Russian Artworks at Bonhams, Christie`s and Sotheby`s - Teure Kunst – Teil 1
Russian artists are very popular. Their artworks can be found in the most prestigious museums around the world, as well as in private collections. The peculiarity of Russian visual art is a kind of uniqueness, individuality and inconsistency. Today, artist ritual presents the most popular paintings of Russian artists.
What determines the prize of an artwork? Can an expert determine the value of a painter's product? We found a simple solution and rate the popularity of images taking the cost factor into consideration. This ranking presents the most expensive artworks that were sold at international auctions over the past five years. We refer to auctions at Christie`s, Bonhams and Sotheby`s.
Wassily Kandinsky's painting "Study for Improvisation" takes first place in our ranking. This artwork was the artist's most expensive one ever. At the end, this made more than 23 million dollars at Christie`s auction. The painting was created in 1935 with a unique technique - oil with sand.
The artwork "Portrait of Maria Tsetlin" by Valentin Serow, which was created in 1910, ranks second. Serov, a Russian painter and graphic artist, was a master of portraits. In the year 2014, 14.5 million dollars were paid for this painting at an auction with Christie`s. Critics still wonder why a much higher amount was offered for this work opposed to the initial appraisal value.
The artist Nicholas Roerich reaches the third place. His artwork "Proceedings of the Virgin" was painted in 1932. The work was sold at an auction at Bonhams for 12 million dollars in 2013. In his paintings, Roerich tried to show the role of Mother of God in people´s life.
The next painting in our ranking was sold at Christie`s in 2013. It is the artwork "Still life with Fruits". It went over the auction table for 7.2 million dollars. The picture by the famous Russian and Soviet artist Ilya Mashkov was painted in 1910. Mashkov had his focus on still life. He painted in a variety of styles, such as realism, cubism, or impressionism.
The five most expensive artworks of Russian artists that were sold during the past five years closes with the artist Boris Kustodijew. His painting "The Driver" was painted in 1923 and auctioned at Christie`s for 7 million dollars in 2012. This was, incidentally, a record price for an artwork by Kustodijew. The painting belongs to a series of artworks that represent a genuine Russian person.
