Ink on paper, signed "P. Tchelitchew" l.r.. 11 3/16 x 6 3/8 in. Stain to l.r. corner, handling creases, partial ink sketch of a woman's head on the reverse, small mounting remnant on verso upper edge, else fine. A fine original artwork by the Russian-born painter, landscape and portrait artist who, as a set and costume designer, collaborated with Sergei Diaghilev and George Balanchine, among others.

Russian-born Pavel Tchelitchew developed an interest in art at an early age. One of his instructors in Kiev was Alexandra Exter, a pupil of Fernand Léger and an important theater designer. Tchelitchew left the country in 1920, stopping briefly in Berlin, where he executed several theater designs. He then moved to Paris, where he rubbed elbows with Gertrude Stein and her coterie. He began to experiment with a more surrealist style, influenced by his devout belief in clairvoyance and the occult. After a decade or so in Paris, Tchelitchew left for New York with his partner, the writer Charles Henri Ford. There he became close friends with Paul Cadmus‘s brother-in-law Lincoln Kirstein (who, along with George Balanchine, formed the New York City Ballet). Tchelitchew designed costumes and sets for several important ballet productions, including Balanchine’s Errante and Orpheus. Through his connection to Kirstein, Tchelitchew became part of the artistic circle that included Cadmus, Jared French and George Tooker.