OSCAR RABIN (Russian/French, 1928–2018) “Marche-Fleurs” / “Красные Цветы” , 1979

Oil on canvas

Canvas size: 72 x 60 cm (28 3/8 x 23 5/8 in.)

Frame size: 84 x 72 cm (33 x 28 3/8 in.)

A powerful and atmospheric composition by renowned Soviet nonconformist artist Oscar Rabin, painted during the artist’s important early years in France following his exile from the Soviet Union. Executed in Rabin’s unmistakable expressive style, the work depicts a bouquet of vivid orange-red flowers set before a darkened Parisian storefront window, illuminated by subtle reflections and dramatic contrasts of light and shadow.

The painting embodies the emotional depth and poetic tension that define Rabin’s finest works. Thick painterly textures, subdued grey and black tonalities, and bursts of fiery color create a striking visual balance between melancholy and vitality. The vertical “Fleurs” market sign introduces a distinctly Parisian atmosphere while preserving the introspective mood associated with the artist’s celebrated Moscow period.

Created in 1979, this work belongs to a pivotal moment in Rabin’s career, when the artist began merging the visual language of Soviet underground art with the urban sensibility of his adopted French environment. The result is a composition that feels both intimate and monumental — deeply personal, yet unmistakably connected to the broader history of postwar nonconformist art.

Oscar Rabin was one of the leading figures of the Soviet underground movement and organizer of the historic Bulldozer Exhibition in Moscow. After emigrating to Paris in 1978, his work achieved broad international recognition and was exhibited extensively throughout Europe and the United States. Today, his paintings are represented in important museum collections including the The State Tretyakov Gallery and The Russian Museum, as well as major private collections worldwide.

Signed and dated lower left: “O. Rabine 79.”

Verso inscribed in Russian “Красные Цветы,” further titled “Marche-Fleurs,” dated 1979 and bearing inventory number 719.

Condition: Very good vintage condition.