And why buy it? And why is " a private person ?"
It appears it is a legal entity that is clearly an affiliate - " North-West Regional Fund for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities law enforcement agencies ."
We can only guess what happened there and how these " gifts" to the Hermitage (or city? ) Makes it possible for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg.
- That's it! That is the question . Well you beat me to the spot with this issue. But if you want you can answer on him. I have already said, I do not know . I do not know ! ( a ) :)

in this case was , as I say , not so. The bandits , were part of a fund appropriated other people's pictures of deception , and then with the help of budget organizations defined them in a museum. Money, of course, went to different pockets
  I understand that it took great efforts to expand this very clever and very secure security forces scheme back.
  Then the good guys seem to have prevailed . I would like to guess how the rest of today , but not sure of happy end

Under the layer of colorful looking Russian Museum
 

 
The newspaper "Kommersant", № 149 (4934), 14/08/2012
 
  
Under the layer of colorful looking Russian Museum
A copy of the paintings by Boris Grigoriev sold as the real
  

Pictures of "The Restaurant" was at least two: one is a criminal case, the other is kept in the Russian Museum
Photo: The Russian Museum
The State Russian Museum was involved in a scandal involving the sale of fake paintings of famous Russian painter Boris Grigoriev. Collector Andrey Vasilyev, who bought a fake painting a chain of intermediaries, the original of which is stored in the museum, I am sure that a copy or detailed photos for its manufacture have been made to the store. Persons involved in the scandal say nothing to do with fraud. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Culture are going to conduct an audit in the museum.
Investigation Department of the Petrograd district of Research Affairs in St. Petersburg opened a criminal case under Part 4 of Art. 159 of the Criminal Code ("Fraud in large-scale") on the application of well-known in the collector Andrei Vasilyev. The resolution states that the collector has suffered from the actions of "unidentified persons" who inflicted damage amounting to 7.9 million rubles. Note that the case was brought to the audit, which took almost a year.

Collector himself testified the police that the July 10, 2009 his old friend - publisher of books about Russian artists Leonid Shumakov offered him a painting by Boris Grigoriev's "Restaurant," written in 1913. Avant-garde artist Grigoriev escaped from Soviet Russia in 1919, crossed the Gulf of Finland on the boat, after which for years was removed from the art history of the country. In Europe, Boris Grigoriev, became popular for his illustrations and portraits - a few years ago the price of his paintings have soared rapidly: in 2004 his "Woman in the Hat" was sold at Sotheby `s auction for £ 588 thousand

As told "Kommersant" collector, before he bought from Mr. Shumakova pictures and asked to contact him if he knew of the sale of works from the famous collections or that have been published in catalogs before the Revolution. In this case, what happened - the publisher was soon sent him an e-mail photographs of works, among which were pictures of "restaurant" in the pages of pre-revolutionary edition of "My journal for the few" with stamps of the Imperial Public Library.

According to the seller, the picture came from an old collection of Leningrad, where she directly from the collection of its first owner, Vladimir Burtsev. In this case the publisher claimed, the authenticity of the pictures did not cause any doubts from the experts, in particular, employees of the Russian Museum Julia Solonovich. After a little haggling painting was bought for $ 250 thousand - the money was handed over cash in a flat collector.

According to "Kommersant" Mr. Vasiliev, receiving the picture, he found that it is somewhat different from the published catalog, but attributed this "work-retoucher edition." In March 2010, after the restoration of a small section of the work was presented at the Moscow exhibition "Parizhachi", where she saw a former expert at the Center Grabar Restoration Julia Rybakov, a collector reported that he got a fake, which it previously gave a negative opinion. This conclusion was based on the fact that in color, which was painted the picture used substances that were introduced much later than the author's death "in the restaurant." Later, the Russian Museum also recognized the painting a forgery.

Collector Vasiliev immediately demanded that the dealer gave him back his money without inflating the scandal, but he refused, saying that he was only an intermediary, and the work belonged to Elena Basner, for a long time to work in the Russian Museum. But the judge explained to the collector, the owner is not she a resident of Tallinn, Michael Aronson, the way previous convictions for theft, robbery and drug trafficking. As a result, the collector has filed suit against Mr. Shumakov - the process is still ongoing.

Already being the owner of a fake, Mr. Vasiliev discovered that the original film "The restaurant" is stored in the Russian Museum, where she enrolled in the 80s in the collection of Professor Boris Okunev, which was engaged in describing Ms. Basner. According to Mr. Vasilyev, high-quality copy of a picture could do in the museum or removed in the same detailed photos. On this occasion, he appealed to the Minister of Culture Vladimir Medina requested to verify the protection of assets of the Russian Museum. In the ministry of "Kommersant" reported that this audit will be conducted in the near future.

In the Russian Museum collector denied the claim. One of the preservation department heads Goldovsky Gregory said, "Kommersant" that the fraud, which suspect the museum "is absolutely impossible, based on the security system, issuing and copying of works." According to him, it is a product of 50 by 70 cm, which is up for all to see would be to take more than one day, and a copy would not be drawn from the museum - on all outputs are set police stations. As for the suspicions against Elena Basner, who worked at the Russian Museum until 2003, then, according to the interlocutor, "Y", "to imagine that she conceived and performed a crime can only be delirious." In turn, Ms. Basner told "Kommersant" that the beginning of a criminal investigation it can only be happy, because she is interested in the fact that law enforcement is objectively understood in this story. "I am confident in his own innocence," - she said, acknowledging that she received a picture of Michael Aranson, a criminal record which, according to an expert, it is not known. As Leonid Shumakova, he said, "Kommersant" that he was confident of the authenticity of the picture, which from him was a collector Vasiliev. "In any case, the reverse has no proven" - he said.

http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2001189/print

Finally:

http://www.fontanka.ru/2014/02/01/027/

This, apparently, was her fault .
Or zanostalgirovala for the homeland , remembering his father's song " What begins Motherland ? ". With the arrest and jail in this case ...

I hope that today the court did not arrest her for 2 months.

In Ms. Basner has long been able to give explanations (explanation) in this case, but for some reason she did not get her


Though I too hardly imagine critic in jail ...
God willing - oboytetsya

Do something cost, the question to whom and at what price.
In any case, a precedent that is unparalleled.
I hope history will be public

I agree with you !


precedent established .... Kit manages more than two years to smooth scandalous situations that occur there quite regularly ... now remains only to see how events will unfold .... I am sure that if the investigation will be able to spin the whole ball of museum " art lovers " , it is not the last story associated with the museum staff ... there are a number of characters that are followed with great interest in this situation ....

If wine critic Elena Basner is proved, the scandals of this nature and will affect other museums and science centers and restoration .....

http://www.fontanka.ru/2014/02/02/031/


 October District Court in St. Petersburg, not elected Sunday, February 2 , the measure of restraint to art , world-renowned specialist Elena Basner .

Petersburg investigative committee suspects a woman in large fraud - complicity in the sale of collector counterfeit paintings by Boris Grigoriev , " restaurant " for 250 thousand dollars. Basner was arrested on January 31.

Reporters were not allowed in the court with the motivation " off the court ." However, according to our publication , the Investigative Committee went to the court of election Basner remand in custody.
 
The prosecutor's office in turn petitioned to extend the period of detention for 72 hours. Additional time required law enforcement agencies to collect documents on personality Elena Basner . The Court granted the request of the supervisory authority , and thus suspected fate will decide next week .

According to "Fontanka" , in today's trial was attended by operatives " antique " of the Criminal Investigation Department of Research Affairs in St. Petersburg and Leningrad region , who provided the document to the judge . Most likely, it 's classified some sightseeing information , which, as we know , the police pointed out a few more possible similar episodes.

Elena Basner itself did not plead guilty . Note that as the court and justice close to home on Sunday were from the world of collectors and museum professionals . Discussing what happened between them , they are inclined to believe that Elena Basner has become a hostage of some big games in which can be employed as museums and collectors with the name.

Yes, interesting developments.

Here somewhere reported that she participated in compiling the catalog with this picture . And , thereafter brokered sale with the second , is the same as an authentic ? Then what issues?

Added after 7 minutes
Ie she knew where the original , participated in the sale of copies as the original.

Tell me, if a Russian auction I buy a piece of art, and it will be a fake, then who can vysudit money paid for a fake?
With the auction can get anything, or there is a statute of limitations?

Actually for making this copy still needed or Kutch.
photo from the original or the original itself.
So SOMEBODY yet "helped" to make a copy.
It remains to determine - WHO?

Read the rules of this auction.

In the present situation is enough to make high-quality digital images , and this can be done at any stage of the transfer and adoption of the paintings in the museum. As well as a copy to a stage . But then it would mean that the intent was " much in advance ."