Lydia Masterkova (Moscow 1927 - Saint Laurent 2008) Untitled Signed and dated 67. lower right Oil, lace and wool on canvas, 133.3 x 84.7 cm Provenance: Private collection, The Hague, acquired in Moscow in the early 1970s Note: In artist’s frame. Lidiya Masterkova was unquestionably one of the leading female artists of the Soviet Non-Conformist movement. This group of artists refused to conform to the Cold War government’s restrictions, which outlawed all art movements other than socialist realism. Together with other nonconformist artists, Masterkova belonged to the Lianozovo Group that worked in an abstract style and shared their search for a new sociocultural identity. Masterkova’s work owes much to the geometric shapes of Malevich's Suprematism and truly embodies the link between avant-garde art of the 1910s and the later Russian Abstract Expressionism. From the mid-1960s, Masterkova’s work has been characterized by abstract compositions created with a palette knife in which dark, craggy forms are contrasted by a light background. She began incorporating lace and brocade into her compositions, which she collected from abandoned churches. She felt these items were filled with mysticism. Please note: condition reports and additional photos are available upon request. For more information please visit our website: www.aagauctioneers.com.