GRIGORIEV BORIS (1886–1939) Raseya. Berlin; Potsdam: S. Efron Publishing; Müller & Co., 1922. – [142]

pp.: ill.; 26×20.6 cm. in RussianIncludes essays by Count Alexei N. Tolstoy, Anatoly Shaikevich, Alexander Benois, and Boris Grigoriev. In the publisher’s fully cloth-bound illustrated cover (calico). In good condition. Minor rubbing and soiling to the binding, a tear along the cloth spine, occasional stains, and foxing. Presumably autographed by the artist in French on the endpaper. Features a bookplate of I. Dychenko. Ownership’s pencil inscriptions: on the frontispiece, “Portrait of N. Klyuev”; on the rear endpaper, “Portrait of poet Klyuev / attributed by N. P. Khardzhiev, 1984.” Boris Dmitrievich Grigoriev (1886–1939) was an outstanding Russian artist, a striking representative of the avant-garde, and one of the most enigmatic and sought-after portraitists. A recognized master of graphic arts and book illustration, he achieved early acclaim but was forced to emigrate from Petrograd during the Civil War. Living abroad, Grigoriev retained his distinctive style, staying true to his Russian roots and love for his homeland. Raseya is one of Grigoriev’s most ambitious works, his major graphic cycle, capturing the grotesque characters and archetypes of contemporary Russia. The first edition was published in 1918, while the second appeared in exile. This edition was released in two versions—Russian and German—with identical design but differing textual content. Igor Sergeyevich Dychenko (1946–2015) was a Soviet and Ukrainian collector, art historian, and artist. A key figure in the Ukrainian avant-garde movement, he was involved in numerous exhibitions and artistic initiatives from the 1970s onward. In 1992, he founded the International Charitable Foundation. His collection of avant-garde art comprised 504 works, including Suprematist Composition 1 (1916) by Kazimir Malevich. In 2015, Dychenko’s widow, Valeria Virskaya, donated the entire collection to the Ukrainian state.