VALERY ALFEEVSKY (1906-1989) The building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

signed in Cyrillic and dated ‘V. Alfeevsky 52' (lower right); dedicated in a cartouche ’Dorogoy Elze ot V. Alfeevskogo [To beloved Elsa from V. Alfeevsky]' (verso) lavis, ink on paper 42 x 31 cm (à vue) executed in 1952 Elsa Triolet travelled to Moscow with Louis Aragon in 1952, and it was on the occasion of this trip that Valery Alfeevsky, a friend of the family, gave her this drawing. Indeed, Alfeevsky's wife, Violetta (Fialka), daughter of David Shterenberg, was a close friend of Lili Brik, Elsa Triolet's sister. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MID) building is one of Moscow's seven impressive Stalin’s skyscrapers.