Esphyr Slobodkina

Esphyr Slobodkina was a Russian and American writer, painter, sculptor, printmaker and artist (1908–2002). She was born at Chelyabinsk and died at Glen Head.

Also recorded as Ephyr Slobodkina; Esphyr Slobodkina-Urquhart.

Esphyr Slobodkina in brief

Born
1908
Died
2002
Known for
writer, painter, sculptor, printmaker, artist and illustrator
Place of birth
Chelyabinsk
Contents

Identity and origins

The authorities additionally record the headings Ephyr Slobodkina and Esphyr Slobodkina-Urquhart. Her recorded languages were English and Russian.

She married Ilya Bolotowsky.

Catalogued works

18 works under this name are catalogued by Wikidata Query Service and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Their recorded dates run from 1936 to 1997.

Caps for Sale. Pot Bellied Stove, dated 1936, held by Metropolitan Museum of Art, inventory 1985.30.2. Crossroad #2, dated 1943, held by Smithsonian American Art Museum, inventory 1986.92.92. Spring #3, dated 1948, held by Smithsonian American Art Museum, inventory 1986.92.94. Tamara Abstraction, held by Museum of Fine Arts Boston, inventory 2002.126. Composition, dated 1940, held by Philadelphia Museum of Art, inventory 1946-70-19. Dohn Abstraction in Pink, dated 1944, held by Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, inventory 81.33. Composition with White Ovals, dated 1952, held by Whitney Museum of American Art, inventory 53.6. Untitled (Abstract), dated 1937, held by Q214867, inventory 2008.115.839.26. Hidden Red, held by Toledo Museum of Art, inventory 2005.108. Boat Building, from American Abstract Artists 60th Anniversary Print Portfolio, dated 1997, held by Vanderbilt Museum of Art, inventory 2012.008kk. Variation in Black and White No. 1, from American Abstract Artists 50th Anniversary Print Portfolio, dated 1987, held by Vanderbilt Museum of Art, inventory 2015.037nn. Abstraction with Red Circle, dated 1938, held by New Britain Museum of American Art, inventory 1994.02. Abstract Composition, dated 1964, held by Rediscovering Art by Women. As Indicated, dated 1945, held by Smithsonian American Art Museum, inventory 1986.92.93. The Pot-Bellied Stove, dated ca. 1936–37, oil on canvas, held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, inventory 1985.30.2. Untitled (AAA), from "American Abstract Artists Portfolio", dated 1937, offset lithograph, held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, inventory 1978.558.3(26). Variation in Black and White No. 1, from "American Abstract Artists 50th Anniversary Print Portfolio", dated 1987, lithograph, held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, inventory 1988.1095(40).

In public collections

Work associated with this heading is recorded in 11 named public collections.

Smithsonian American Art Museum: 3 recorded objects, read from the institution's own published catalogue. Vanderbilt Museum of Art: 2 recorded objects, read from the institution's own published catalogue. Metropolitan Museum of Art: 1 recorded object, read from the institution's own published catalogue. Museum of Fine Arts Boston: 1 recorded object, read from the institution's own published catalogue. Philadelphia Museum of Art: 1 recorded object, read from the institution's own published catalogue. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: 1 recorded object, read from the institution's own published catalogue. Whitney Museum of American Art: 1 recorded object, read from the institution's own published catalogue. Q214867: 1 recorded object, read from the institution's own published catalogue. Prints in the National Gallery of Art: 1 recorded object, read from the institution's own published catalogue. Toledo Museum of Art: 1 recorded object, read from the institution's own published catalogue. The Metropolitan Museum of Art: 5 recorded objects, read from the institution's own published catalogue.

Literature

10 scholarly publications naming this subject were located in the registry of record.

Slobodkina, Esphyr, Benezit Dictionary of Artists, 2023. Esphyr Slobodkina Papers, 1994. Features of the financial behavior of Muscovites during the COVID-19 pandemic, Влияние пандемии на личность и общество: психологические механизмы и последствия, 2021. The Little Fireman, 1985. Esphyr Slobodkina Correspondence, 2015. The life and art of Esphyr Slobodkina, 1992. Caps For Sale A Tale Of A Peddler Some Monkeys And Their Monkey Business, 2016. The Importance of Reading Aloud, 2009. Peak with Books: An Early Childhood Resource for Balanced Literacy. Third Edition., 1999. Taxonomic and metabolic diversity of microbial communities in a thermal water stream in Uzbekistan and proposal of two new classes of uncultivated bacteria, Desulfocorpusculia class. nov. and Tepidihabitantia class. nov., named following the rules of SeqCode., Systematic and Applied Microbiology, 2025.

Digitised editions and texts

5 digitised items associated with this heading are catalogued by Internet Archive.

Caps for Sale (1947) — Internet Archive. Pinky and the Petunias (1959) — Internet Archive. pezzo the peddler and the circus elephant (1967) — Internet Archive. Billie (1959) — Internet Archive. Caps for Sale (A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business) (1999) — Internet Archive.

Scholarly footprint

Bibliographic registers publish measured figures for this heading: 9 language editions of the general reference literature carrying an article (Wikimedia (language editions)). A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.

Evidence base

This article draws on 5 independent source lineages. Copies and mirrors of the same underlying record were collapsed into a single witness, so 5 means 5 genuinely separate publishers of record. 14 further registers were consulted and returned nothing for this heading.

In detail

Esphyr Slobodkina studied at National Academy of Design. the recorded working language is English and Russian.

Places of work recorded in the authority are United States. Membership is recorded of American Abstract Artists.

Works named in the authority record are Caps for Sale.

Work by Esphyr Slobodkina is recorded in the collections of Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Chronology

  1. 1908Esphyr Slobodkina born at Chelyabinsk.
  2. 1936Pot Bellied Stove (Metropolitan Museum of Art).
  3. 1940Composition (Philadelphia Museum of Art).
  4. 1943Crossroad #2 (Smithsonian American Art Museum).
  5. 1947Caps for Sale digitised by Internet Archive.
  6. 1948Spring #3 (Smithsonian American Art Museum).
  7. 1959Pinky and the Petunias digitised by Internet Archive.
  8. 1959Billie digitised by Internet Archive.
  9. 1967pezzo the peddler and the circus elephant digitised by Internet Archive.
  10. 1999Caps for Sale (A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business) digitised by Internet Archive.
  11. 2002Esphyr Slobodkina died at Glen Head.

Sources

Each source is named with the standing the house places on it, so the evidence can be weighed rather than taken on trust.

  1. 1.

    Esphyr Slobodkina Papers, 1994

    scholarly publication · Scholarly

    Consult the source
  2. 2.

    Slobodkina, Esphyr, Benezit Dictionary of Artists, 2023

    scholarly publication · Scholarly

    Consult the source
  3. 3.

    Internet Archive, 5 digitised items catalogued under Esphyr Slobodkina as creator.

    digital repository · Unverified

    Consult the source
  4. 4.

    Semantic Scholar corpus, 8 publications naming Esphyr Slobodkina.

    scholarly index · Unverified

    Consult the source
  5. 5.

    The Metropolitan Museum of Art, collection records associated with Esphyr Slobodkina (5 objects).

    museum collection · Unverified · The Metropolitan Museum of Art

    Consult the source
  6. 6.

    Wikidata, structured authority record Q5398958: Esphyr Slobodkina

    reference work · Reputable secondary · Wikimedia Foundation

    Consult the source
  7. 7.

    “Esphyr Slobodkina”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading

    reference work · Reputable secondary · Wikipedia

    Consult the source

Elsewhere in Prints

For owners

Own a work by Esphyr Slobodkina?

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