• [Rudolf Nureyev] Edith Simon Rudolph Nureyev Chair, 1973
  • [Rudolf Nureyev] Edith Simon Rudolph Nureyev Chair, 1973
  • [Rudolf Nureyev] Edith Simon Rudolph Nureyev Chair, 1973
  • [Rudolf Nureyev] Edith Simon Rudolph Nureyev Chair, 1973
  • [Rudolf Nureyev] Edith Simon Rudolph Nureyev Chair, 1973

[Rudolf Nureyev] Edith Simon Rudolph Nureyev Chair, 1973

 

Rudolph Nureyev chair, signed and dated 'Edith Simon / 1973' (on the reverse of the chair at lower right) oil and graphite on canvas upholstered to a wooden chair frame. 34 1/4 in. (87 cm.) high x 31 1/2 in. (80 cm.) wide x 31 in. (78.7 cm.) deep. Painted in 1973. Provenance: Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev (1938-1993), Woodburn Estate, Leesburg, Virginia; Estate of the above, 1993; The Rudolph Nureyev Foundation, by bequest from the above, circa 1993; Acquired by the present owner from the above, 1996.


We wish to thank The Edith Simon Studio, home to the Edith Simon Archive and publisher of the monograph Edith Simon: Moderation Be Damned! for their kind assistance in cataloging this lot.

The present work painted by Edith Simon in 1973 depicts the celebrated Soviet-born ballet dancer and choreographer, Rudolph Khametovich Nureyev (1938-1993) nude and seated on a chair. It was once in Nureyev's private collection and was housed at the historic Woodburn Estate in Leesburg, Virginia which Nureyev purchased in 1981and for which he commissioned extensive renovations of the house and the surrounding property that included furnishings that were both personal and representative of his distinct style.