This was the reason that the provincial museums are scattered some of Russian avant-garde?

- In general, according to the documents had been sent somewhere around 1000 paintings, but still was a sculpture, graphics. Only a few thousand units were sent out across the province in different cities - 20-30 - 40 pieces of ... Of course, conducted documentation, signed by all, the museum sent the paper in the museum office on receipt of a number of works. But almost no one city is no museum of modern art has been established. It was such a utopian idea that has not been realized. Nevertheless, the work remained in those cities. At first they were kept in the old museum, if any, if not, maybe someone at home. Pretty soon they found themselves in local history in the main museums. And kept there for many years.

And were not in demand?

- Well, of course - to almost 1930 of them are forgotten altogether. Then began the struggle against formalism. First in Moscow and Leningrad, but later has come to the province. And then there were some orders coming from the Ministry of Culture, or, as it was then called, People's Commissariat of Cultural Affairs, the destruction of formalist paintings ideologically harmful, unnecessary to the Soviet people. For example, in Khabarovsk destroyed all that was there - probably a few dozen jobs. There were famous names: the Rodchenko and Popova ... And in some cities, people still knew it was a kind of cultural value, and tried to hide, perhaps, risked their lives. If a person defended is art, it was seen as an ideological diversion. The museum was a wonderful director Samara Annette Yakovlevna Bass, she told me that himself hid work in the 1950s (1953 was the last order of destruction). That they then hid the work, and they survived. In Samara, a beautiful collection of Russian avant-garde. In general, the fate of these works is sad. More than half of them disappeared.

_ It is this situation is the source of the finds and discoveries that occur in the Russian avant-garde in our time?

- Of course! Much is lost not only the destruction, but also during the war. Yes, and even before the war, museums to exchange their funds, and sometimes it was done without any lists, and just like that.

I'll tell you, I started doing it. Somewhere in the late 1980s I went to the State Archive of Literature and Art, and there were lists where that went. I do not want to say that I was a pioneer, because until I have people learn about these lists. But I was lucky to get a large number of museums first. I took the list and went. If in Samara was Annette Yakovlevna, who knew all about the avant-garde, and there was no one to enlighten it was not necessary, then in other cities it was different. When I arrived at the Kirov, carried out bins, remember, Kandinsky, Ilya Mashkov, a small beautiful thing Rodchenko: black and white lines on a green background. And I explained to them that this is a great value that the West is a great value and in general it is our heritage. Then ask, what else is there? The graphics are? Yes, there is. Bring a large stack of sheets, no inventory number. Somewhere lying under the stairs, to me, apparently, no one was flipping through. A work in this pack have been invaluable, 1920. There have been no large quantities, but there were pupils of Malevich, and it is also very valuable now. One born in Vyatka he studied under Malevich in Vitebsk. Vitebsk went and took something from him. By the way, there in this pile, and was a drawing by Kandinsky. Surprisingly, it's all lying and no one in the head did not even open.

Near the small town of Kirov is Slobodskoe, and there is a museum discovered the finest work of the avant-garde - four great great pictures Rozanova, elegant painterly composition Popova "Picturesque Architectonics" - the work is similar in Yaroslavl. All got there in 1919 and 70 years of lying, and no one has seen or touched, not pulled out. It was interesting to go so. Every time I've been waiting kakihto surprises, and each time they were. In Astrakhan, when I asked whether Russian avant-garde, headmistress asked: "What? Cubes, squares? Yes, we have. " So they drew: Malevich, Kandinsky ...

But you already went to the list, knowing that at some museum sent it?

- Yes. I went with copies of archival documents. I, of course, not all museums could get, even though they were business trips from the publisher. But within a half years I have traveled the cities and twenty. Then I published a book entitled "The Unknown Russian avant-garde in museums and private collections" (1992).

The book was long-lived, it still link. I'm dug into the archives and found unknown biographical information about many of the artists.

What about all knew Kandinsky, Malevich, too, about, and about Victor Palmov, or Ivan the Cluny, or Michael Le Dante (the list goes on) did not know almost nothing. It is now also artists of first rank. Since the book was a valuable resource, especially for the museum staff, help in the museum business.

I must say that the search for new things are still going on. Now I'm involved in a program where we decided to go through all of the new museums.

 This is a government program?

- No, this fund Potanin, a private initiative. The program is called "The Museum of Artistic Culture," as generally referred to these museums, which was supposed to open in the province in the early 1920s. And now, the program written letters to all museums, it appears that the left does not exist. I recently went to a city in Central Russia, where it was found three works by unknown artists. About one was written, it's futuristic design "Mayakovsky," Bug. " I am in complete ignorance of going there and seeing the excellent work of Ivan Cluny, Suprematist work of Olga Rozanova, also a great artist, who died early. It was a revelation!

Then I think: why is "Bug"? Where did this bug? I looked on the back in pencil is written Klyun "Klyun." It is clear - once read as "The Bug". Well, for the consciousness of Soviet man - if the "Bug", the Mayakovsky. But the picture is nothing to do with Mayakovsky has not.

So that the findings hold, I think it will be more.

Tell me please, and the first in Soviet post-war times, George Dionisovich Costakis began to look for?

- Well, anyway, so, practically, he was one of the first people began to gather ...

He accidentally discovered for themselves Klyun ...

- He has a small book of memoirs - he uttered them once - "My avant-garde," where he says that he started with the icons. But the icon in the 1960s are collected. And he began to think, what to collect, and then he got some work Liubov Popova, and he loved her terribly and just called Lyuba. Used to say: "Another job Lyubochka bought." And he was practically the first. _ That is, the return of Russian avant-garde, too, was a private initiative, not government?

- Of course, this was a private initiative in the 1960s. State initiative on the avant-garde began in the early 90's - overseas exhibitions, official Soviet. Then the Russian avant-garde began to carry abroad. It has already been assessed in the West, was worth millions. Showed the vanguard under the slogan "Art and Revolution." Interpreted as a vanguard revolutionary new art form that we once did not appreciate, and now I appreciate this is our heritage. And such exhibition traveled around the world. There was a kind of ideological trick, cunning attempt to justify their own ignorance. In practice, this was the same set of pictures. Incidentally, there was a lot of what I found in my time. And it was already profitable financial enterprise.

These works have not discredited the revolution?

- On the contrary, they confirm it.

 That is, until now Russian avant-garde art was maintained or a new type of collector Kostaki, or in the archives of the old type Khardzhiev. There were still some old collection?

- Yes, there were some old collections that are not specialized in the van, they specialize in the Silver Age, "Blue Rose", "art world", but there were also Russian avant-garde work in small quantities. And if we talk about the collections of avant-garde, this is, of course, in the first place and Kostaki Khardzhiev. These are two of the mastodon. At the same time - the antipodes.

Khardzhiev all his life guard, collecting archives. He was familiar with Malevich and Matyushin, and even on his initiative, Malevich wrote his memoirs. This is absolutely authentic fact. But fate Khardzhiev very sad. So he was a man - he hated the Soviet regime, he was afraid of all, no one trusted. And his collection as a result of scattered in different parts of the world, and as a whole does not exist. Thank God, now Khardzhiev archive, which is unique and the largest collection of documents on Russian avant-garde, are merged. While he was still divided. One part is stored in the Netherlands and was open to researchers. The other part came in RGALI and was not available. Now this part of Moscow's offer, and soon the two parts are connected. Holland gives all the originals in Moscow, but Moscow gives up its part of the Netherlands.

For me, as for all those involved in the vanguard, this event is of great importance. In 1997 I published a two volume work Khardzhiev. But they were only previously published work, and the file was not available. After the death of Khardzhiev when the archive has been divided, I saw one of the first part of the Dutch Ministry of Culture as an expert. Hardzhievsky archive stored in the Amsterdam Stedelijk Museum. There had been brought over hundreds of boxes, and we dissected them, watched and recorded, that they contain. For several days I worked on this. The film was terrible, because then I think that in Russia these valuable archival documents will not return. And there was an unpublished article on Malevich's impressionism, autographs Khlebnikov, his unpublished poems, many other rarities, I'm not talking about writing all the artists of the Russian avant-garde artists of all Russian avant-garde. But there were still things of the Khardzhiev: plates, clothes, some pots ... In general, there was a feeling of the human tragedy, total destruction and collapse so that the man all his life creating. And then I got into the closed part of the archive in RGALI already as an expert on criminal charges of illegal export values. The task was to determine the value of this part of the archive. It was interesting, but also funny - it was impossible to write anything down from what I saw there. It was winter, cold, heating not working, I was sitting in a warm jacket and then analyzed hardzhievskie folders and boxes. There was a sense of besieged Leningrad.

What is the fate of the closed part?

- Now, after an exchange with the Netherlands, the archive will be opened, and we will begin to publish it. There will be a multi-volume edition. For researchers will be part of an historic archive. A personal part of that is very Khardzhiev correspondence, his personal papers, will remain closed - at his request.

As for his paintings in his collection of paintings was ten Malevich, not to mention the hundreds of drawings, but it now knows where.

 Gone?

- Do not disappear. The fate of the collection is unknown, a picture is in the Japanese corporate meeting part of the paintings in Germany in a private collection, pictures - in the Stedelijk.

It is interesting to compare these two collectors - and Khardzhiev Kostaki ... One - is such a gloomy, miserly knight, if I may say so, and the second - a very open person. By the way, and the fate of the meeting Kostaki is completely different. Because when Kostaki was leaving, he received official permission to leave on condition that leaves part of the collection Tretyakov Gallery. And now, as they say people who are engaged in the selection of paintings, Costakis said: "Here, take this, this is a very good thing." And they said, "No, George Dionisovich do not, we already have many of the artist." - "No, this one more take, this is his best work." He tried to give the best to the museum. And in the Tretyakov collection since the avant-garde is very good. But on the other hand, the fact that he took with him to Greece for many years, lay in the family due to his eldest daughter, and as a result of the Greek government bought all the work. Now in Thessaloniki is a museum of modern art, it's almost museum-collection Kostaki. There are also unique things, a lot of work, and there is a wonderful director Maria Tsantsanoglu, which carries these works and in Paris and in New York and around the world ... Yes, during the life of Kostaki drove his work. These are the two antipodes - the most important collectors of Russian avant-garde.

I must say that thanks to Russian avant-garde Kostaki was rated very highly.

 Your father, Dmitry Sarabyanov, a professor of art history at Moscow State University, led by George Dionisovichu students in the 1970s.

- Yes, because Zapasnik Tretyakov was closed.

 The mass of students - art historians have been able to see the Russian avant-garde ... A Kostaki all blew. Any person who asked him, he blew.

- By the way, there is a more interesting is the parallels: between Kostaki and Russian collectors Shchukin beginning of the century, Morozov, Riabouchinsky, who also had the unique characters. They collected the French avant-garde art, while the French themselves did not buy the Picasso. Shchukin bought Picasso, Morozov bought Picasso and Matisse. And Matisse, as we know, came to Moscow and decorated Morozov's mansion with his famous "Dancing." Watch the French in the Shchukin collection, and it was opened, there were Malevich, Larionov, Goncharova, Cluny, in general, all the Russian avant-garde. And it gave a big push and it was one of the reasons for take-off Russian avant-garde. And Kostaki. He patronized many artists nonconformist sixties. In Kostaki they saw Russian avant-garde, which also served as an inspiration for them.

 In the list that you went to museums, about a thousand units. How many found? Dozens, hundreds?

- I'm in the book was published, probably two hundred works, but it was the best yet, and found more. Found, perhaps, two hundred and fifty - fourth. But it's given that I do not got to all museums. I think that about fifty percent still survived. And fifty were killed. I do not think that the work was stolen. In those years, the value of this art, no one understood. This is true for many people was rubbish.

Incidentally, there are some very interesting documents 30s, the so-called acts of liquidation, which simply lists of works intended for destruction. There are hundreds of jobs. A huge number of works Rozanova, for example. Most likely, many works were destroyed as having no artistic value. There is not very clear, because at the end of the lists are usually written: to destroy or transfer on sale. That's what it means to "pass on sale"? Maybe something fell into private hands, to collectors. And something destroyed, of course.

Such a fate provokes a certain amount of work just for the production of fakes, if these people have these same lists?

- Well, the lists do not need to do fake work. The main reason that fakes have appeared and continue to appear in large numbers, is that demand breeds supply. Demand for the avant-garde is very high. Many private wealthy collectors willing to pay big money for pictures of Russian avant-garde. And these pictures on the market for nearly gone. They all have long settled in collections, museums and so on. So fake. And if ten years ago, falsified, such as Kandinsky, Malevich, and now even third-rate artists fake, because they are now also very expensive. And it's a never-ending stream. The latest example - Larionov and Goncharova, especially Goncharova.

Goncharova poor "lucky", of course. She chose this subject because it is an artist, belonging to two cultures, two countries. Until 1915 she lived in Russia since 1915 - in France. And it still seemed to be unable to divide. Russian part of the published well, the French part - worse. But the all-inclusive work, where everything would be written - they are not. And then came the catalog-Raisonné (catalogueraisonne) - the complete catalog of all products Goncharova. It was published this year in France. There 600 rooms, of which 350, according to experts - fraud. It was a noisy story about her a lot of writing, and now, unfortunately, it died out. Ministry of Culture would like to file a lawsuit in France over the story, but, in my opinion, nothing happens. Anyway, I have not heard of such a lawsuit is filed.

 In some cases, come up with the history of counterfeiting? When preparing major exhibitions or when there are any sales, auctions?

- You know, because buyers there are two kinds. There are enlightened, and there are dark. For dark enough to have a hands-Raisonné directory, where this work was published. And here it is sold at auction for a million dollars. They are of course, buy it because it has already been published, all written here, some scientists have names, all published, the chic is fat. What else you need? What is the evidence?

 A responsible publisher? That they pay the owners of these fakes?

- Well ordered publication ... Publisher there even really is not specified.

For a publisher, no one knows.

It is clear that we are talking about huge money. But, thank God, Russia has already started talking about this falsification, therefore, may be for sale will not be as successful as planned.

Planned here or there?

- The story of Goncharova - is an international story. There's also involved the French and Russian. Who does it, I do not know. I saw this place, there can be falshaka identify a few hands. Not a performer.

You even can define the number of hands?

- Well, of course. But the point of absurdity comes. For example, Goncharova has a picture of "cyclist" in 1912, and these "bikers" in the directory has about five or six. They go in different directions on the same street. But made a completely different hand, some rough daub.

If each of the 350 works expose a serious examination, it is possible to prove that it is a fake?

- Of course. Surely there will be not the paint and not the canvas. But, not only in the catalog-Raisonné there is an item required to be filled, so to speak, a world standard, "provenance work," that is where it came from, its origin. Nor about any of these works does not say where she is. Everywhere it is written: "private collection". About the work of Goncharova, written by her before leaving Russia, we know almost everything. For an idea of ​​where they were stored, how they came to the West, or what remained in Russia. Suddenly, three hundred and fifty new works and all - Russian period! Where did they come suddenly in the West? How did they get there?

Apparently, that's just fate. Revolution, war, persecution, and so on. Because hardly anyone now will make Miro and Braque? It is much harder.

- More difficult, of course.

And in Russia, first of all, there was a surge of different talents, and a huge amount of work has disappeared ...

- Yes, and the second - this is a historical situation. Come prove that it was in the 20s in the Russia. Now among the fakes come across things supposedly from some cellars of the Cheka-PDB, as if seized in the 20-30s, and now fired on the market.

 That is a "real masterpiece" is necessary and appropriate legend?

- Exactly. But it is the most common way. They say, some old woman lay on the suburban attic in a roll ... Although so, too, had happened.

And, perhaps, still are, that's what is most striking! And not just in a museum, but also in some cottage can be found ...

- The work, which I found recently, have been folded into a roll and lay there from 1919 to the museum. They had not been touched. Well, lay and lay their cases missing.

Neither the collectors nor the auctions are not interested in seeing these ugly stories of fraud surfaced. Still, the publicity is going on. In what cases?

- I do not want to pull the blanket over. But in this situation, the story of Goncharova's next. In 2010 he published a book, a monograph on Goncharova one of the famous English art critic. I counted in her seventy nonconforming work. It is suspicious of. Previously, they were not published anywhere, it is unknown where they came from. I can not call them fakes, because they did not hold in their hands, not investigated. But to say that they do not like Goncharov, I can. I then wrote an article, and she had some resonance. International Society on contemporary Russian culture, which is the author of the monograph, prepared a letter that supposedly well-known art historian vilified and that the Russian did not allow anyone to explore creativity Goncharova, and only they can do it, etc. Then he took some some meetings, hearings, letters poured, was sitting in the Public Chamber, where I did post about this story. Then there was the Congress in St. Petersburg Association of Russian collectors and antique dealers, they have devoted an entire issue of falsification of a meeting. And the interviews with representatives of the Ministry, who said that they opened a criminal case against the French publisher, who published it all. But so far, it seems to me nothing not budge.

 Still, collectors insure their collections, especially the work of this level. Are the insurers are not interested in a thorough study to not pay premiums for a fake?

- Well, this practice probably exist. I do not know about Goncharova, insure it or not. This is all recent history, may still ahead, maybe even insure. But enough for the insurer in the directory publishing-Raisonné. He will say: "Yes it's published work." You can always say that it is a personal opinion of one expert and that he thinks so. A judge who wrote a monograph, considers that it is real work. And nobody can prove.

While we will not sit down and do not investigate this picture. And if we did not find any chemical paint was invented in the 1990s, then generally proves nothing. All will remain at the level of personal opinion. I think so, but he believes that this script.

 So, a historian of Russian vanguard had to deal with detective work involving a danger?

- In a sense, yes.

I had a story about the way your grandfather, Lev Alexandrovich Bruni. It was my own fault. I have published a monograph on Bruni one image, which ten years ago I was given, a French landscape, house, river. In color is very similar to Bruni and bold signature "L. Bruni. " In French. Lev was in France in 1912, briefly studied there. And I think, like Bruni. Bruni confirmed authorship, and published it in his book.

Thereafter sent another work Bruni, the same landscape, but more toxic paints and has, of course, is not similar to Bruni. And then send another reproduction: a baker depicted, some lady with an umbrella ... And all signed "A. Bruni. " And all the things any ... like these, but not Lev. In general, it became clear that this artist Leonora Bruni, an Italian who lived in the same years 1910-1920 in Paris, and wrote these pictures, and they are not at auction are absolutely nothing, but as they already Lev Bruni cost money. And now in Moscow, probably have a dozen "Lions Bruni" somewhere in private collections. These stories sometimes occur. And in some cases - fatally, as the story of Goncharova. I do not know what now must make the effort to clean up the reputation of Goncharova, so it was again the one previous ... Because these falshaka monstrous quality, and have already created some new history of the Russian avant-garde. They have so many - thousands of pictures! Lentulov fake a lot, Malevich, Goncharova, Larionov, Tatlin, Klyun. It turns out alternative history of Russian art. While some experts have written the whole poem about these works, just read.

 The level of fraud is comparable to the vanguard of what's happening in classical art?

- This compares with icons. Of course, in Russia the most counterfeited now, avant-garde, in second place - the icon - the third Aivazovsky and his ilk, the realism of the XIX century. But now with realism as a more difficult it became. Because there was loud story, when it was discovered that the paintings were purchased by Scandinavian artists of the same time somewhere in the auction in Scandinavia. There pririsovyvali some Russian churches, domes somewhere in the woods or a woman in a kerchief and put a fake signature, using some clever technology, so it did not yield any investigation. And selling is much more expensive, as the masters of Russian realism. In the past ten years, this trend was very fashionable among wealthy collectors - to collect some of Aivazovsky, Kiseleva. Aivazovsky - understandable. And some Kiselev - a little-known landscape painter, and it just tore to pieces. And it did Kiselev of the Germans, and have done quite a lot of work. But since one of the fakes hit the Constantine Palace, then immediately it began to spin. Sellers, at least, found it.

 Artists-modernists declared limited edition works of art repetitions. Contemporary artists reproduce the entire installation, a replica, exposing them as independent works of art, rejecting the idea of ​​authorship.

- It fits perfectly into the idea of ​​postmodernism, and that's fine. But then that is another story, when an artist signs a painting is not his name, and the name of Natalia Goncharova, and sell it as Goncharova. This is not postmodernism, but a crime.

DOSSIER

Kostaki Dionisovich George (1913-1990), founder of the largest private collection of Russian avant-garde and contemporary art, artists, nonconformists. Born in Moscow into a family of Greek merchant. He served in the 1930 technical officer in the Greek embassy, ​​then - Canadian assistant warden. Since 1946, focused on collecting works of Russian avant-garde. The first was the "green bar" O. Rozanova. In 1979 the family moved to Costakis of the Soviet Union to Greece, leaving part of the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery. Another part was the basis of the museum in Thessaloniki.

DOSSIER

Khardzhiev Nikolai Ivanovich (1903-1996), writer, historian of the Russian literary and artistic avant-garde, a collector, a lawyer by education. Born in the Armenian-Greek family in Kakhovka, after graduating from the University of Odessa, went to Moscow, where he entered the circle Tynianov, Eichenbaum, Shklovsky, made friends with the Futurists, the younger opoyazovtsami. Commented on and edited works of Khlebnikov, Mayakovsky, Mandelstam. Akhmatova devoted Khardzhiev a number of poems. Vladimir Favorskii illustrated his story "Janissaries." Author of the biographical book about Fedotov. Assembled an important collection of Russian avant-garde artists, book publications and documents of the era. In 1993 he emigrated to Holland. After his death in Amsterdam working "Fund Khardzhiev-fungus.


http://www.odnako.org/magazine/material/show_13744/