Bidspirit auction | Mihail Chemiakin ”Cybele” Sterling Figure

Mihail Chemiakin ”Cybele” Sterling Figure 284 ozt - Mihail Mikhailovich Chemiakin (Russian/American, b. 1943). Sterling silver figurative sculpture titled ”Cybele, ” 1995. With four impressed metal plaques affixed along the verso atop the plinth base: one reading ”Galmer New York, 925 Sterling”; one with Chemiakin Design manufacturer's mark; one with artist signature; one dated. Also known as Kybele, Magna Mater, and the Mother of the Gods, the worship of this originally Phrygian goddess spread throughout the Roman Empire. Cybele was a goddess of nature and fertility, of the Earth, and Mother of the Gods. Along with her consort, Attis, Cybele was worshipped in wild, emotional, orgiastic and cathartic ceremonies. Chemiakin's ”Cybele” has four faces: female along the front, lion along the back, and a bull along each side. Because she was a goddess of fertility she is portrayed with eight pairs of breasts and four sets of buttocks. Two rams and two devil mask are sculpted along the plinth establishing a clear power structure in which ”Cybele” stands victorious. Lot Essay: Mihail Chemiakin was born in Moscow in 1943, was raised in occupied East Germany, and returned to Russia in 1957 where he was admitted to the Special High School of the Repin Academy of Art in Leningrad. He was expelled from art school for failing to conform to Socialist Realist norms, and from 1959-1971 worked as a laborer in various capacities. He was subjected to compulsory treatment at a mental institution, which was a standard way of dealing with ideological dissidents at the time. For five years he worked on the maintenance crew of the Hermitage Museum. In 1967, the artist founded the St. Petersburg Group and developed the philosophy of Metaphysical Synthesism, dedicated to the creation of a new form of icon painting based on the study of religious art of all ages and peoples. In 1971 Chemiakin was forced out of the USSR by the Soviet authorities. He settled first in France, then moved to New York City in 1981. In 1989, Chemiakin's work returned to post-Communist Russia with his first exhibition since exile. Subsequently, he continued to show his work there and installed three monuments in St. Petersburg including: ”Peter the Great, ” ”Victims of Political Repressions, ” and ”Architects and Builders of St. Petersburg.” Within the United States, a bronze ”Cybele” sculpture permanently stands on Prince Street in SoHo, New York. Started in the 1960s, Chemiakin's research into the art of all ages and peoples has developed into a collection of millions of images organized into technical, historical, and philosophical categories, which has earned the artist five Honorary Doctorates and is the basis for his Institute of the Philosophy and Psychology of Art. Chemiakin's work is in the permanent collections of numerous museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Sao Paolo Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art, Paris. Height: 43 1/2 in x width: 11 1/4 in x depth: 7 1/2 in. Weight (approximate): 284 Troy oz. Condition: The sculpture is structurally sound, however, it does wobble slightly. There is evidence of a past repair where the figure's thighs join with the column base; slight separation between the two parts is visually evident. There are some scratches, primarily along the figure's back and top of the plinth. Several minute dents scattered throughout the sculpture. Scattered areas of tarnishing to the metal throughout, particularly along the recessed areas. Evidence of previous polishing. There are eight plastic tabs adhered along the underside. The plate along the underside is slightly loose. Light wear along the underside.