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This was in the news, but this topic will be the conclusion:

Hermitage purchased from the Paris gallery of nearly 100 watercolor portraits
Collection of the State Hermitage replenished 92 watercolors by Russian artists of the XIX century, which the museum bought from a Parisian gallery Popoff, reported Bloomberg.

In October 2009, the collection was exhibited at London's Christie's auction with the lower estimate of 2.5 million pounds sterling. However, buyers in the portraits of the Russian empresses, secular beauties, noble officials and officers did not find.

Hermitage entered into direct negotiations with the owner of the gallery Maurice Baryushem and agreement was reached. On the amount paid for the meeting, the parties have not reported.

Emigrant from Russia, Alexander Popov, opened his gallery in Paris in 1920. He bought works of art from the impoverished Russian aristocrats who fled their homeland after the Revolution. In acquired the Hermitage collection includes watercolor brush Karl Briullov, Petra Sokolova, Vladimir Hau and Orest Kiprensky.

Of particular value to the museum presents a portrait of Natalya Nikolaevna Pushkina, wife of Alexander Pushkin, brushes Vladimir Hau.

In an interview

"Kommersant" Head of the sector of new revenue Hermitage Victor Faibisovich described the purchase as a "happy coincidence". "A fantastic collection was unsold - and at this time we have received for the purchase amount, which has never had, probably since 1917", - explained Faibisovich.

According to the publication, the Hermitage director Mikhail Piotrovsky has examined the collection and promised that in the near future the museum will show the new collection. Prior to the acquisition of collections from the gallery in the Hermitage Popoff was about 600 watercolors of similar level.