Lot 181

Viktor Pivovarov (1937) BOIL POTATOES! HAVE SOME TEA!

Viktor Pivovarov, a Russian artist who has lived and worked in Prague since 1982, is a true creator of unique worlds. These worlds spring from the mysticism of the past and from realms that remain hidden from the human eye at first glance. In his works, everyday objects are transformed into characters in often grotesque plays and performances. The artist seems to peer through a keyhole—in a manner akin to voyeurism—into the intimate corners of the interiors of human lives. The drawing “Boil Some Potatoes, Have Some Tea” from 1986 is thematically close to the pictorial cycle Diary of a Teenager from 1986 and 1988.  The impersonal tone of the verbal commentary clashes here with the distinctly autobiographical plot of the drawing, and it is only in this polarity of the personal and the impersonal—but also of the seen and the read—that we find the meaning of the work. The work is signed В. Пивова́ров in the lower right corner, lot also includes a framed exhibition poster.