Rago Auctions

Featuring more than three figures, both drawn and modeled, the present lot is an example of a classic Sergei Isupov sculpture. This iconic work, anchored by a Euro-centric looking male head and a stylized, androgenous/female form with blue trees for legs, explores the boundaries of traditional male/female relationships. The textural and figural interactions between form and surface are immediately recognizable as is his specific visual vocabulary: running, looking, or hiding figures that navigate rock strewn landscapes, spirals, and other humans or human/plant/animal hybrids. During this time of his life, when he was based in Richmond, VA, Isupov was exploring philosophical questions about his own future and humanity in general. The Ruler is mature, technically resolved, and intensely focused. Work from this period continues to be widely sought after and collected by private collectors and public institutions.

— Ferrin Contemporary