London is having a love affair with Russian art as Sotheby’s auction house opens its pre-sale exhibition. Important works of Russian painters from the 19th and 20th Centuries will go under the hammer on June 7.

Jo Vickery, Senior Director and Head of the Russian Art Department in London, says a good provenance of works makes the forthcoming sales special: “A large proportion of the works come from families who either have familial links, personal connections or anecdotal associations with the artist who painted the work for sale. Many of the works presented for sale, particularly in the Important Russian Art Sale, are on the market for the first time and several are even new discoveries.”

The highest-valued lot is “The Dark Wood” by Russia’s leading landscape painter Ivan Shishkin. The painting, famous for its skillful depiction of complex composition carries a presale estimate of $2,310,000.

Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky "Sunset over Ischia"

Another highlight is Yuri Annenkov’s oil on canvas “Portrait of Zinovii Grzhebin”, which is expected to fetch around $1,850,000. The portrait is a signature work of a Russian avant-garde painter from 1919.

Also going under the hammer is a piece by Marie Vassilieff – a Russian émigré painter, who was influenced by Matisse and Picasso. Her work “The Clown” is a striking cubist manifesto.

Other sought-after lots on sale include works by Russia’s important marine painter Ivan Aivazovsky, as well as masterpieces by such renowned artists as Nikolai Roerich and Leon Bakst.

Elena Monakhova, RT