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PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, USA

RUSSIAN, 1880-1972
ON THE SLOPE OF THE MOUNTAIN, 1922

measurements
9 by 11 1/2 in.

alternate measurements
22.9 by 29.2 cm

signed in Armenian and dated 1922 (lower left)

oil on canvas

EXHIBITED

Yerevan, Martiros Saryan Museum, On the Ocassion of the 60th Anniversary of the October Revolution, Rebirth of Armenia, 1977

LITERATURE

Shahen Khachaturian, Martiros Sarian: 1880-1972, Canada, 2001, p. 139, illustrated (titled On the Slope of the Mountain, 1922)

NOTE

The present lot holds an extremely important place in Saryan's oeuvre. Firstly, it represents a significant shift in his art; it was at this time in the early twenties that the artist moved away from tempera as medium towards oil painting. Secondly, stylistically, the work was a benchmark for the series that followed in 1923/1924 which was enthusiastically received at the XIV Venice Biennial in 1924. It is no accident that the Soviet selection committee chose this series by Saryan to represent their country in an international exposition in which the Soviet Union was officially represented for the first time.

In addition, In 1926 Saryan traveled to Paris for his one-man exhibition organized by Galerie Girard. Unfortunately, on his return trip via ship, a fire destroyed a significant number of Saryan's pre-1927 compositions, making the present lot especially rare, as it is one of the few paintings that dates to this seminal period.

We would like to thank Shahen Khachaturian, former director of the Saryan Museum, 1967-2004, for providing additional catalogue information.