Description
A Ivlev (20th century)
Still life with Fruits, 1989
Oil on canvas
36 x 48 cm
Frame: 54 x 66 cm
Signed and dated lower right. Signed, inscribed and dated also on the reverse. It also bears gallery label.
Provenance:
Catto Gallery, London
A. Ivlev, a refusenik artist, a person in the former Soviet Union who was refused permission to emigrate, in particular, a Jewish person forbidden to emigrate to Israel.
The term “refusenik” refers to a person who refused to comply with official government policies or laws, often in the context of the former Soviet Union and its policies regarding Jewish emigration.
During the Cold War era, Soviet authorities restricted the emigration of Jews from the country, leading to a wave of activism among Soviet Jews who wanted to leave. Many of these activists were refused permission to emigrate and were subjected to persecution and discrimination. These activists became known as “refuseniks” because they refused to accept the Soviet authorities’ denial of their right to emigrate.