- Best ! I suppose it's about a third of the collection, but the most significant . Selected to show one work , and it was our mutual choice with the Pushkin Museum . Some , unfortunately, are not included in the exposure for purely technical reasons, there was something too ambitious , such as " Luxury Room " Kabakov ( its size is approximately two to three meters ) , or too sensitive to all kinds of movements like " winter " Erik Bulatov .
- What the artist in the collection MAGMA do you allocate and what ?
- Once one of Falk's students asked him what he thought of Chaim Soutine . And he replied: " Imagine that Falk - is one horsepower and Soutine - one ." Here the artist poorly known , although he was born in the Russian Empire , and in this exhibition can be seen , perhaps for the first time , one of the most outstanding collections of Soutine . And this is very important because there is an artist who has had a greater impact on the modern development of the most important trends in art . We can say that all American Expressionists - students Soutine , not in reality , but in a moral sense . And he believed Modigliani , Soutine that - genius, and he - no . Low self-esteem , in general, I noticed peculiar genius , as Falk and Modigliani . In short , it is important to prove that Bacon and others - followers Soutine , and understand why. I think it is very symbolic that we show in our work the best Russian , 90 percent of whom purchased abroad. About Russia know that we - a great resource power, space and more about ballet, but there is also this dimension, that Russia is not borrowed from Western art , and , on the contrary , during the vanguard occupied leading positions .
And, of course , the exhibition presents Repin and Serov .
© Christie 's
Ilya Repin's painting " Paris Cafe "
- These artists you may be familiar with from childhood. Were already some prerequisites that have shaped your passion for collecting?
- Most of my first encounters with art were quite superficial . In Soviet times, art , and especially good , anywhere except in one or two commission shops , there was nowhere to buy. Of course , there was a closed world of collectors , but neither I nor my family were not well received there . But I remember going to a friend's father Semyon spines and Irina Lisitsyna which to seeds was married to the famous St. Petersburg - Moscow lawyer , who had at that time a huge collection - 30-40 of famous names . I remember that for me, it did not make any impression - no Levitan nor Aivazovsky . But the experience of school visits Tretyakov were very strong : I thought creations that I saw there , created celestials . It was like going to heaven.
- They say that your first acquisition was the " Rape of Europa " Serov, is it really?
- My first purchase was a real picture of the XIX century, Van de Blass "Girl Gathering Grapes " painting , which sold at auction. That's when I felt the taste of the excitement and auction purchases. At the same auction for sale of property Villa Diodati , where Byron once lived , I bought three of the Geneva landscape. One of them was a picture of the villa itself is 200 years ago. This picture was very heavy , about 40 pounds, but it did not bother me . When I see what I like to do , I realize that I can not live without it . And if I firmly believe that some work needed for my collection , I shall not give it to anyone .
- Pyotr Aven said many times , as still regrets that he was unable to buy Serov, and now this picture of you . About it, you also know that to live without it can not ?
© RIA Novosti . Vladimir Vdovin|Buy this image
Serov painting " The Rape of Europa "
- It was in 1997. Mom always said that we should make a family portrait - senior after leaving. And I asked a good friend Dmitry Zhylinski write it . Weight was made sketches , we talked a lot and he told me that he is a distant cousin of Valentin Serov . Well said and said . After a while one dealer from Cologne tells me - go to the Tretyakov Gallery , exchange views . We go into the hall Serov , and there hang two of his works on the same topic , and one friend of mine said that one of them sold and even have some competition . You can imagine how arranged businessman . When something nobody wants , then it - too. But when there is competition - is another matter . Especially because by the time the concept of the collection was formed and it was important to start correctly . Thought to start a collection with such a landmark work seemed very exciting ! Then I remembered what he said Žilina , asked me to introduce the owners and the issue was resolved very quickly.
- On the museum's collection MAGMA you say that it is " very Russian and very Jewish ." This concept, you are guided from the outset?
- After I took a few steps on the principle of gathering prettiness or reasons of that just would be nice to have it, I began to tire of mindless hoarding . I do often haphazard development begins to weigh anything. Life for me is becoming disgusting, I feel like I 'm doing something wrong. I began to think , and gradually began to emerge concept collection of Russian and Jewish art . This coincided with another process : the moment I began to clearly emerge orientation in their own lives .
© Photo : Press Service Forum " Let My People Live ! "
Kantor re-elected head of the Russian Jewish Congress, European
- Have you had any advisers who helped find a thing or make the right choice ?
- Next to me were three people who helped me to create my concept: well-known human rights lawyer and my neighbor Geneva Alexander Tikhonov , critic and painter Eugene Drums Grisha Bruskin - well-educated , intelligent man and a gifted artist whose work later took their place in the museum's collection MAGMA . It is in conversations with him and began to emerge concept collection of Russian and Jewish art .
On one of his works connected with the export of the dramatic story of Russia , which Grisha sketched the original image colors to some soap base . So she put up for auction , there is an active trade with Tsimerli Art Museum of New Jersey, and I win this fight , could not do otherwise . Was another German gallerist , who offered to take me on Russian and English museums and tell me about painting everything he knows . I agreed and in museum campaigns , we agreed that if he would buy me something on the auction, will receive a commission . However, I did through him and not purchased , because everything he proposed , I did not like . At this point we parted. Nevertheless, I am grateful for the fact that he introduced me to the work of El Lissitzky and avant-garde art of the first wave of the twentieth century .
- What are , in your opinion , should have a collector, and to take only the right decision about buying this or that work ?
- I remember this case. I wanted to buy a very long work of Marc Chagall " Pink Lovers" , just fell in love with this picture, it hung reproductions me everywhere. The first attempt was made to buy Chagall , when the market was a rumor that the collection sold Abram Chudnovsky . By the time he had already passed away and she belonged to his son. I spent five or seven years continuous talks with him , but in the end it turned out that he was not at all collections . Long before I started negotiations , he sold it for some miserable money . And once Chudnovsky said to me: "Glory , and that you actually take the time ? I - game , and you - the hunter, and you have to hunt down me ." Thus, the collector can be compared with the hunter . Some people are lucky and someone - no .
- It is believed that the meeting can tell a lot about the owner - remember those same Shchukin and Morozov , who collected some names , but the collection was quite different. Do you agree with this opinion ?
- Private collection - it's a way of expression . I think that present themselves with a collection is not very productive. I believe that the " present ," and " express yourself " - diametrically opposite things . Express themselves , to understand their own world , their system of values and preferences - it is much more precise definition of the purpose of collecting , as I understand it . This is the question posed to himself. I have no desire to show off a collection , I believe that nothing is impossible sacramental brag because that's what paid only to you. There is my personal collection of paintings, photographs and works of applied art .
- And how did the idea of creating a museum MAGMA?
- The first thought that came to my mind after I became the owner of " The Rape of Europa " - a masterpiece worthy of a more significant place than any private collection . This museum thing , and it should be in a museum . So, thanks to this great picture and the idea of the museum - a museum, which was not yet in sight. At the same time , and the name was born .
- Will create a permanent space MAGMA and if so, where ?
- While we have in the plan - the exhibition of the museum's collections in Russia, Europe and the United States . We believe our mobile museum , although we have a playground in Geneva, where it is theoretically possible to exhibit the collection by appointment. Small museums and exist throughout the world .
Create a permanent exhibition is planned after the exhibition will be held . Our plan - continued cultural and educational mission and the promotion of tolerance .
- Formed definitively whether the museum's collection , or it will be further developed ?
- In the future, the museum will develop both conceptually and geographically. Now the collection , which constitute the pride of the work of contemporary artists - in particular , the work of Bulatov, Kabakov , Bruskin , Victor Pivovarov , Yuri Cooper , Vladimir Yankylevsky , has about 250 works , mostly paintings .
RIA Novosti
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