KONSTANTIN FINOGENOV (1902-1998) Nikita Izotov’s team of miners

signed in Cyrillic and dated ‘K. Finogenov / 1939’ (on the reverse) oil on canvas 99.5 x 130 cm painted in 1939 Provenance: Estate of the artist. Private collection Certificate of authenticity by Vasily Rakitin, art historian, specialized in Russian Avant-garde, 1st of August 1991 Certificate of authenticity by Mlada Finogenova, the artist’s daughter, 10 February 1993 Literature: ‘Konstantin Ivanovich Finogenov’, N. N. Goncharova (ed.), Moscow 1953, full page color illustration Konstantin Finogenov was a Russian Soviet artist known for his work in painting and graphic arts. Over his long career, he contributed to Soviet visual culture through portraits, landscapes, and illustrations, blending traditional techniques with Soviet-era thematic influences. Nikita (Nikifor) Alekseyevich Izotov (1902–1951) was a Soviet coal miner and a prominent figure of the Stakhanovite movement. Born in the Orel region and active in the Donbas, he became known for his exceptionally high coal extraction output, serving as a model worker promoted by the Soviet regime in the 1930s.