Meeting with Peter Ludwig for the staff of the Russian Museum, which he decided to transfer part of his collection was unparalleled success. With the permission of the owner, they took away things on your own. The initial list had 33 work, and then were added about another hundred. Now these pictures are a permanent exhibition of the Marble Palace.
Our museum workers claim that he was the ideal partner, had impeccable taste and knowledge of professional art critic, coupled with honesty, punctuality, and sensitivity to others' opinion. And each sought to reflect the theme as possible completeness. So, heeding the request of colleagues from Russia, experiencing difficulty with the acquisition of Russian underground, introduced in the coveted list of the names Chuikov, Kabakov, Makarevich. Stately, power, radiating optimism of Peter and Irene Ludwig was probably the most welcome visitors to the museum. I met with them six months ago, when the couple was taken to the Marble Palace, a double portrait of the German Gottfried Helnwein giperrealista. Lifestyle portrait posed tone of conversation, which we agreed to continue in Germany. Alas ...
- You are so busy studying his face, reproduced with photographic accuracy ...
- Portrait is not made to order, but at the request of the artist. He managed to achieve equal brightness and sharpness at any point. This differs from the photograph, with his characteristic half-tones. Every nuance: a spot on the skin, wrinkles, hair spelled with a fine brush. I am appalled by the quality of this work and should look into it better.
- Perhaps because the picture reveals the sacred, that you do not want to flaunt? Can I say about this portrait that he finds your strengths and weaknesses?
- Probably. I am very hardworking person, over and over since childhood to work every day in anticipation of something new. But this drawback, sometimes I do not know the steps, always want more than I have - in the sense of gathering - and then, immodest. I am very focused on himself, which probably is not too great. But justifying their selfishness that still seeking a new and open it for others.
- The artist did not miss any wrinkles, and they - witness the difficult life ...
- Yes. I am 70 years old, and when the end of the Second World War, was 19. For two years I served as a soldier, but not at the front, and the medical team, which is quartered, including my own in the city of Aachen. The bombardment of the city killed my mother, father, I managed to pull out from the wreckage, and after the war, he was still alive. Education was a way to forget the horrors of war, to hide from them in the art. I was not going to do business - had been drawn into it at the request of the test: his only son, a brother of my wife, who inherited the chocolate business, was killed near Moscow. Gradually we got to his feet, but I never mixed art with business.
- Just as meticulously written out a portrait of your wife. There is no doubt that you and Frau Irene were meant for each other.
- We met in 1947 at the University of Mainz, where he studied the same subjects: archeology, art history, philosophy and different thrust to the gathering.
- But you might get carried away and another classmate? ..
- Do not know. Let me just say that I had no motives of interest. At that time, Germany destitute - and the winners did not give her up; businesses were destroyed, and family status are locked. On the financial affairs of the future father-in I did not know they are not interested in me. Fortunately, he too was indifferent to art.
- Getting started in your collection?
- For a pittance, which could save, giving up the superfluous sandwich we bought with Irene, for example, an elegant glass bowl or a stone tile - just to surround himself with beautiful things. Our first purchase was a coffee cup from Meissen porcelain, the beginning of XVIII century. Full circle, since recently in Bamberg, we opened our 10th in a row museum - porcelain and earthenware.
- Who in your family is the main art expert?
- Irena more reasonable. I accept the decision in 30 seconds, and then ask her consent. Speaking seriously, I present an active part, directed outward, and his wife is engaged in scientific processing of the material, following the special literature: magazines, catalogs of exhibitions. Coming back from trips, I get from her synopsis of all new acquisitions. Each piece of our collection wound up card, which my wife enters all the necessary details.
- Do you have dossiers on Picasso. While working on his thesis about his work, you met or corresponded with the master?
- We have not had direct contact. But the fact that since 1955 I have regularly bought his work, he knew from his agent, art dealer, also a German, as I do. Picasso stayed in 1991, but approximately 80 are no longer traded as an artist in the eyes of friends, who believed he created a manifestation of discouragement and senile. We were the only collector in the world who bought the lifetime of the late Picasso. It made a big impression on him. In 1949, when I was preparing his thesis, neither in a French museum had no works by Picasso. He was known in Russia due to Morozov and Shchukin, who bought the best Picasso's early work in Scandinavia, Germany, Britain and the USA. The French, Italians, Spaniards almost did not buy - a strange phenomenon, which, however, has an explanation. The art of Picasso's heavy, difficult to understand, it displays marginal aspects of life. His paintings are hard, we can say brutal-sentimental. This is not to everyone's taste, but close to the German sense of the world. It is no coincidence his first agent to sell was a German, customers - other Germans and Swiss collectors. His friends in Paris Stein were American citizens, but also German in origin.
- Each collection reflects the tastes and predilections of the owner. You can not afford to buy cheap things ...
- On the contrary, we have too little money to buy expensive things. Instead, we're finding at the periphery of the art market, trying to show the public what she had not yet seen. When the West was celebrating the victory of abstraction, we bought the work of young artists who are loyal to a realistic manner. For example, Soviet. We began to collect art of the GDR, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, precisely because we have nobody knew and did not want to know. Neither museum Germany had anything like this. We must proceed from the fact that the world is one that, along with capitalism, there are other forms of social organization. Similarly, there are different ways of artistic interpretation of reality. For example, I very interested in the art of China, I have already made three visits to this country by invitation of the Minister of Culture. In Cuba, we have created a fund to help young artists. This does not mean that I - for the Castro, but if the Cubans want to live with Castro, not my business to prompt them. I was angry at the Americans for the blockade of Cuba. I think communism is great and not devoid of appeal utopia, to which must be taken seriously. In any case, in Communist countries were born very significant art, and I always wanted to make it public domain.
- What determines your relationship with the young artists: the desire to help them by buying their work, or adequately replenish your collection?
- I can not pay for things more than they deserve, I do not resold. Therefore, always offer a fair price. I act directly, but do not avoid house galleries, which the artist works.
- With the purchase of works of dissident artists you probably have problems ...
- Not without it. The prize was, if after our troubles began exhibiting artist at home. You know, many made their name on dissidents and the state. Almost all the foreign embassies in Moscow on business cards were supplied with these artists. When I first got into your capital, I was handed a card with a gold-embossed, where it was said: so and so, the artist-dissident, and on the back - a scheme how to get to his shop.
- Many of our artists, thanks for your kind gesture and return home. You intend to carry on with?
- In fact, it was the idea of Ms. Petrova from Russian museum, I have not thought of to give to this great museum of Russian artists, bought from you and the West. I thought that they have everything, but I was wrong. Well, we will continue together to fill those gaps ...
Interviewed by Arkady PINE
http://pressa.rus.net/sosnov/rus/arx/6_32.htm