Sotheby’s

Sotheby's. WHERE RUSSIAN ART TRIUMPHS

Sonya Bekkerman

Article: 
ART MARKET
Magazine issue: 
#4 2005 (09)

"Sexy” perfectly defines the current state of the Russian art market - appealing, interesting, stimulating and inviting. Since the late 1990s Russian art has steadily emerged as one of the most dramatic, dynamic and exciting collecting areas. The meteoric rise in prices achieved each season at auction captivates every business and art-related paper and journal. Conjecture abounds in media headlines that address successful auction buyers in a most reductionist manner, the "mysterious Russian,” or the "anonymous Ukrainian;” these are the new heroes who buttress auction sales across different collecting categories. Individuals from different industries scramble to uncover identities and dissect collecting patterns. Who are these masked individuals? How can we characterize their collecting behavior?

Sotheby's. WHERE RUSSIAN ART TRIUMPHS

"The taste for collecting, a kind of gambling passion, is one of the most satisfying activities."

Maurice Rheims,
La vie etrange des objets, 1959

"Art is sexy.! Art is money-sexy! Art is money-sexy-social climbing - fantastic."

Thomas Hoving,
former Director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

THE “FATAL AURORA”. An Unfinished Story

Lyudmila Markina

Article: 
MASTERPIECES OF RUSSIAN ART
Magazine issue: 
#1 2008 (18)

On September 18-19 2007, in London, Sotheby’s was due to offer for sale a unique collection of Russian art belonging to Mstislav Rostropovich and Galina Vishnevskaya[1]. The most valuable lots included the “Portrait of Aurora Karlovna Demidova” by Karl Briullov, priced at £800,000-1,200,000. Back in 1995 the Tretyakov Gallery had wanted to buy this piece, but Galina Pavlovna “ran with the ball”. It looked as if the opportunity was presenting itself again - but the collection was bought up in its entirety by the Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov.

THE “FATAL AURORA”. An Unfinished Story

The Diaghilev Ballet - A Personal Memory

Julian Barran

Article: 
EXCLUSIVE PUBLICATIONS
Magazine issue: 
#3 2009 (24)

Julian Barran, a renowned British art-dealer and collector was an auctioneer for many years at Sotheby’s and specialized in Diaghilev and Ballets Russes sales. Summer 2009 was marked by a representative exhibition devoted to the centenary of Diaghilev’s enterprise. Organized in London by Julian Barran at The Daniel Katz Gallery the exhibition showcased a rich collection of original costumes, vintage photos, drawings and caricatures by the outstanding team of Diaghilev’s world-famous artists and designers. Written especially for the Tretyakov Gallery magazine Julian Barran’s article speaks about those people who cherished Diaghilev’s legacy and for years preserved it for generations to come to admire. He generously shares some pearls of his collection with readers.

The Diaghilev Ballet - A Personal Memory

Sotheby's. WHERE RUSSIAN ART TRIUMPHS

Sonya Bekkerman

Article: 
ART MARKET
Magazine issue: 
Special issue N2. USA–RUSSIA: ON THE CROSSROADS OF CULTURES

"Sexy” perfectly defines the current state of the Russian art market - appealing, interesting, stimulating and inviting. Since the late 1990s Russian art has steadily emerged as one of the most dramatic, dynamic and exciting collecting areas. The meteoric rise in prices achieved each season at auction captivates every business and art-related paper and journal. Conjecture abounds in media headlines that address successful auction buyers in a most reductionist manner, the “mysterious Russian,” or the “anonymous Ukrainian;” these are the new heroes who buttress auction sales across different collecting categories. Individuals from different industries scramble to uncover identities and dissect collecting patterns. Who are these masked individuals? How can we characterize their collecting behavior?

Sotheby's. WHERE RUSSIAN ART TRIUMPHS

 

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