Mr. Collector

[Artem]

Mr. collector log RESULTS № 39 /798 (26/09/11) /Society and science /Exclusive

Collector Perchenko Michael: "Do not compare your collection with the collections of major museums, but much of what is hanging on my walls, can be set at least at the Hermitage, at least in the Louvre"

    Never before Pushkin Museum of Fine did not provide his White Room and Colonnade, which usually exhibited masterpieces from the world's largest museums, a private collection. An exception was made for the capital's famous collector and art dealer Michael Perchenko, whose collection of sculptures, paintings and furniture of the northern Gothic and Renaissance, according to experts, is better than in the Hermitage and the Pushkin Museum combined. However, the fact that it has been shown to the public, only part of the extensive collection, which went on picking a decade.

- Oh very prosaic, Michael Yefremovich sounds your title: president of the Guild of Appraisers. Still, the art of doing, not second hand.

- To a certain degree of antiques - is also a second-hand. And then everything in our world - the goods, including works of art. And the main purpose of the guild, as I understand, organize and reclaim antiques trade in Russia. This is impossible without reliable and highly professional expertise. In the meantime, the entire Western art world treats us very suspicious and sometimes ignores the conclusion of our experts.

- And now, suddenly began to respect?

- Why suddenly? Our guild was formed by the International Confederation of antique and art dealers (MKAAD), when it became obvious that the assessment and attribution of works of art do not have to state officials and private individuals who would be responsible for the quality of the ruble and the expertise of his own reputation. So at least it made in MKAAD, in which I am vice-president. And, taking the post of president of the Guild of Valuers, I immediately set a condition: Each appraiser must be insured for a million dollars. That, in my opinion, the highest price possible errors. And if insurance is not available, I print under attribution would not put.

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But now another problem. For example, the Ministry of Culture for the year 875 certified experts, we're only fourteen. I understand the Ministry of Culture is necessary that at each Customs office has been a regular critic no - the subtle znatochestve it certainly is not. What we need to put the banner at least three hundred is highly skilled professionals. And where they take these?

- The Tretyakov Gallery, where else.

- What are appraisers out there! Appraiser may be only one who knows the market professionally, he buys and sells. Without knowledge of the situation assessment is worth nothing. And then the reputation of the staff of the Tretyakov Gallery now too ...

- It's scandalous revelations of art after Petrov, who said if his colleagues at the Tretyakov Gallery put on stream issuing false attributions?

- This is it - Vladimir Aleksandrovich, who confessed that he often "mistaken." Wow expert! After his revelation, our art market was nearly given his soul to God. Blow to the antique trade, he paid a terrible.

- And do not sell knockoffs!

- Why create a guild and appraisers - to separate the masterpieces from fakes. And so far, our examinations to believe. Just do not have to think that the Russian antiques market most unscrupulous in the world. Recent example. Italian secret services uncovered an underground factory, in warehouses waiting in the wings which five thousand of fake paintings by Italian masters. And it is not kustarschina this industrial scale! By the way, are sold annually in the world of art about a hundred and fifty billion dollars. About a third official, and everything else - a black market. However, even after such large auctions, as Christie's, Sotheby's, MacDougall's and Bonhams, forgeries is no less than informal channels. Draw your own conclusions. According to one well-known art critic, Aivazovsky wrote six thousand works, ten thousand of which hang in American museums ...

- What wonder if the world is literally obsessed with Aivazovsky?

- Yes, you want to Aivazovsky - they have me! You know what totally Hovhannes Gevorgovich laid out only when doing the king's orders. These work great! And so - often trash. Prescribe filigree square decimeter moire, and everything else - anyhow. To some of the first guild merchant, and so will do.

- And what about the fake, bought at an auction?

- That's the trouble. The acquisition of works of art has now become a craze, especially among government officials. But they are amateurs and casually reading catalogs, where, as a rule, it is said that the auction is liable only "to the extent of its competence." Such is the universal legal trick ... Let the buyer stated that he bought a fake. But to claim it will be difficult, because the auction house obviously nothing wrong. And Sue is useless. For example, in the service of Christie's and Sotheby's for over a hundred best English lawyers, for whom nothing is proved that the black - it's actually white.

Right now, Viktor Vekselberg, is suing Christie's at the picture of Boris Kustodiev "Nude in Interior," for which laid out nearly three million dollars. He has concluded from the Tretyakov Gallery and the Center for Grabar that it was a fake. A Christie's says, the real work, just a fake signature.

- Who is right?

- Christie's. Kustodiev present. I know this job for over thirty years, she belonged to the collector of a very high level. After his death the family sold the collection. And "Nude in the interior," when I first saw her, was without a signature, then this is one of the new owners of "signed". In other words, gave a presentation. And it happens. Collectors of art have a dime a dozen, but the serious collectors are not so much. Several people across the country.

- What are the passwords, secret.

- For example, the head of Alfa-Bank Pyotr Aven. Very solid collector.

- Peter O. But, as far as known, preferred to Russian art, but you collect Gothic. Somehow unpatriotic ...

- No politics. Gothic me spiritually closer - logo, restraint, emotional content, Protestantism, finally. I'm Catholic, baptized was in Grodno, where my ancestors settled, when escaped from the Germans in Krakow. By the way, my Polish grandmother was married to the Symbolist poet Jean Delano, a direct descendant of an aristocratic French family of Coligny.

- Then it is clear where to start your collection.

- If my house is some kind of hereditary thing, it is through his wife, whose father, Rostislav N., was one of the last of an old noble family Yureneva. Now I wear it family ring, to which I have every right, as it is displayed and the sort of coat of arms of Coligny - two of our family, my wife and that has already crossed ... but in Soviet times, such details are usually not publicized. Father-in for a long time was a professor of fighting positions, served on the jury and presided at many international festivals.

- So how do you become a collector?

- As a child engaged in a violin and on Sunday went to the orchestra through the Arbat, always by an antique shop. And once walked and breathed in the heady scent of old times. But the central role played by men. It is in this "store of Miracles" I became acquainted with almost all leading at the time collectors. I was only twelve years old, so seriously, they did not take me and shared their secrets easily, that is taught everything they knew themselves. And after five years, I made the first professional buy - bought a cup of Imperial Porcelain Factory, with portraits of Alexander I and his wife, presented to the court of Their Imperial Majesties to the day of the silver wedding. The next fifteen years were mediocre, I spent it on Russian art. Another eight years - the art of the East, in which up to the end and did not understand, because it no life is not enough. And a quarter of a century collecting Western Europe.

- What do you dislike about Russian art?

- It is the second time, apart from Russian avant-garde and icons, though not all ... A few years ago there was a funny story. One very large government official gave Patriarch Alexy II Korsun Mother of God was written almost from nature by the Apostle Luke. The event was furnished on the highest level, and only specialists have seen anecdotal situations. As a disciple of Christ could not write the Virgin from life, he's only seen a bearded Christ?

- But the plot is not new.

- Not a new one. Netherlands still primitives, including Hugo van der Goes and Rogier van der Weyden, painted on canvas Luke, writing a portrait of Madonna. But this is just a plot. By the way, apart from the Korsun Mother of God, there are two icons, too, allegedly written by Luke. One is kept in the Croatian monastery, the other - in the Italian city of Bari. But it is impossible to verify their authenticity, because look at the salaries are not allowed to anyone. Yes, this is not required. When he lived and preached the Apostle Luke, yet there was not something that Fayum portrait, but painting as such, at best, painted sculptures. Therefore, none of the experts are not surprised when I found out that Our Lady of Korsun - forgery of the nineties a series of Made in USA.

As a result, an icon with a dubious reputation was one of the collectors, who may have to this day firmly convinced that he wrote it himself the Apostle Luke. But the one who blessed and believes forgiven ...

Although I am a Catholic, no one stops me to attend the Orthodox churches. And in general in each city, where am I sure I go to church and then on the market, because these social institutions characterize the nation. I can prove. There is such a nice town of Bruges, and in it the Church of Our Lady, the eyeballs filled with Gothic and early Renaissance painting. A jewel of a temple - sculpture by Michelangelo, which is the richest merchants of the city in the XVI century, bought the Pope and to deliver to the place, built a special ship. Such is the relationship with the church market. Agree, if the city was not rich enough, there would never have come Michelangelo.

- Now I understand why you have so much from a Bruegel and Russian collector Netherlands sadness.

- Actually, not so much. Bruegel family was big enough. With me, there is Pieter Brueghel the Younger and Jan Brueghel the Elder, Jan Brueghel the Younger and Jan van Kessel. Here Abraham Brueghel, no, I do not love him, he was rude to me. Could buy, but did not. And by Pieter Bruegel the Elder who would not want to! But the fact that the so-called peasant Bruegel has almost two hundred years is not for sale. With very few exceptions. Just last year, the Prado Museum for seven million euros bought from a private collector, who even had no idea he had in his hands, a picture of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, "Wine in St. Martin's Day." Now this painting estimate at least one hundred fifty million dollars and its export from Spain banned.

- It's hard to haggle with your colleagues?

- This painting "The Holy Family with John the Baptist," Santi di Tito's hand, which was compared with himself, Rafael. While she was on my wall, it took forty years! Painting belonged to Abram Schuster, who in the world of collectors was the "scavenger" that is, collecting everything. But if Abraham "all" was the art of Western Europe, his son Solomon went the other way. He had the most brilliant collection of works of the twentieth century.

- And as the brilliant collection going?

- In many ways. Just imagine. Solomon Shuster was a small, chubby and always with a bow tie, and was nicknamed Kot Basilio. And his friend the writer Nicodemus Gippius, by the way, a relative of Zinaida Gippius, a fiery red color and a tremendous growth in our circles dubbed Alice Fox. So this exotic couple regularly, as if to hunt, took to the streets of Leningrad and the evening shamelessly looking into the window. If you notice something worthy of attention, not hesitating, came, showed their cinematic identity, and said that they needed to shoot the old stuff. And so, on the license was bought by a lot of valuable things. Peter was generally antique Klondike. In Moscow, the other option. Here they are mainly for collectors shastali.

Generally been different collectors. For example, Felix E. Wisniewski, who was considered an absolute professional life was in a suit and Easter with a portfolio - like Michael Zhvanetsky. But in this shabby briefcase, always lay no less than thirty thousand. The incredible amount of Soviet-era! At the same time at his house, cluttered with artifacts such a way that does not pass, never had sugar, and when we went to visit him, sugar is usually brought with them. Once even going to buy a purse Wisniewski new pants. But Alexander Rabinovitch, who has worked in the "New Russian Word" in New York is famous for was the fact that just one month of his life happened just three fundamental developments: he published a book, "Your enemies, the Komsomol," celebrated the twenty-five years, splitting walnuts ingot of gold at twelve pounds, and sat for ten years for smuggling. And this is the fate of the Soviet collector.

- That is, during the Soviet era of the prison and bag your brother did not have to renounce.

- The Soviet Union put the collector was simple. Become a standard - speculation. On the eve of perestroika got under this article and I am. And all thanks to a certain Captain MIA Khorkina, who seems to go down in history, started a criminal case once the thirteen largest collectors of the Soviet Union.

... At six o'clock the bell rang, the police enters and begins a search. Moreover, described only fragile things - glass and miniatures. As I now understand, this was done deliberately to knock me off track who of collectors are not shaking over his collection! The search lasted all day, and only ten o'clock in the evening I found myself in the office of Captain Khorkina, the desktop is in Moorea, which is typical, the portrait of Comrade Stalin. And he literally said to me from the doorway: "Will you marry here in ten years!" And I answered him: "Before you answer other collectors straps or party card, but to me, if anything is broken, the answer is going to keep for yourself! "He described it as a threat and ran complain to the authorities. So I sat down to write a complaint. After some time, is head of CID and said: "Michael Efremovich, you will go home now, so tear his statement ..." And so it happened: it fell apart before the court, and the collection returned. But it was already 1985. Another less fortunate.

For example, in the same row Felix Vishnevsky confiscated three collections. The two went to the provincial museums, and the last - before his death, he began to collect Russian art - formed the basis of the exposure of one of the famous Moscow museums. And the chances that a stand was not, because I was taking the Interior Ministry, and his KGB. I think about the collection Vishnevsky was special orders from the Politburo.

- The Kremlin tried to collectors?

- I do not know. The most famous collector of the circles was the Minister of Internal Affairs Shchelokov, but he was collecting jewels. In his collection were the work of the great jeweler Catherine Jérémie Posier time, work Bolin, well, Faberge, of course. As without it? While I think Faberge random figure, and indeed the world has gone mad in its Easter eggs because they began to collect the Queen of England. As they say, it's a trend. It began with the domestic collecting gift to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich - the second half of XVII century. It is believed that this was the first collection in Russia. By volume it is a good half of the collection of the Kremlin. And then there is just no! Nuremberg and Augsburg cups, the famous Nautilus, which only three in the Hermitage, but I also have three ...

- So you have something that can be set in the Hermitage?

- Do not compare your collection with the collections of major museums, but much of what is hanging on my walls, can be set at least at the Hermitage, at least in the Louvre. In addition, I have the world's largest private collection of polychrome sculpture XIII-XVI centuries. One hundred items! Before I started collecting sculpture a Dutch notary, and then later a famous German football player Pierre Littbarski. But now, when prices soared to a hundred times, afford, for example, Tilman Rimenshneydera, whom Littbarski laid out at Sotheby's for over four million euros, I can not. For comparison, I bought a Rimenshneydera just forty thousand.

- A drawing by Durer as you got?

- It was purchased as part of the collection. Here is a stained-glass work by Dürer left a funny story. I sold him a St. Petersburg collector, who believed that stained glass is made from an engraving by Durer another master. But I investigated and proved that in my hands was one of the eight stained glass windows, which are great Albrecht Dürer made to order for Tallinn monastery. Then the price of this work has increased by about ten thousand times.

- Well, here you are president of the Guild of Appraisers, and who can assess the level of your collection and determine the authenticity of the work?

- Exhibition at the Pushkin Museum and became the most authoritative confirmation of the authenticity and quality of the collection. The largest specialist in the world of Hans Nyudorp, director of the Museum Mayer van den Bergh in Antwerp, and he is the chief expert on sculpture, attributed and described it for the catalog. As for painting, the head of the department of art we are old masters of art of the Pushkin Museum Dr., Professor Vadim cages reacted to the attribution of caution. For example, Vadim writes that a copy of Hugo van der Goes - is the work of the XVI century, although the exact date is known: 1496. Still, the conversations were. On the eve of my show to the director of the Pushkin Museum has come a covetous collector and a blue eye to try to persuade, though in my collection is fake. But ran into a specialist. "We have a collection of build, not gossip!" - Irina Antonova cut. And put out "well-wisher."

- And still unbelievable how the USSR could assemble a collection of world-class?

- Most of the paintings purchased in St. Petersburg, and the whole sculpture, except for figures of St. George, brought from Belgium, Holland and France. Including the altar of the XVI century Antwerp masters, once belonged to the Hohenzollerns, Zigmaringenam.

- In other words, it was possible to import. A take out? What, for example, referred to a collection of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, there is great loss?

- Very large, especially after the so-called diplomatic auctions 1936-1937 period, when Catherine snuff with enamel and diamonds sold by weight. Kilogram was worth two thousand dollars and, for example, the best collection of Russian silver was in Boston at the Marjorie Post, who in the 30s was the wife of U.S. Ambassador to the USSR.

Later, in the 60s, when judged by Alexander Rabinowitch, he frankly said that with the export of cultural property had no problems. Today, forty to sixty percent of our collection of things that appear at foreign auctions, the smuggling. For example, my friend of Andrei Rublev Museum of claims that one of her auctions abroad have got two icons that she had seen in Moscow.

- I do not own a Rublev?

- A lot of you have seen the work of Andrei Rublev? There are icons, which are attributed to the brush Rublev, but that its authorship has been proved a hundred percent does not. Rublev, as would have just said, was a member of the guild, which included Daniel Black, Prokhor from Gorodets and many other artists. One of the prominent church leaders continued to argue that Rublev Rublev was called because of the icon he was paid in rubles and kopecks not like the others. But it's not true! All the icons were very expensive then, there was simply no penny.

- And with what money, I'm sorry, of course, the current collection going? Musician you, as I understand it, did not ...

- Beat out and after the theoretical composition faculty went to medical school. Spent several years in psychiatric clinic name Korsakov. I liked the work, while we were engaged in border psychiatry. And then from the Institute of the Serbian got a new director, and we became engaged in the so-called serious diseases. It was not for me, and power structures have been increasingly interfering in everyday medical practice. Of psychiatry, I quit. Began working at the Directorate of traveling exhibitions. I had a salary of four hundred rubles a month - far from being the smallest in the country and collecting - not a cheap pleasure. In general, living in debt, and even now as I live. This is Paul Getty afford to spend on paintings and a half billion dollars. But from his famous collection, I'd take them to his house six paintings, no more.

- Why?

- Because he bought did not himself, and invited consultants who supplied him only the great masters. But there are a great failure. One of Abraham Schuster ran at a trot, his son Solomon, and a trembling voice alerted that he bought a painting of the XVI century. Senior Schuster looked at her and said: "What is it in the XVI century, not draw shit?"

In the 90 years I became Vice President of Finance of the oil company "Evikhon," and my old friend, Michael E. de Bouar, which is no longer alive - the vice-president. He was also a collector, collect icons, and battles of the XVII century. And he gathered one of the largest collections, which was exhibited in the museum house of Bread "Tsarina".

Then I became general manager of the Moscow auction house. This lesson was not directly related to the art. Although in 1997 we still tried jointly with Sotheby's to auction. The story turned out and wild, and funny. In fact, the auction was purchased only twenty-seven percent of the exhibited works. The rest bought after the closing, you can tell from the floor and on a much greater cost. What's sake, do not understand ... This is terribly impressed, and with auctions, we are no longer linked. Traded mainly of a large Moscow real estate. For example, sold the hotel "Kiev" hotel "Beograd" and other objects.

Of course, earned. But all the money, here they are - hang on the walls in the form of pictures, and I am again in debt. Collecting - an incurable defect, can not be stopped. A temptation is always there.

In addition, collecting very cruel profession. Suppose you bought a painting that level faster than it already is. In this case, the unwritten rule is, they have to sell or if they are so expensive for you, take off and put into a corner. And no sentimentality here is misplaced.

- The story of the kidnapping of your son was once heard everywhere. J. Paul Getty kidnappers still forced to pay ransom for his grandson, when sent to cut off his ear. How do you rescues his son from Chechen captivity?

- I have not had to pay, because he himself escaped. Cyril known kidnapped by traffickers in the Caucasus Akhmadov brothers on a tip from a friend of my son - a Chechen by nationality. Asked for ten million dollars, but I told the senior Akhmadov, "Come, take off from the wall, whatever you want, even take away all but ten million dollars you never get over them. And the buyer to the son you have one - it's me! So I do not need to cut off fingers and ears! "In general, bargaining and agreed on five hundred thousand, but in the day for Cyril was to visit a trusted person with money, called the General Vladimir Shamanov and said," Do not worry, your son is me. " From that moment, for me, holy shamans.

Son was in the fourth year, when he was kidnapped. He came back a different person and no longer was willing to continue their education. Lots of things seen. He has eyes for trying to escape the man sawed off his head two-handed saw. Yes, and he suffered much bullying. But it is not broke. And sat together with the rector of the church in Grozny's father, Zechariah. They kept a couple of others. And now Cyril helps me and my wife in our professional affairs.

- Your greatest discovery?

- Of course, retabl, or altar in Russian. Seventy pieces, and each stamp is worth - "Antwerp hand." No comments. Amazing work.

- In an interview, you called France "attic of Europe." There still is something to make money?

- Something that is left. Once my friend Baron Philippe Mordak, in whose family is not an Irish king, did not prevent him absent from four consecutive estate, asked me to evaluate a collection of his aunt in Paris, the Marquise and former ballerina. So there was something to see. Just entered - came to two of the XVI century tapestries, and then - desyudeport works by Rubens ... In the end, but it was the beginning of the 90s, pulled a collection of eight million dollars, when the mistress herself believed that her wonderful price thousand two hundred. To celebrate, she decided to thank me - to show something I have not seen, and led to her friend, the widow of the director of railways in France. We go into a house in the Parc Monceau. Right in the corridor two five-meter Picasso. This is me, of course, do not be surprised. But the door opens into the living room, and tapeworm: twelve paintings on the walls of Giuseppe Arcimboldo highest class and quality! For your information: the Uffizi this level works only two, and then twelve in the same room!

- To get just one?

- What are you, who sells Arcimboldo left and right! But I was happy by the fact that he saw these works. But in fact in France I bought a lot of things. And bought mainly from Bernard Steinitz, who is considered a collector's number one there. Incidentally, the former meat cutters in the belly of Paris ...

Here, we have also had many interesting things. Marshal Zhukov's daughter sold the tapestries of the XV century. I asked them to wait two weeks, I had no money. But they do not have to wait and have sold the Hermitage, and would get twice as much. Also, I know where there are several wonderful Cranach, I know who bought the restorative Sebastiano del Piombo ...

After the war, along with various trophy trash was brought to us many masterpieces. For example, the marshals were allowed to bring trophies to eight cars, army generals - three, Major-General - one. Everything else is ruthlessly detach and distributed to museums or spread out on the "Mosfilm" as decorations.

Back in 1992, in Germany, together with Hans-Dietrich Genscher, I participated in the television show devoted to restorative values. And because the accusations against our country, it was a lot, had to remind that these cultural values ​​given to us not just that the other scale almost thirty million dead and half of Russia in ruins. Note: "Here you are complaining that you got poor and plundered Germany. Then sell the Dresden Gallery, which you received safe and sound, and even restored by the upper class. Its price is that for the money, both in Germany can feed and water for a hundred years. " Here they are silent. And then the sound is another question: "Did you know that the Schliemann gold collection is kept in the storerooms of the Pushkin Museum?" I confirmed that it is no secret and, in my opinion, from the very beginning there was nothing to hide that gold Schliemann at us. We are not only winners but also the main victims of the war, so we do not make excuses to anyone.

- Is it true that antiques in itself becomes a rarity?

- This is a fallacy. Even in ancient Rome believed that antiques anymore. Everything is, nothing has disappeared, only becoming more and more expensive.

And then that means no more antiques? Here's an old Italian cabinet work. In Russia, from Rome, it brought another uncle of Peter I Leo K. Naryshkin, who led the Ambassadorial Department. And the story of this remarkable cabinet. At first he was in the house Naryshkins in Moscow, then moved to their palace in St. Petersburg, and after the revolution was Zinaida Gippius, who was leaving for Paris, presented his studio, and half a century in the closet kept a rag and a broom. He was black and was breathing its last. I brought it home in parts, but when we gathered with his conservator, it turned out - there is no loss.

- Atmosphere apartment-museum on the psyche is no pressure?

- On the contrary. Wake up, open your eyes and you see on the opposite wall Netherlands primitives ... Fifteen minutes of great mood is guaranteed.

- Flats are already picking up the exhibit?

- No, I just brought it in original condition. Under Soviet rule, there were communal, and before the revolution - the Moscow State Duma building, and in one of my apartment as if he lived Milyukov.

- Sami restavriruete their work?

- What are you! I'm even sitting cat, rear view, I can not draw. I have no artistic ability at all there, so I became a collector. But collectors of art for some reason can not be obtained. Apparently, to each his own
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