Competitive work on " Community antique market in Russia and Europe . Trends in the development and interaction of antique markets " from the participant Majboroda Denis .
Russian antiques abroad: an overview of the main reasons for the popularity
Unstable economic situation determines the need to find sources of investment that can not only maintain but also to increase investors' funds . Against this background, revealing look growing sales in the Russian segment of the foreign antiques market .
Collecting antiques has deep historical roots. Many things that were kept in the collections of the royal houses of Europe, represented in the eyes of not only the material value. List compiled by the description of some collections, impressive for its variety , and sometimes outright Curious . " The unicorn's horn ", which was kept in the collection of Lorenzo de 'Medici, or " toadish stone" from the collection of Anthony Giganti - all these things we draw the image of the collector, is proud of its curiosities . Famous St. Petersburg Curiosities also conceived as a "cabinet of curiosities ", later turned into a museum. Over time , collecting antiques has become fad not only rulers , but the wealthy European countries. The origin of the antique business can be attributed to the middle of the XVIII century, it then appears the leading auction house. British Sotheby's and Christie's, since its foundation specializing in the sale of rare books and art objects , have grown from small businesses to large international companies taking today to 90 %of the market .
Antiques - an international phenomenon . Art objects falling on the auction can be from all over: from ancient Chinese vases to Impressionist works of the last century . Russian art is no exception - many of his designs are especially in demand among foreign collectors , forming a whole segment of the antiques market in the world . Illustrative is the opening of the 2004 London auction house MacDougall's, specializing exclusively on the subjects of Russian art. In terms of sales it ranks 5th in the UK.
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The reasons for this demand due to several factors. Russian art, bright and original , while remaining in the space of the European tradition , developed the original features and style of performance . Pan-European "cultural code " makes clear the domestic arts to the Western consumer, and the originality of some forms of leaves room for reflection, thus giving rise to genuine interest. A good example here are the icons. The icon, as a phenomenon inherent in the Orthodox tradition of graphic displays widespread biblical stories understandable to any Catholic and Protestant . Meanwhile, the Western European church hardly knew icons, their role was carried statues and stained glass windows. In this context, it is understandable especially attractive Orthodox icons of XVI-XIX centuries , often occupying a central place in European auction.
Another natural factor that affects the formation of the foreign demand for Russian art is a historical context. The active foreign policy pursued by Russia in Europe since the XVIII century , our country's participation in almost all the major wars of the past has left its mark in the form of weapons , decorations and medals .
History of Russia , complex , full of tragic events , attracts special attention . A watershed for our country in 1917 stipulates interest connected with the fate of the Romanov dynasty. Things that hold the imprint of the royal family are a special category in the catalogs of auction houses. Jewelry, personal correspondence materials , objects of everyday life , often containing the monogram of their owners , can serve as a great addition to any collection , focused on the history of imperial dynasties. In addition to the historical value of such items also have high artistic level . Faberge eggs , a series of famous jewelry created by order of the imperial family , is known not only as an Easter gift , the presented each year by Nicholas II to his mother and wife , but also as an example of fine jewelry work done using gold , silver and precious stones. Production of the Imperial Porcelain Factory , performed the orders of the imperial family since the 1770s , has also enjoyed great demand in the foreign antiques market. During the London auction in 2010 porcelain vase made for Nicholas I, was sold almost 2 million pounds. Earlier this year, two similar vases have been sold at auction in the U.S. for $ 2.7 million . It should be noted that this buying interest is driving demand for products of other production centers Russian porcelain and decorative arts .
Figure 1 . Vases made by the Imperial Porcelain Factory. The first half of the XIX century.
Demand for Russian antiques defined and general market conditions . Fashion for him, having emerged in the West in the last century , has led this segment of the art market to its current revival . Apart from the purely aesthetic reasons for the popularity of Russian art , and this is due to the nature of the antique business . The fact that the dynamics antiques offers some limited natural factors. New items of interest to collectors, appear infrequently - under Russian legislation of our country banned the export of items older than a hundred years. Legal ways to replenish foreign collections of Russia at the moment not available and new items that attract the attention of antiquarians , there are rare , mainly from the private, family meetings, formed back in the pre-revolutionary period . As is known, the limited supply increases demand , if it be in the framework of the current trend. This is exactly what leads to higher prices for Russian art abroad .
Among other things , the very antique market is closed. Turnover value in it, is limited - all of the most iconic and valuable items have long settled in private and museum collections. By now the hype leads out to the open market of paintings of famous painters. Works of Russian artists of the late XIX - early XX centuries become central in lots of seasonal " Russian Trading », held in many of the leading auction houses since 1990 .
Limited supply in this sector has led to the fact that foreign auctions are beginning to promote lesser-known works of Russian artists who are widely popular among collectors . This explains the slight decline , outlined recently in a segment of Russian painting. After all, it is very difficult to predict what the significance of the work will have in the future : as a rule , for its adequate assessment must complete a minimum of 20-30 years.
Is not protected by Russian and antiques from fakes that make up a significant share of turnover values. Indicative is held mid -1990s in New York exhibition dedicated entirely to the counterfeit goods firm of Carl Faberge. The story of the fake job B. Kustodiev , sold at auction Christie's, has also caused some reduction in demand for Russian art .
Illustration 2 . A fake painting " Odalisque " , which was sold in 2005, the well-known Russian businessman V. Vekselberg for $ 2.9 million
Now we can confidently say that Russian art is a reliable tool for long-term investments . Cost of antiques is constantly growing, growing steadily and the market size . To increase the impact and pricing of participation in the auction provided by Russian collectors who buy works of Russian classics. Downturns seen in some segments of the domestic sales of antiques, as a whole has no effect on the big picture - they have more to do with the time trends , and can not be seen as harbingers of the crisis .