley - through the eyes of an avant-garde poet, artist and aviator. Published the year of the Revolution, by an important theatre woman.

Image for CHEKHONIN - EFROS & PUNIN. First edition in English. 1923. #2

Propaganda's beauty

[CHEKHONIN] – EPHROS, Abram and Nikolai PUNIN

S. Chekhonin. A Master of the Soviet Empire Style [and] On the Art of Chekhonin

£1,450

[CHEKHONIN] - EPHROS, Abram and Nikolai PUNIN, S. Chekhonin. A Master of the Soviet Empire Style [and] On the Art of Chekhonin

Avant-garde and propaganda's early days: the English version of this celebration of one of most striking Russian artists and designers.

With two suites

POUCHKINE, Alexandre and Vasily CHOUKHAEFF (artist) [PUSHKIN and SHUKHAEV]

Boris Godounov

£5,250

POUCHKINE, Alexandre and Vasily CHOUKHAEFF (artist) [PUSHKIN and SHUKHAEV], Boris Godounov

One of the great artists' books of the Russian Paris school - here in the deluxe version on Japon Impérial: one of 18 copies only.

Image for TCHAIKOV, J. Dos Kelbl. First illustrated edition, unopened, Kiyv, 1919. #1

Unopened Yiddish Avant-Garde

TCHAIKOV, Joseph (artist) and Mendele MOCHER-SFORIM

Dos Kelbl [The Calf]

£3,950

TCHAIKOV, Joseph (artist) and Mendele MOCHER-SFORIM, Dos Kelbl

A fine illustrated production of the Kultur Lige, published in Kiyv in 1919. A scarce Yiddish children book, especially unopened without significant restoration.

Image for ILIAZD. Lidantiu faram. 1923. First edition, inscribed. #1

Finely inscribed by Iliazd

ILIAZD [also ILYAZD, pseud. for Ilia ZDANEVICH]

Lidantiu faram [Le Dentu the Beacon]

£22,500

ILIAZD [also ILYAZD, pseud. for Ilia ZDANEVICH], Lidantiu faram

Excellent example of this famous, innovative avant-garde work, in brilliant condition and inscribed by Iliazd to André Salmon.

One of the famous covers of the Avant-Garde

ALTMAN, Natan

Lenin. Risunki Natana Altmana [Lenin. Sketches by Natan Altman]

£1,250

ALTMAN, Natan, Lenin. Risunki Natana Altmana

A pleasant example of this work, with its famous avant-garde cover design by Altman.

Image for GRIGORIEV, B. Faces of Russia. Berlin, 1924. #1

In fine condition

GRIGORIEV, Boris Dmitrievich

Faces of Russia

£1,850

GRIGORIEV, Boris Dmitrievich, Faces of Russia

A lovely, clean copy of this great book of artistic portraits of Russians. First English edition, copy num. 7.

Image for LEBEDEFF, J. Ymaigier, un des 10 sur Japon. Paris, 1939. #2

Tirage de tête - with a supplementary print, inscribed

[LEBEDEFF, Jean] – Jean-Paul DUBRAY

L'Ymaigier Jean Lebedeff

£1,750

[LEBEDEFF, Jean] - Jean-Paul DUBRAY, L'Ymaigier Jean Lebedeff

A great example of this lovely production: one of 10 copies on 'papier japon', with a supplementary print, loose and inscribed by Lebedeff.

Image for Mayakovsky discovers the USA: first edition, with Rochenko's original wrappers. #1

A Russian poet in the US

MAYAKOVSKY, Vladimir and Aleksandr RODCHENKO (illustrator)

Moe otkrytie Ameriki [My Discovery of America]

£1,000

MAYAKOVSKY, Vladimir and Aleksandr RODCHENKO (illustrator), Moe otkrytie Ameriki

Mayakovsky travelling to and photographed in the USA: first edition, in fine condition, with Rochenko's original wrappers.

Image for MAYAKOVSKY, V. Oblako v shtanakh. Moscow, 1918. #1

Out of stock

SOLD

"Without censorship"

MAYAKOVSKY, Vladimir

Oblako v shtanakh. Tetraptikh [A Cloud in Trousers. A Tetraptich.]

MAYAKOVSKY, Vladimir, Oblako v shtanakh. Tetraptikh

One of the great poems of Mayakovsky, here in its full version without cut-outs. A fine copy, in the original wrappers.

Image for GLADKY, S. & A. SALMON. Synthese du costume theatral. First edition, Paris, 1927. #2

Out of stock

SOLD

Cubist theatrical impressions

GLADKY, Serge (artist, also Serhii HLADKY) and André SALMON

Synthèse du costume théâtral

GLADKY, Serge (artist, also Serhii HLADKY) and André SALMON, Synthèse du costume théâtral

One of only 170 copies of this beautiful album of fresh and striking plates. In a fine modern binding.

Image for ALTMANN, Nathan. Portrait of Anna Akhmatova, Postcard. Petrograd, 1916. #2

Out of stock

SOLD

Art and Poetry in a postcard

[AKHMATOVA] – ALTMANN, Nathan

Portrait of Anna Akhmatova

[AKHMATOVA] - ALTMANN, Nathan, Portrait of Anna Akhmatova

The poetess' beautiful portrait by a prominent member of the Russian and Jewish avant-garde; one of his most famous works, published just two years after its creation.

Image for Rozanova, Shkolnik, Burliuk and others, Soiuz Molodezhi Issue 3, 1913 #1

Out of stock

SOLD

At the height of the Avant-Garde

ROZANOVA, Olga and Iosif SHKOLNIK (artists), David BURLIUK, Velimir KHLEBNIKOV and others

Soiuz molodezhi. 3 [Union of the Youth. Issue 3].

ROZANOVA, Olga and Iosif SHKOLNIK (artists), David BURLIUK, Velimir KHLEBNIKOV and others, Soiuz molodezhi. 3

With 11 plates by Rozanova and Shkolnik: A pleasant example of the main issue of this great 'magazine', a famous publication of the first Russian avant-garde association.

Image for El Lissitzky, Der Ber children's book, Kiev, 1919 #1

Out of stock

SOLD

One of his famous children books

LISSITZKY, El [Eliezer Lazar Markovich] (artist) and Peter Ben Zion RASKIN

Der Ber [The Bear]

LISSITZKY, El [Eliezer Lazar Markovich] (artist) and Peter Ben Zion RASKIN, Der Ber

A scarce Yiddish children's book by a major figure of the Russian and Jewish avant-garde: an early Kiev production of the important Kultur Lige, illustrated on every page by Lissitzky.

Image for Vatagin, Alphabet in pictures, rare first edition, 1926 #1

Out of stock

SOLD

Very rare ABC by an artist of the Moscow Darwin Museum

VATAGIN, Vasilii Alekseevich

Azbuka v kartinkakh [ABC in Pictures]

VATAGIN, Vasilii Alekseevich, Azbuka v kartinkakh

Charming early Soviet ABC by a noted artist of natural history, in excellent condition and very rare: we could trace only one copy at auction (in Russia) and one in a public library (in Russia too).

Image for Esenin, Pasternak, Belii et al., Yav', Stikhi, first edition inscribed, 1919. #1

Out of stock

SOLD

Fantastic association copy in striking binding

ESENIN, Sergei, with Boris PASTERNAK, Andrei BELII et al

Iav. Stikhi [Reality. Poems]

ESENIN, Sergei, with Boris PASTERNAK, Andrei BELII et al, Iav. Stikhi

Exceptional association copy of these scandalous Russian imaginist poems, extensively inscribed by three co-authors – including Esenin - to a fourth one, Alexander Olenin. With Aristarkh Lentulov's striking cover bound in a very unusual cloth-and-wicker binding of the time. One of the best, if not the best example of this famous book of Russian poetry.

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