A Dog by a Suitcase

Study for the picture Border Guard with a Dog which was painted for the famous soviet art exhibition dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the Red Workers and Peasants Army (RKKA). The artist devoted to frontier guards a number of works which were repeatedly reproduced on postcards and calendars in the 1930-s. One of them can be seen in the museum of fine arts in the city of Nukus (among other works by Zefirov, it was bought from the painters family by Igor Savitsky, the legendary founder of the museum). Another one is in Roman Babichevs collection in Moscow. The study A Dog by a Suitcase was exhibited in Zefirovs posthumous one-man show in 1961. The picture requires minor restoration. It has been bought from Zefirovs family and its genuineness has been confirmed by the painters son.