Cast Away in the West, too politicized and boring Soviet Socialist Realism did not find loyal fans at home. Upsurge of interest from the beginning of perestroika - foreign tourist in a fur hat with a badge or a Soviet poster above the desk, but then again calm.
15 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain aesthetic fascination with the world's first Soviet state is experiencing a rebirth. Sell the work of artists-socialist realists in the West Tamara Demidenko began back in 1992. Then cloth or going to landfill, or they gathered dust in the workshops of the authors.

Tamara Demidenko, entrepreneur: "At the time, nobody paid any attention to these works, because no one liked. Then they seemed to have disappeared. It turns out that they evacuated foreigners - Americans, Frenchmen, Italians. They do not sell the picture, just keep them at home. I know many were brought here pasta machines, and took them back this work.

Machine now, of course, does not carry, but on the British art market in the Soviet painting demand. Some are buying, because the exotic, others - because it is fashionable. Soviet symbols the size of a half to three meters in the living room. Still others see in these works hand master. Increasingly, foreigners pay attention to technique.

Christine Lidney, art critic: "I am absolutely confident that in 30-40 years old Russian, who currently do not like painting of this kind, are aware that during the Soviet period, there were many good artists. Now do you evaluate this work in terms of policy, not from the standpoint of artistic craftsmanship ".

His first portrait of Nikita Khrushchev Oliver Olsten bought back in the 60-m. Passion Soviet art - interest from childhood. He has always been curious that there, behind the Iron Curtain. He calls himself a "fist" and did not hesitate. Collecting Soviet pastoral painting and for some reason the portraits of Stalin.

Oliver Alston, a collector: "I would have never hung a portrait of Hitler in their homes - even imagine such can not. But Stalin probably killed more lives than Hitler. I often ask myself, why can collect Stalin and Hitler could not. I do not know. Probably because we were allies in the war. "

"Dancing Cossacks", "Soldiers", "Treatment of anti-fascists" - many of the paintings have already found a buyer. Fabrics "26 Baku commissars" and "Bloody Morning" for obvious historical reasons for British interest buyers do not enjoy.

The current exhibition of Soviet socialist realism - the second time in the last couple of years, and I must say that most of these art works are sold "to cheers. At that time, the rich Russian spending hundreds of millions of dollars at auction at Christie »(Christie's) and Sotheby's» (Sotheby's), buying up the masters of the XIX century, foreigners snapping up art, which in our country today is not in vogue. Such a cycle of paintings now in nature.