Russian triumph at Sotheby's

Link copied to clipboard

Published: 03 November, 2009, 16:41
Edited: 05 November, 2009, 10:19

"Peter The Great"

A “Russian auction” at Sotheby's on Monday brought incredible results during the global crisis period, with its income of $14 million exceeding all expectations.

Experts didn’t expect any artworks to be sold for more than $1 million, but the prices turned to be much higher.

The most expensive lot was the 1918 portrait “Mother and Child” by Boris Grigoriev, depicting the artist’s wife and son. The painting was sold for $1,370,500 and was exposed for the first time after it had been kept in a private collection in Germany.

“Mother and Child” by Boris Grigoriev

The demand for Grigoriev’s works has grown in recent years. His portrait of Russian poet Kluev sold for $3.7 million and became a record price for this artist’s works in 2008.

Also sold at the “Russian auction” were artworks by Ivan Shishkin, a landscapist of the 19th Century, and Nicholas Roerich, a great figure of Russia at the end of 19th and beginning of the 20th Centuries.

One of the most captivating paintings at Sotheby’s was “At the window” by a Russian artist from the beginning of the 20th Century, Konstantin Korovin. It was sold for $1,178,000, much higher than experts had forecast.

Another sensation at the auction was the miniature portrait “Peter the Great”, covered with diamonds, which sold for $1,314,500. It was a rare Russian high award in the 18th Century. There are only six remaining in the world nowadays.