P. Galadzhev. Moscow, Multimedia Art Museum, 2003

Galadzhev worked most of his life in the movie industry, but in the early 1920s he created several scenic constructions for experimental productions at Mastfor, the theater workshop run by Nikolai M. Foregger. The series of these “material selections,” which are imbued with the aesthetic of Constructivism, was made at this time. One of the counter-reliefs (Sotheby’s; New York, April 21, 2005, lot 95) includes an actual chess board. It is signed by the artist and dated 1924.