Standing Nude

The family was unaware of this painting until it was presented at auction by Bonhams New Bond Street in London at the Russian Sale  8 June 2009.  It is signed in Cyrillic in the lower left as well as lower right.

It is oil on canvas and the size is 65x53.7cm (25 9/16 x21 1/8 inches and is unframed.  The estimate to sell was 15,000-20,000 pounds or $23,000-30,000. It did not sell at the Hammer price.

In Nadja Stember's memoirs (wife of the artist) she writes on page 108 of the nudes Victor painted in the forests around Dubrachok.: 'He liked to combine nudes with Nature--and some of his nudes, painted in a forest on a sunny day, are simply Chef-d'oeuvres!There is so much air, freshness, divine purity and delicate beauty of Russian birch forest!'

'Sometimes a curiosity would occur: peasants from neighboring villages would stroll in our woods in search of mushrooms and would come across a model posing for a picture...they would run away in fear...and later would tell me that in our forest the nymphs are inhabiting...that they saw them with their own eyes!  Well, how could I tell them that it was the model posing for my husband!? Of course I agreed there are nymphs in our woods!