Bolotowsky, Ilya: 1907-1981 (Russia)

The Artist:

Ilya Bolotowsky was born in Petrograd, Russia in 1907. He died in the USA in 1981. Bolotowsky emigrated to the United States in 1923 and became an American citizen in 1929. He studied at National Academy for Design in New York 1924-30, and won drawing prizes, painting prizes, Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Scholarship, and the Yaddo Foundation Fellowship. Bolotowsky was influenced by Mondrians in the Gallatin Collection, and Miros at Pierre Matisse Gallery, which led to his first abstract work in 1933. Bolotowsky was a member of The Ten with Rothko, Gottlieb, and others in the mid-1930's. He was an active member of the WPA Federal Arts Project and was co-founder and charter member of the American Abstract Artists.

Bolotowsky taught at Brooklyn College, Hunter College, University of Wisconsin, University of New Mexico, and Columbia University. He won the Abstract Painting Prize from the National Institute of Arts and Letters, and grants from the Museum of Non-objective Painting in New York. He is well known for his public murals including the ones at: the Hall of Medical Science at the 1936 World's Fair; Chronic Diseases Hospital in New York; two for the Phillips Steel Company in Pittsburgh; Cinema I and the Passenger Ship Terminal in New York. Bolotowsky's work is collected by major world corporations including: New York's Chase Manhattan Bank and Ciba-Geigy. The list of galleries and museums which have exhibited his work is extensive. Bolotowsky is collected in major museums including: New York's Whitney Museum of American Art; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Guggenheim Museum, New York; Washington's Joseph H. Hirshorn Collection, and the National Collection of Fine Arts at the Smithsonian Institution.

The Art:

The two serigraphs presented below are classic examples of Bolotowsky's abstract art. The works are handsome and pure. Horizontal-vertical format and the use of primary colors plus black, white and grey with the addition of diagonal lines or other hues for dramatic effect, which characterize his work, are represented in these pieces. The works completely abstract, and consisting of square and rectangular forms to elaborate tensions are balanced by a limited color palette and Bolotowsky'a unique concept of composition. Of the essence of his pure abstraction Bolotowsky said, "In my art I avoid all associations. I try for perfect harmony, using neutral elements. I want things absolutely pure and simple...".

Bolotowsky148 Ilya Bolotowsky, Black Diamond. 107/125. Serigraph. The paper size is 30" x 30". The serigraph was acquired in 1978. The work is signed and numbered in pencil. This work is a perfect example of Bolotowsky's use of black and grey with red and blue dilutes. The art, margins and image, is in pristine condition. Close-Up Note: The addition number and signature are written along the vertical and horizontal corner of the piece, suggesting options of display, i.e., a diamond with the corner as the base, or traditionally as presented here. $575.

Bolotowsky149 Ilya Bolotowsky. Blue Tondo. 110/175. Serigraph. The paper size is 30" x 30". The serigraph was acquired in 1978. The work is signed and numbered in pencil. It is a clean, crisp, and exquisite example of Bolotowsky's work. The art, margins and image, is in pristine condition. Close-Up $750.