[I] In the first week of September in the exhibition hall of the auction house Christie `s in London, an exhibition of Treasures of Kazakhstan, which showcased selected works of Russian and Kazakh artists from the State Arts Museum named after the Republic of Kazakhstan Kasteev and from the private collection of Nurlan Smagulova.
In: Russian inherent suspicion. Russian who worked in the former Soviet Central Asian republic.
O: Oh, no, of course, this project is absolutely charity. Just now I am often in Kazakhstan: I have a wife - Kazakh, and there I go to see my new family. Great impression on me in Alma-Ata Art Museum Kasteev. I thought: why not show the number of selected works from the museum in London. But the first is the art of the former Soviet Central Asian (sorry, now the Central Asian) republics.
At Christie `s practice exists: from time to time, but usually in late summer, we make a non-profit exhibition. For example, we showed the painting and graphic arts graduate of one of the preferred UK schools - Harrow School. By the way, it studied, and Winston Churchill, the former very good watercolor, and many other prominent political figures of England, as well as artists. Then we collected their work in various museums.
So when I learned that the museum Kasteev closed for reconstruction, then went to the administration and offered to organize a visiting exhibit. With me agreed, but said that the need to arrange everything carefully and accurately. I found a sponsor - Nurlan Smagulova, President Astana Group, plus another company Oracle Capital Group. It may seem strange, but no commercial interest, I was not here and there, any dividends from this, I do not get it.
In: But maybe that was sort of family interest? After all, your wife - an art?
And then, unless an employee has an auction house may not be a hobby that he can do, using their professional experience and knowledge? This show I did, one can say for the soul, the love of art.
But now I began to get unexpected calls from other museums: why do not you show and our meeting?
In: you are happy or puzzling? These proposals from the same region - from the republics of Central Asia? Perhaps the museum in Nukus Savitsky?
O: No, not from Uzbekistan (for the albums I know about the excellent museum in Nukus) and generally not from Asia. However, it is still as if such muffled sounds.
Of the Baltic countries, from Ukraine, from Russia ...
O: Do not torment me. I will say this: from this space. But why I did this particular show? If you ask someone on the street in London, where Kazakhstan, you very few people say something definite. But this is a very big country with interesting culture. It seemed important to introduce the works of London, located in the Museum of the Alma-Ata, including the excellent work of Petrov-Vodkin, Corina, Filonov Konchalovsky, Volkova, Falk, Christmas, unique works of Rozanov and Redko ... As an expert in the field of Russian art (and I I work in Christie `s almost 25 years) I can say that the picture quality such as not every year can be seen on the pre-auction exhibitions.
In: You have listed the artists of the Russian School. But the exhibition consists of two parts: the museum's collection and private collections Nurlan Smagulova, where for the most part still works Kazakh artists.
O: But in another way to organize this exhibition? Show only Russian artists and skip the Kazakhs, or vice versa? So it does not, because some are connected with others. Do I have to tell you that many Kazakh artists studied in Moscow and Leningrad. For example, a collector Nurlan Smagulov everywhere looking for and collects the work of Saltzman and Kalmykov. The most interesting for me in the organization of the exhibition space to find the right chords among the works of artists. Not only to exhibit turned out beautiful, but she explained that the art world in this region. My wife opened her eyes to the art of Kazakhstan, and I wanted to open my eyes to it to those who come to us, in Christie `s on King Street.
ArtChronika
http://www.artchronika.ru/news.asp?idnews=516