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The Soviet means the Bourgeois. Art of the 20th Century Fair in the Central House of Artist. By Milena Orlova, Kommersant – Weekend, No. 67 (43) dd. 07.12.2007.

As for the prices, they can be judged by estimates of the SOVCOM Art Gallery lots displayed for the December 15th auction to be held at the Fair in the Central House of Artist. Before the event the lots are available at the pre-auction exhibition. It is based on 50/50, i.e. half of the lots are represented by official artists and the other half – be their aesthetic opponents – frondeurs.

But since the best nonconformist pieces are outbid by western auction houses, the national auction top-lots are represented by two the most odious pictures. It is "Meeting of Stalin and Mao", 1951 by Chepick, an example of "flamboyant" academism of Stalin times – leaders, red velvet door-curtains and inevitable pioneers – estimated at 2-2,5 mln. rub. And the latter work dated the 70-s, the epic painting in the similar purple tones "Brother against Brother" by Semenov – estimated as high as the previous for some reason. But among those 200 lots one can find not only such redoubtable, but created in a quite idyllic bourgeois style – the wonderful "Guillemot and Seal", 1953, created by the painter and yachtsman Georgiy Nisskiy - with two small sail yachts (300-400 thous. rub.), the flowers by Arkadiy Plastov for the same price and the smartest, created even before the austere style "The Altai in Spring", 1959, by Viktor Popkov (already estimated at about two million rubles). Frankly speaking, sometimes it's not easy to understand to what half belong these or those pieces. Of course, the 60-s rare Viktor Pivovarov, this King of Moscow Conceptualism and the prominent, brilliant children book illustrator is recognized by his favourite metamorphosis concepts (surrealistic "transformations" are estimated at 550-650 thous. rubles). But a masterful crayon painting of some wildwood hardly reminds of his creator's style – the well-known "political" Eric Bulatov, estimated at 550-650 thous. rub.- a price reasonable for such famous artist. This far from daily routines and powerful allegoric artwork is estimated at 260-300 thous. rub. But a hardly expressive sketch of a 1950-s Moscow yard by Dmitriy Krasnopevtsev has been already offered for one million roubles. So, after all, a reputation of a nonconformist and an expensive master is a good thing!

The Central House of Artist, December, 8-16.

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