NIKOLAI PONOMAREV (1918–1997) Illustration of a winter street scene: ‘Nearly Drowned’

signed in Cyrillic ‘N. Ponomarev’ (lower right), inscribed in Cyrillic ‘Tonul da vyplyl’ [Nearly Drowned but Survived] (along the lower edge) pencil, watercolour and whitewash on paper — cm. A Russian graphic artist who graduated from the Surikov Moscow Art Institute in 1946, where he later taught for many years. He was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1951 and was elected a full member of the Academy of Arts in 1973. He was named People’s Artist of the USSR in 1977, served as Chairman of the Union of Artists of the USSR (1973–1988), and later as President of the Academy of Arts (1991–1997). His works are held in the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum and major museum collections across Russia.