N. SZ: Yes, we kept in constant contact with the Ministry of
culture, in particular agreed with Victor
Petrakov (Head of Conservation
cultural values of Russian Ministry of Culture -
note. VIEW) the return of the icon. Plus, I have
possessed a letter from the Department of Culture of Vologda
area that we return to the museum
icon of Ustyuzhna "Old Testament Trinity."
And on April 15, when the founder of our museum, Mikhail Abramov
passed stolen during the Soviet era icons in the museum
Great Ustyug, the governor came to the meeting area and
turned to Abramov's assistance in
return "Trinity" at home. The fact that the amounts
necessary for the purchase of the icon, it was not. In a newspaper
Vologda Region published a call for residents to help
to collect the required amount, but the money collected was not possible.
Abramov, of course, refused, and I have authorized
buy an icon in Germany. So I stocked up on a letter
Department of Culture, the private money flew in
Germany and in agreement with the owner Werner
Bungertom bought the icon. We signed a contract with him and purchase
sale, delivery-acceptance certificate - the whole package as a whole
documents.
LOOK: The Ministry of Interior, arresting,
documents presented some legal
value? How do they explain their actions?
NZ: I can not imagine. They began to shout that I am buyer
stolen goods, while in Germany, the icon is not considered stolen.
After all, I bought it after Interpol was
found that Werner - her legitimate buyer and
owner. When 14 May at Domodedovo I passed the "red
corridor, "explained the customs officer that I'm taking a historical
value, an icon of the XVII century, has filled all the necessary
declarations, documents, and is already out in the airport lobby
My wife and I, we were surrounded by officers of Criminal Investigation and
detained for five and a half hours.
LOOK: The Ministry of Culture and the Department of Culture
Vologda region know that the return of an icon
Russia. Have an agreement with similar
Offices in Germany?
NZ: From Germany is forbidden to export only those values
that are national. As an icon
considered legally owned by a German citizen and
is a value belonging to the Russian people, I
buy it, simply surrendered to the luggage at the airport and did not receive
any claims by customs officers.
VIEW: Tell us how you found the information on
location of the icon?
NZ: We noticed an icon in the catalog auction house
Michael Zeller in Lindau in southern Germany, and immediately
reported the discovery of the founder of the Museum of Russian Icons
Mikhail Abramov. In one of the points of
the museum is to return lost during the war
Property owners, their historical homeland.
Abramov had already decided to go to Germany and
try to buy at auction icon. Soon there was
agreement with the Department of Culture of Vologda
area of the return of the icon in the museum of the city Ustyuzhna.
We found the icon in the auction catalog two years ago.
When I arrived at the auction, it appears that there has been
Interpol, set the name of the owner. After that the icon was removed
from the auction, conducted the study, was the court, and the owner of the icon,
German citizen, legitimate and recognized
bona fide purchaser.
VIEW: Nikolai, in which he showed
mark icon in Germany?
NZ: The icon was stolen in 1994, appeared in Europe in the
1996 and was bought by a German national Werner
Bungertom.
VIEW: A German buyer, put an icon on the
trading in Lindau, knew that she was stolen?
NZ: No, Werner did not even guess. He learned
this fact during the inspection of the Interpol and the further
studies.
VIEW: Does your vendor documentation for
icon "The Old Testament Trinity"? What they were
documents?
#{Interviewcult} NZ: He gave the name and the name of the Russian,
who spent many years living in Germany and, in fact, sold
him the icon. German police made a search of his home and
did not find anything relating to the theft. In turn,
seller, a Belevich, said he had bought the icon for any-
a Pole, and the chain was broken.
LOOK: The cost of the icons is estimated at 1 million euros
the black market, you bought it for 25 thousand euros. Why
the seller gave her that amount?
NZ: I know the auction business and I can say that "Trinity" -
wonderful and unique thing. What is a "black
market "- I do not understand, frankly. But I myself can not
evaluate the icon in the same amount. The fact that I
worked for a year with the auction house in London
and speak a little bit of price situation.
Werner Bungert - just a wonderful person, he was 85 years old.
He wished that the icon has returned to Russia, and sold it for
the amount for which once acquired. When we removed the
icon on the wall, he got upset and said that the wall was empty, that
they will be sorely missed it. It turned out that the sense of
justice was stronger thirst enrichment
greed. A staff investigation, without examining the
situation, rather than to say thank you than help-
what did quite strange.
I'm sure everything will be fine, because in my
actions, there was no greed and deceit, no
"Ulterior motive".
LOOK: The Ministry of Interior reported that you
been involved in smuggling. Is it
true? When this occurred
case?
NZ: That was in 1985, I was involved in smuggling. But,
understand, evaluate the actions of the Soviet period
position of our time is wrong, because
then the icons were not wanted. In my opinion, what I
while engaged in, - a kind of salvation of Old
of art. West had a great interest in Russian art
then, and economic hopper, so to speak, sucked-out
under a pile of pigeon feathers all the values. Now there is
the reverse process - the process of returning items
antiques, art in Russia. In our museum Abramov back
300 exhibits from Europe.
In those years it was illegal, yes. But if it were not for the flow
trafficking in Soviet times, all would have died. It is now
great interest has arisen in the churches do not have enough icons
a host of collectors, because
economic conditions leveled off and allow
pursue the case. In Soviet times there was only
a small circle of collectors, oddballs that there is something
buy. That's because of all the historical carrying
Values in the Soviet era from the West I was "lucky", and
I got caught.
If the well to look at what happened then,
You can see that the people of Europe: Germans, Dutch,
French - helped to save our own, it seemed, lost
culture.
VIEW: Nikolai, what the result will be a
icon?
NZ: We signed a contract gratuitous gift to the museum
in the Vologda region, as well as exhibiting the contract. In
Our Museum of Russian icon "Old Testament Trinity" brush
Kirill Ulanov will be exhibited for six
months. Then we will give it to Ustyuzhna
Museum.
www.vz.ru/culture/2012/5/17/579328.print.html