Boris Dmitrievich Grigoriev

David and Marussia Burliuk (acquired as a gift from the artist)

Thence by descent to the present owners

Paris, Galerie Charpentier, Oeuvres de Boris Grigorieff, 14 - 31 October 1925, no. 27 or 29

Milan, Galleria Pesaro, Boris Grigorieff, 1926, no. 27 or 29

Possibly Prague, Mánes Association of Fine Artists, Boris D. Grigorjev, 29 April - 20 June 1926, no. 29

Between 1921 and 1926, Boris Grigoriev spent every summer in Brittany. Here, he would find respite from the hustle and bustle of Paris, and new subjects for his work. The artist was fascinated by Brittany’s ancient culture, its customs and traditions, the picturesque towns and unspoilt landscapes, and the strong regional identity of its inhabitants. The portraits and landscapes Grigoriev painted during his stays in Brittany are among the best of his émigré period.

The present work dates to the summer of 1925, which Grigoriev spent on Bréhat, an island just off the coast of northern Brittany. At the centre of the composition is a wide path or dirt track leading through a field of Brussels sprout towards a village in the distance. Grigoriev’s work often shows a tendency towards the grotesque, and he clearly took delight in painting this unusual and odd looking cabbage species.

Upon his return to Paris, Grigoriev exhibited around twenty Brittany landscapes at his solo exhibition in October 1925 at Galerie Charpentier. This was followed by a solo exhibition at Galleria Pesaro in Milan, and third solo exhibition in Prague, which opened in April 1926. The Presario label on the reverse confirms that the present work was shown in Milan, whereas the remnants of the label and possibly the number 27 on the stretcher, or the inscription and number 29 on the reverse of the canvas, relate to the Paris exhibition. Number 29 could also refer to the Prague exhibition. Under this number, and among works from the Breton cycle, the exhibition catalogue lists a painting titled Kapusta (Cabbage).