Impressionist and Modern Art

Provenance:

Dalzell Hatfield Galleries, Los Angeles, California.

George Stern Fine Arts, West Hollywood, California.

Lot Note:

Born in Russia, later active in Paris, and ultimately settled in the United States, Gluckmann developed a deeply personal and immediately-recognizable-style that bridged classical tradition with a distinctly modern sensitivity. Over the course of his career, such a blended approach found its most compelling expression in his depictions of ballerinas and dancers. 

The theme of the ballerina has a long and familiar history in art. Yet unlike the theatrical, onstage dynamism most famously associated with Edgar Degas, Gluckmann offers a quieter, more introspective vision. His dancers exist in moments of pause rather than performance: seated backstage, stretching, or absorbed in thought. In works such as Ballet Dancer, or Seated Dancer (Lot 10), the emphasis shifts from spectacle to mood, inviting the viewer into an intimate and contemplative space. This restraint gives both paintings a subtle but powerful emotional depth.

A key element of their appeal lies in Gluckmann’s technique. After leaving Russia in the wake of the Russian Revolution in 1917, the artist spent formative years in Italy studying the Old Masters, an experience that left a lasting imprint on his work. In each painting, the figures emerge through delicate layers of thin, translucent glazes, producing a soft luminosity that echoes the diaphanous quality of the dancers’ tutus, and bathes the dancers in a gentle, almost glowing light. Critics have compared this treatment of flesh to that of Giorgione, noting a similar sense of warmth and understated sensuality.

Gluckmann approached his work with patience and precision, often devoting many months (sometimes close to a year) to a single composition. These ambitious canvases were typically conceived as the centerpiece of his exhibitions, frequently held in Pomona at Dalzell Hatfield Galleries. They reflect not only his technical mastery but also his commitment to creating paintings of ethereal, yet enduring presence.