VLADIMIR BEKHTEEV (VLADIMIR VON BECHTEJEFF) (1878-1971) Riders

Double-sided drawing: sketches for illustrations Inscribed ‘Bekhteev/14 x 16’; ownership stamp of Igor Dichenko collection (on the reverse of passepartout) ink and pencil on paper 14 x 16 cm PROVENANCE: Collection of Igor Dichenko (Ihor Dychenko) (1946-2015), Soviet and Ukrainian collector, art historian, and painter; one of the ideologists of the Ukrainian avant-garde, Kyiv. Private collection, Europe Vladimir Bekhteev was a Russian painter and graphic artist associated with Symbolism and the avant-garde. Born in Nizhny Novgorod, he studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St Petersburg and later in Munich, where he came into contact with European modernist movements. He lived and worked in Germany and France before returning to Russia in 1910. Known for his expressive drawings, stylised figures and dynamic compositions, Bekhteev developed a distinctive graphic language influenced by Symbolism, Art Nouveau and modern European art.