VLADIMIR BEKHTEEV (VLADIMIR VON BECHTEJEFF) (1878-1971) Double-sided drawing: Illustration for Consuelo by George Sand

Inscribed in Cyrillic and dated 'BEKHTEEV Consuelo 30' (lower left), ownership stamp of Igor Dichenko collection (on the reverse of passepartout) ink and watercolour on paper 18.6 x 13.5 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 In 1922, Bekhteev worked extensively as a book and magazine illustrator. He collaborated with various publishers, including Krug, Mospoligraf, Molodaya Gvardiya, Academia, Gosizdat, Detgiz. Notable works include illustration cycles for the Japanese tale 'The Invincible Hero' (1923) and books by V. Yan, including 'The Phoenician Ship' and 'Lights on the Barrows' (1928–1930). He also illustrated titles by E. Main, T. Gautier 'Mademoiselle de Maupin', Ch. Nodier 'Jean Sbogar', Longus 'Daphnis and Chloe', and G. Sand 'Consuelo', as well as Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" (1934–1935), among others. His illustrations accompanied works by renowned authors such as Lermontov, Tolstoy, and Pushkin.