[Artem]

The icons have gone to the world. kommersant.ru 31.01.2012

Agreement reached on the collection of Michael Elizavetino

Lawsuit antiques

Yesterday, finally decided the fate of one of the most valuable collections of Russian icons - collection of Michael Elizavetino (de Bouar). Inside the Moscow Museum of Russian Icons settlement agreement entered into children and the wife of the collector. The details - Tatiana Markina.

Michael Elizavetin de Bouar, a businessman, in the mid-90s - adviser Boris Yeltsin, began collecting icons in the late 1970s, a large part of the collection was formed in Soviet times to the early 90's there were about 100 boards. In 2007 he bought a collection of collector Abraham Glezer, which included an additional 100 boards. Just a collection of about 400 works, this value has roughly half of 190 boards. According to experts, this collection - the largest and most significant in the world in quantity and quality of collection of iconography. It presents the different eras and schools of icon painting, from the XV to the XIX century, it creates a complete picture of the whole of Russian icon painting. Official estimates the amount of the collection does not exist. Of the different mouth sounded and $ 30 million and € 70 million, for an unprecedented collection of icons a lot.

The collector died in 2009. A year earlier he had divorced his wife, Lyubov Elizavetino, and two weeks before his death to get married to Tatiana de Bouar. The best part of the collection at that time was on display at the Museum "Tsarina". When those who passed the back of the icon Love Elizavetino took them back, Tatiana de Bouar announced that the icon was stolen. It began a long trial, and relatives of the collector together in two opposing groups: Tatiana de Bouar and three children, collectors, on the one hand, and Love Elizavetino - on the other.

Elizavetino love, art historian and collector, presented his collection: during the marriage with Elizavetino de Bouar it a lot it worked. However, the court did not recognize her rights, and, moreover, was arrested at the time of collection of icons on the metal of the XX century, which belonged to her personally. At the same time on the antiques market in London, there are three icons that belonged Elizavetino de Bouar (from the secondary, "exchange" part of the collection, which remained in the house of a collector). In the end, after many mutual accusations, trials and appeals to their decisions relatives collector decided to go for a settlement.

As a place for his imprisonment was chosen Museum of Russian Icons Mikhail Abramov as the largest institution in the field of private collectors of icons. Gathered at the table in the office of Michael Abramov Elizavetino relatives and their lawyers have signed all the papers. After that went down the hall, in which 64 have packed icons - those that until recently were in the hands of Love Elizavetino (part of the collection, was arrested by the court at the Museum of Private Collections Pushkin Museum, where they gave Love Elizavetino, other icons stored in ROSIZO). Experts and restorers unwrapped them, and Tatiana de Bouar on behalf of the heirs of (what the court found her children and collectors, two of whom - Irina and Michael, also attended), put a check in the catalog of the collection.

The question "b" as to why she refused to continue the struggle, Love Elizavetino replied: "It lasts for two years. But I want to go further, I have things to do in life. The collection is now famous, everyone knows about it, she would always associated with the name of Michael Elizavetino remained undivided. This is the main, what he dreamed of - the collection should be unified. " The same lawyers emphasized by Tatiana de Bouar children and collectors (they do not talk to reporters.) "The collection has remained intact. It belongs to the heirs without allocating shares its fate they must decide collectively," - said the "b" lawyer Ruslan Koblev.

"We made the heirs of an offer to purchase the entire collection," - said the founder of the Museum of Russian Icons Michael Abrams. By arrangement with the museum priceless boards can spend a week, after which the heirs will have to decide to take them somewhere to store or exhibit or sell the whole collection as a whole.