Ilya Repin (1844-1930)
Lot 76 PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED EUROPEAN COLLECTION

Ilya Repin (1844-1930)

Study for A Parisian Café: Two studies for Arthur Meyer (1844-1924) and A study of a female head

Closed28 May 2012

Price Realised

GBP 23,750

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Ilya Repin (1844-1930)
Study for A Parisian Café: Two studies for Arthur Meyer (1844-1924) and A study of a female head
signed in Cyrillic, inscribed and dated 'I. Repin/1874/Paris' (lower centre)
oil on card
12 1/8 x 17 7/8 in. (32 x 45.3 cm.)
Painted in 1874

Acquired directly from the artist by the grandfather of the present owner.

Specialist note

The present work is a preparatory study for Repin's masterpiece, A Parisian Café (fig. 1), which was sold Christie's, London, 6 June 2011 for £4.5 million, establishing the top price for any Russian 19th century painting ever sold at auction.

Repin's genius lies partly in his ability to capture the personality of his sitters; here, even viewed from the back, the French press baron Arthur Meyer's head is easily identified.