Boris Ignatovich (1899-1976)
Youth, 1937
Vintage gelatin silver print mounted on board
Title and date in pencil in Russian on verso
Photographer's stamp in ink on verso
16 1/2 x 21 15/16 in. (41.9 x 55.7 cm)
Among Ignatovich's most beloved works of art, this photograph is a timeless celebration of the joy and energy of youth. The artist positioned his subjects in a triangle composition that successfully corresponds to the rounded shape of the camera lens, and the interaction of light and shadow gives the photograph a warm vitality. He gave the image a warm vitality by masterfully balancing depth and tone, light and shadow — a technical control of light that he developed in the 1920s. This photograph has become an icon of Soviet photography, and this large-size print was made for an exhibition and is very rare.
Sergey Shimansky (1898-1972)
Moldova Harvest, 1930s
Vintage gelatin silver print on heavyweight paper
Image: 15 5/8 x 23 1/8 in. (39.5 x 58.5 cm)
Paper: 15 7/8 x 23 1/8 in. (39.7 x 58.5 cm)
Moldova Harvest is a rare exhibition-size vintage gelatin silver print from the 1930s and is a masterpiece of socialist realist photography. A young girl with a jug occupies the entire frame in the impressive composition, emanating optimism and representing the idyllic life of a farmer.
Alexey Titarenko (b. 1962)
Worker, 1988
Nomenklatura of Signs series
Vintage gelatin silver photomontage, mounted
Artist’s name, title, date and signature on verso
8 x 9 1/4 inches
The series Nomenklatura of Signs is a biting critique of the Soviet visual propaganda such as posters, signs, slogans. Constructed with great mastery, Titarenko’s photomontages mock the dehumanizing propaganda by depicting the Soviet subjects as assemblages of prosaic signs and symbols.
Nomenklatura of Signs was first exhibited in 1989 in Paris. In the early 1990, it was published by Aperture in the catalogue for their exhibition Photostroyka: New Soviet Photography, which toured the United States for three years. Today, prints from the series can be found in the collections of the Centre Pompidou, Paris; the European House of Photography, Paris; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University; the State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg; and the Centre National de l’Audovisuel, Luxembourg, among other museums. In 2020, the entire series was published by Damiani in the book Nomenklatura of Signs.
Alexey Titarenko (b. 1962)
Female Worker, 1988
Nomenklatura of Signs series
Vintage gelatin silver photomontage
Signed and dated on verso
14 x 13 1/2 inches
Alexey Titarenko (b. 1962)
Biblio, Leningrad, 1988
Nomenklatura of Signs series
Toned gelatin silver photomontage
Signed and dated on verso
8 x 8 inches
Alexey Titarenko (b. 1962)
White Dresses, St. Petersburg, 1995
Unique toned gelatin silver print, handmade in the darkroom by the artist
Signed, titled, dated, and editioned by the artist on verso
Image size: 17 1/2 x 17 1/2 inches
Paper size: 22 1/4 x 19 1/2 inches
ICP Exhibition "We Are Here: Scenes from the Street" 2024-2025
Alexey Titarenko (b. 1962)
Evening Smog (Asking for a Cigarette), St. Petersburg, 1995
Unique toned gelatin silver print, handmade in the darkroom by the artist
Signed, titled, dated, and editioned by the artist on verso
Image size: 16 x 16 inches
Paper size: 21 1/4 x 18 3/4 inches
Alexey Titarenko (b. 1962)
Vasileostrovskaya Metro Station (Variant 2 Crowd 2), St. Petersburg, 1992
Unique toned gelatin silver print, handmade in the darkroom by the artist
Signed, titled, dated, and editioned by the artist on verso
12 x 12 inches, edition 7 of 10
During the collapse of the USSR, Titarenko searched for a visual language to express the new reality. His experiments with long exposure and innovative printmaking techniques in the context of street photography led to the series City of Shadows (1991-1994). This series brought him international acclaim and was shown around the world, including at the Réattu Museum during the Arles International Photography Festival (2002).
The Crowd images captured at the Vasileostrovskaya Metro Station (1991-1992) have become iconic. These images are charged with both angst and deep empathy. By transcending time, they have become symblic of human suffering in different places and periods throughoutt history. Titarenko creates each print by hand in his darkroom, producing a rich, subtle range of tones that renders each piece unique.
Alexey Titarenko (b. 1962)
West Village, New York, 2026
Gold-toned gelatin silver print
Signed, titled, dated on verso
12 x 12 inches, edition of 10
16 x 16 inches, edition of 10
In his winter photographs of New York, Titarenko creates a poetic, Whistler-like palette; the prints glow with soft twilight and imbue magic to golden sunset.
Alexey Titarenko (b. 1962)
Tree at 7 Ave, West Village, New York, 2022
Unique toned gelatin silver print, handmade in the darkroom by the artist
Signed, titled, dated, and editioned by the artist on verso
12 x 12 in. (17.8 x 17.8 cm)
Alexey Titatrenko (b. 1962)
Midtown Sunrise, New York, 2018
Unique toned gelatin silver print, handmade in the darkroom by the artist
Signed, titled, dated, and editioned by the artist on verso
16 x 16 in. (40.6 x 40.6 cm), edition 5 of 5
In Midtown Sunrise, an everyday scene — a tree on a busy city block — becomes a moment of awe and grace. Titarenko frames a solitary tree in the center of a whirlwind of passers-by and vehicles, and crowns its branches with a halo of gold. As Sean Corcoran, curator of photography at the Museum of the City of New York, wrote in his essay for Titarenko’s 2015 monograph The City is a Novel, “For Titarenko, each city and its people dictate the images he creates. His images reflect his attempt to reach a deeper understanding of place through the effects of history. It should not be surprising, then, that Titarenko’s vision of New York resonates with the work of Alvin Langdon Coburn and Alfred Stieglitz—men who strived to embody the dynamism of the city and its people in photographs at the turn of the twentieth century. As Titarenko’s relationship with New York grows and changes, so too will the photographs he creates. It is the nature of his working method.”
Alexey Titarenko (b. 1962)
Central Park in Winter (Trees and Skyline), New York, 2025
Gold toned gelatin silver print
Signed and dated on verso
12 x 12 inches, edition of 10
Titarenko creates a delicate range of gray, blue, pink, and gold tones in the sky and snow. The majestic trees frame the composition, and the passerby with the red umbrella draws our attention. The sunset is illuminated on the horizon, the mist creates a sublime atmosphere. In this landscape of the Reservoir in Central Park, we feel an intimate connection between the place and the inner self of the artist.
