Boris Kustodiev, “The Village Fair” (photo from sothebys.com)
Russian art sets new records at auction
Published 09 June, 2009, 10:37
It brings big money, but costs a fortune. It regularly goes for sale in London, New York and Paris – it’s Russian art.
During Sotheby’s recent art fair in London 28 works by established Russian artists were sold for over $12 million dollars.
One of the highlight was an oil painting by Boris Kustodiev. “The Village Fair”, dated 1920, fetched $4.5 million, a record for the artist at auction.
Another top lot on June 8 was Isaak Brodsky’s 20th century “Nanny With Children”, which went under the hammer for almost $1.5 million, setting another record.
Artworks by Aivazovsky are very much sought-after and usually fetch seven-figure prices at Sotheby's and Christie's. His “Shipping off the Dutch coast” was sold for $668,000 dollars.
Collectors often speak of the timelessness of Russian art. They are looking for a piece of art that can be purchased today and half a century later will still hold the same appeal, like works by Nikolai Roerich, Konstantin Korovin and Boris Kustodiev.
Sotheby’s will be holding Russian art sales on June 9 and 10.
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