George Costacis: a collector of priceless history, which was regarded as rubbish

[Евгений]

Name George Kostaki inextricably linked with the history of Russian avant-garde 1910's - 1930's. Malevich, Kandinsky, Chagall, Rodchenko, Kliun, Popova, Filonov - just a few of the most prominent names in reality, the collection Kostaki collected in 40 th - 70 th of last century, containing the works of dozens of artists, many of which otherwise would have been forgotten. Collector-taught, became a true connoisseur of forgotten art in the Soviet Union, Costacis put life trying to save for Russia, the names of its artists. Collection Kostaki was so huge on value and size, that when the front of the forced emigration of 1978, he donated most of the work of the Tretyakov Gallery, the remaining part was enough for a museum in Greece. On the life and works of the collector told his daughter Aliki Kostaki. Interviewed by Aleksey Bogdanovsky.
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Costacis George died in 1990 at the age of 76 years. We sit with Aliki Costakis at her home in the northern suburb of Athens, in the same room where it was when an elderly and ailing George Dionisovich, looking out the window on the slopes of Mount Pentelikon.

"He was a passionate man. Whatever he did - he caught the fish, trees planted, he did everything like crazy. So he took up and avant-garde, when bumped into a vein, almost no one knows," - says Aliki.
Born in Russia, a Greek, George Kostaki worked at Western embassies in Moscow - first driver, then the administrator. The passion for collecting began in his early life, from "small Dutch", silver, porcelain, he moved to the tapestry, later - to the icons. In the early postwar years Costacis accidentally saw a familiar picture of Olga Rozanova "green bar" - and the vanguard of the sick.

From the Stalin years, when the collection began to abusive swearing Khrushchev to the artists and the "Bulldozer Exhibition" 70's - the collection of modern art was a matter of unsafe and contrary to the official ideology. But even more than the hostility of the authorities, threatened this art oblivion.

The Western press has repeatedly voiced accusations collector for what he had paid relatively little money for art, which is now worth millions. But we should not forget that the administrator of the Canadian Embassy could not have the financial capacity caressed by the official authorities of the artists, songwriters and other wealthy people who collected art. Those who remember Kostaki, tell us about how he supported financially young artists, relatives departed masters.

But the main thing - the avant-garde works in those times had no value because they were considered garbage, not seeing them as worthless. "Above him almost laughing. At that nobody believed, because we believed that it collects trash, it will never be recognized and appreciated that he was simply engaged in some kind of devilry," - said Aliki Costakis.

One of the works of Lyubov Popova, a large plywood sheet, Costacis found in Zvenigorod near Moscow: picture scored the window opening. He remembers his daughter Dionisovicha George: "She did not realize because they had nothing to board up windows.'s Father went to work: Thank God, there were boxes. He asked the caretakers to cut a sheet of plywood, I went and gave this piece, but instead received Popov.

Museum in the apartment

When the collection became known in 1960-1970's, began to say that Costacis possessed a unique flair for high-class product. This instinct has been particularly valuable in the years when there was neither recognized avant-garde in the Soviet Union, and the West. George Dionisovich possessed and the entrepreneurial streak, which is needed for every collector: for much of his work he acquired through exchange, and it sometimes was very clever deal.

However, collecting the paintings was not for him an end in itself. Kostaki wanted to show these works to people. "It was his mission. He not only assembled this collection, but has shown so that we had a house-museum. To us with almost nine in the morning until late at night every day people came. And he never refused anyone, even any - a boy from the village ... I never said: I'm busy, I'm sick - said Aliki Costakis. - One evening I came home from work. I opened the elevator. sits uncle. His table, and he, with a list in hand, asked me : what is your name? "It came to 90 people from the Institute of Architecture.

 
The apartment came Costacis students, artists, and then pulled and Western art historians, curators, politicians and celebrities simply: from Richter to Igor Stravinsky, from Marc Chagall to Edward Kennedy. Gradually the house became Costacis Moscow landmark, and it is unlikely to please the Soviet authorities.

Kostaki initially sought to transfer his collection to the State, but with the proviso that it was exhibited. "My kids do not like the dark, they like light," - he spoke about the pictures.

Aliki Costakis remembers that even in the 60 years George Dionisovich spoke with the Minister of Culture of the USSR Catherine Furtseva the unthinkable in those days to: a Moscow museum of modern art, which he could transfer his collection.

Second similar project Costacis plotted in the early 70's with the director of the Russian Museum in Leningrad Basil Pushkariov. "They prepared a fraud - to move the collection to the Russian Museum in Leningrad, to hang on the walls without prior arrangement, but in no case shall transmit to the basement ... It seems that they Pushkariov could agree on this, as the two boys" - recalls Aliki Kostaki. However, this plan failed: George Dionisovich understood that for such a friend of his put out of the leadership of the museum, and the picture will go into the dusty Zapasnik where he least wanted to see them.

"It should belong to Russia"

Kostaki tensions with the Soviet authorities, although he tried to avoid any clashes gradually increased. Collector unofficial art, direct and open person, he was for many a thorn in the side. Aliki Costacis recalls that the harassment began with the defeat of the authorities "Bulldozer exhibition of contemporary artists in 1974. "For art it was like a bloody Sunday. He then walked over to some official and said:" What are you doing, you're worse than Nazis! "Imagine, in Soviet times, saying such goons. And then this phrase we have all gone bad" .

Double robbed the apartment, disappeared work by Kandinsky, set fire to his dacha, where missing wonderful icons. Kostaki began to fear for themselves and their children.

The way out of this provision was a deal between the collector and the authorities - he gave a gift to the Tretyakov Gallery for about 80%of their collections, and in return he could go abroad, leaving a small portion of the work to feed their families. "Nobody wanted to emigrate, we did not think that when something go away. Give the collection, share it for my father was very hard," - said Aliki Kostaki. For each collector assembly - this is his life, and George Dionisovich paintings called their children.

When experts came to take pictures of the Tretyakov Gallery, Kostaki gave them the best of its enormous collection of more than two thousand works. Alik said Kostaki: "In the West, was a relatively small portion of the work. Their number was great, but the most significant remaining in Russia. Such as" Portrait Matyushina Malevich, tatlinsky relief, huge bilateral Popova's work, "Red Square" by Kandinsky. All this He selected and said: "It should remain in Russia".

The idea that it is only a custodian of art, which subsequently should belong to Russia, directs the actions of Kostaki and when it is actually forced to abandon the collection and to emigrate. "He had a strange kind of patriotism" - said of Costacis help transfer collections Deputy Director Vitaly Tretyakov Manin.

Thus, the collector pointed to employees galleries, what jobs to take, leaving them better. "A well-known art critic Dmitry Sarabyanov said that he would shut the belt of any art critic to his theme," - explains Aliki Kostaki.

Kostaki himself said in an interview for a biographical book by Peter Roberts: "I was able to collect these things that have been lost, forgotten, thrown out by the authorities, I saved them, and this is my contribution. But this does not mean that they belong to me or those who I'll give them. They belong to Russia, they must belong to the people of Russia.

As said later deputy director general of Science of the State Tretyakov Gallery, Lydia Iovleva, "is no exaggeration to say that since the time of Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov was not in Russia as a generous giver, a more extensive collection of Russian avant-garde 1910-1920's, which has collected and donated to the Tretyakov gallery famous Russian Greek.

Left, Costacis settled in Greece. Here, in the historic homeland George Dionisovicha and after his death, decided, finally, the fate of the remainder of the collection.

Costacis and Greece

Through the efforts of relatives of people managed to keep the collection whole and not to give her after her father break up in pieces or be the subject of Crown disputes.
When George Dionisovich died in 1990, his daughter, in cooperation with the Greek curator Anna Kafetsi started preparing a major exhibition in Athens Pinakothek. This exhibition was held in 1995-96 and enjoyed huge success, largely determined the fate of the collection. To display was prepared by a two-volume directory describes the collection in detail.
Evangelos Venizelos, former Minister of Culture of Greece, decided that the collection Costacis must be purchased by the Greek State. This happened in 2000.

Aliki Costakis I asked how it was that Greece, which did not have their own traditions of avant-garde, has decided to acquire the collection. "Because he was a Greek. Just so, not because it was a Russian avant-garde. Of course, it was a Russian avant-garde, which has become very well known, which took place around the world show, and at the Royal Academy, and the Guggenheim Museum in famous museum. There was a collection name, yes, but he was a Greek, and for the Greeks it was extremely important. "

Now for a collection created by the Museum of Modern Art in Thessaloniki, which is headed by having spent many years in Russia, an art historian and researcher of contemporary Russian painting Maria Tsantsanoglu. Now, Greece is almost unexpectedly turned out to be "exporter" of the Russian Avant-Garde: the exhibition collections Costacis still go around the world with great success. Unfortunately, Russia, a larger part of the collection has not yet billed as a whole.

For the first time acquainted with the collection Kostaki, art historian Margit Rowell said: "The history of art of the twentieth century must be to rewrite." Dream Aliki Costacis remains to organize the centennial of her father in 2013, an exhibition of works stored in Russia and Greece. This prevents a number of legal technicalities: in the hands of the heirs Kostaki were only instruments of transfer work Tretyakov, but no formal decision on the transfer of the Central Committee of the collection, while the acquisition by Greece as part of the work should be properly documented in Russia. All this would help to avoid legal uncertainty and a time to reunite the famous collection under one roof.


Greece and Russia connects Orthodox religion, the centuries-old history of friendly relations. In the last decade to add to this collection and Kostaki rights pereupryamivshego not only friends, art critics, denying the vanguard of future success, but also the very era hostile to this art. Before I came to the recognition of the names of dozens of Russian avant-garde, George Kostaki they have gathered these artists, their work literally saved from complete oblivion and destruction. Now his collection, although divided between the two countries, maintains the internal integrity and not yet fully open: so few visitors to the Tretyakov Gallery know the extent of the contribution of George Kostaki, and for many separate exhibition of the collection would have been a revelation.

Well-known British artist, Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller told in an interview that seen in London's Royal Academy exhibition of works from the collection of Kostaki made a tremendous impression on him and determined the further artistic path. There is no doubt that Russia and the audience deserves such impressions.

"I understand that my father's name will not be forgotten, but this should be done Still a bit more," - concluded Aliki Kostaki.
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1.Georgy Kostaki daughter Alyx. Island of Spetses, Greece
2.Rabota Lyubov Popova. Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki