38 - FEODOR ZAKHAROV (RUSSIAN-AMERICAN 1882-1968)

FEODOR ZAKHAROV (RUSSIAN-AMERICAN 1882-1968) Madame X, circa 1935 oil on panel 28 x 28 cm (11 x 11 in.) framed dimensions: 58 x 58 cm (22 7/8 x 22 7/8 in) PROVENANCE The artist, 210 West 59th Street, New York Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Babcock, North Carolina Thence by descent EXHIBITED Washington, D.C., The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Fourteenth Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Oil Paintings, March 24–May 5, 1935. The exhibition label is on the reverse, inscribed by the artist with his name, address and the title “M-me X.” LOT NOTES Feodor Zakharov was born in Astrakhan and trained at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. He came to New York in 1924 for the Russian Art Exhibition at Grand Central Palace and stayed, later becoming an American citizen. In the 1920s and 1930s he was a sought-after society portraitist whose sitters included Mrs. Woodrow Wilson and Mrs. Calvin Coolidge. He kept to his academic training throughout his career, with little interest in the modernist movements around him. Madame X shows that discipline: the sitter is set frontally against a dark ground, with porcelain modeling, enormous pale eyes and a deliberately anonymous title. The Corcoran’s biennials were among the most important showcases for contemporary American painting, and their selection of this canvas in 1935 marks it as one he considered a major statement. The North Carolina Museum of Art held a retrospective of his work in 1965. Keywords: Feodor Zakharov, Russian American Portrait, Corcoran Biennial 1935, Academic Realist Portrait, Russian Emigre Artist, Mysterious Woman Portrait N.B. Condition reports are available upon request. All lots are sold in as-is condition at the time of sale. Please note that any condition statement regarding works of art is given as a courtesy to our clients in order to assist them in assessing the condition. The report is a genuine opinion held by Shapiro Auctions & Appraisals LLC and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report or a photograph does not preclude the absence of defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Shapiro Auctions & Appraisals, LLC., including its consultants and agents, shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.