"Selling Art" by Daniel Vildenshtayna

[artcol]

Liana, thank you very much <! - ~ 1 ~ -> a name, as it were inconsistent ("Merchants of Art") - this is not a bug?
So it should read?

[Маруся]

Dear Liana!

Thank you!
Read the text of your great pleasure!

[LCR]

pre-war times

A trip to Leningrad

At the end of 1920. Three people have bought in the Hermitage Museum a large number of masterpieces. Two of them are well known: U.S. Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon and the Talleyrand of oil Calouste Gulbenkian.
Who was third? Of course, my father ... It was he who arranged the deal and conducted all the negotiations in Leningrad. Actually my father was a homebody, but when it came to such a deal, he agreed to go to Leningrad on foot - in fact it was the deal of the century! Theoretically, such transactions are not possible: you can not buy a painting from the Louvre! The idea was born in Gorky's paintings sell and buy tractors! In Paris, my father asked his friend Ilya Ehrenburg, writer and future minister.

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He often traveled to France, and even made a nice little collection. He represented the Soviet side. My father rode the train to Berlin and then moved to the train to Leningrad. He never told the details of the deal, but I know that he bought the paintings on a phenomenal amount. And some masterpieces. And their weight in gold. Actually, our company has never stingy, if you had the opportunity to acquire a masterpiece. He bought the Italian comedians Watteau, stunning Rembrandt, Rubens great to Mellon, he bought the Alba Madonna, for the Gulbenkian, a masterpiece of Houdon - a marble Venus, ...
This Armenian, Gulbenkian, Mr. 5%, an incredible style!
Coming to Deauville, Gulbenkian was looking for me at the Plage, where I was building castles in the sand - I was about five years - to kiss me. He had very big feet. In general, he was incredibly, fantastically ugly and just as fantastically intelligent. He always treated me well, that did not stop him from trying, "recruit" me when I was twelve years old - very characteristic of the Gulbenkian Foundation. He loved art and did not consider himself a client of my father, and his partner. My father never did he not buy, on the contrary, it Gulbenkian bought from my father bought a lot. But sometimes they pool their savings to buy. If it seemed that promise good profits, without Gulbenkian did not do than ever. And then, when I was twelve years old, he started courting me, "Daniel, and your parents give you money?". I replied: "My grandmother gives me money to run, I have enough." He continued: "Let's I'll give you some money just in case ... You know, the money may be needed at any time ... Say, you do dine at a table with my grandfather and dad, right? So, I ask you only one thing: tell it to me, as they say at the table, okay? ". He wanted to know what we buy, from whom, for how much. He wanted to enlist a spy in the enemy camp. I mumbled: "No, no ... no ... I'm not going to do ...". He kept his head: "Well done! I just checked you! You're a good boy. "

As far as Andrew Mellon, it was a big banker. I was familiar only with his son Paul. At a time when you were Secretary of the Budget, that is, the Minister of Finance, and amassed a huge fortune, you felt the last idiot. Mellon, who stayed in office for over ten years, the maximum cut off. He knew what would happen on the Stock Exchange - in fact it is raised or lowered it ... Mellon was very fond of art and never skimp. All the Mellons were very generous. And not just in America, in Europe too. You say they could not afford it ... Yes, of course. But still, they will never be greedy. Wanting to make his mark in the memory, Mellon decided to create the Washington National Gallery, it has financed 100%and gave it to his collection. A collection of his was great! He was an important customer of major New York Marchand, he bought all - in Dyuvina have Knedlera, we have ... He's instructed our New York gallery to buy him at the Hermitage all that interested him. He had all the lists. Actually, they have also had. Hermitage picture, we knew by heart. Gulbenkian, of course. He listed my father's work that he wanted - he flatly refused to go to the Soviet Union, he was sure there would kill him.
This trip to Leningrad, almost ruined us ...

The crisis of 1929

It was a disaster. Deal of the century turned into a complete disaster. Immediately after the crisis erupted in 1929 is impossible to describe the horror. To make it clear: we had to sell the painting, bought at the Hermitage for 20%of the price paid by us ...
The first time I saw my grandfather cry. He was silent, and rolled from his eyes with tears.
Cried not only marshal. Crying and clients. Our customers. If, for us it was an apocalyptic cataclysm, what to talk about them? .. In America, they were to us the astronomical sums. When you sell your paintings, customers pay you immediately. They are paid six months in a year. Well, our customers rushed out of the windows. They lost everything, absolutely everything. They were devastated. And the pictures back to us ... Not everyone, however. Many of them have been arrested for debt, they were sold at public auction at bargain prices, and we could not even buy them. The situation in America was appalling. Here, too. We have decided it is too late to buy a house, located at once with us. It was a mansion Pazhu, one of the great sculptors of the XVIII century. We did not buy it. He was later broken.
Our daily life has not changed, but we were restless. My grandfather kept repeating: "The costs have eaten all the profits." Frankly, he did not care for money. He saw the emptying of its reservists, and knew that he could not return to these works, that's what upset him ... Prior to the crisis in 1929 was kept in the vaults of 5000 paintings, of which 500 were masterpieces. The number of masterpieces had fallen to 150. Then to 50. We lived with a rope around his neck, we had no way out, we had to sell the wonderful work for peanuts.
Grandpa had been living for long. It was necessary to save the gallery. You had to live. Salvation we owe to my father. He did not lose his composure, did not show his concern. On the contrary, he said: "We must go forward!". He was a real fighter. He realized that in England the situation was better than anywhere. We had a gallery in London, but is almost inactive. It was just to make ends meet. Drove her English lord, Sir Robert Ebdi. He was himself a superb collection. Previously Ebdi was a client of his grandfather, Nathan, and taught him to our cause - it entertained Ebdi. He opened our gallery in the back of Carlos Place. When presented the opportunity, he sold the picture, but now needed emergency actions ... My father decided to intensify this gallery and hired Roger deck.
Descoings was a typical Frenchman of his time. He cultivated a resemblance to Maurice Chevalier. He was a tall, very cheerful and friendly man with forty years of great charm ... Among Marchand he was fully deserved horrible reputation - the reputation of the manufacturer and seller of fakes. None of the professionals have never spoken about it but one good word. First of all, because it is manufactured. Once Descoings told me: "I copied the subject of the twelve copies. In the end, I did not know who was the original. " He "modify a" vintage busts, busts of the men he did for women. You see, men's breasts, unlike women, can hardly be sold. He took great man's marble busts, signed Pazhu, Houdon, Kuazvo, and gave them to rework the genius who changed their hair, chest, face. As a result Descoings got a wonderful woman's bust with signature Kuazvo!
His mother, Mrs. deck was the best of all brokers with whom we worked. This pattern bargaining among the aristocrats. It was an old friend of my grandparents. Every day she came to America for tea and cakes. She came with her little dog Timi she stuff with sugar. Timi was thick as an elephant. One father said to her: "In London, things are going very badly. Does your son would agree to go to England? ".
In the evening my grandmother exploded: "You are mad! This Descoings rascal! With it you can not work! ". The Pope replied: "The English like this type of Frenchmen." Descoings was a rhetorician and ostrotsmets. He is well spoken in English, with a chic Parisian ... The tide of enthusiasm for my father found a new London gallery space, it was a mansion, in which Admiral Nelson once lived, there was still hanging plaque with his name. Dad terribly happy with the prospect of opening a gallery in the house of a scoundrel, who raspatronil us at Trafalgar: "Here he is, our revenge!" - He said. He took a room for fifty years and has appointed Roger Descoings director. Descoings spent a wonderful job. It was a complete success. It turned out that he was a born salesman.

In France we bought a picture exclusively for the British - most of the Impressionists. Since 1933 our company has quietly launched again. In 1935, America emerged from the crisis. A year later, things were for real. By 1937 his father restored stocks, a list of masterpieces reached 75%of the pre-crisis ...

amateur painting of Hollywood

In Paris, came to an American, he came to the gallery, it was presented: Edward G. Robinson. He had just starred in John Ford's whole town is talking about it. It was a great success. He told my father: "I do not think I'm spoiled movie star. My parents were Romanian immigrants, I was living in poverty. Just my luck - I was in Hollywood at the right time and earned some money. I've been walking through museums. And now I have $ 200,000 that I can spend. " It was a huge amount!
My father just bought not long before a single German from Dresden whole collection - a collection of Otto Schmitz. It was a great canvas - for the most part, the Impressionists, they hung on the second floor gallery. We went up, to show our Robinson "Schmitz". My father did not give him any advice, he simply said: "In this first-rate collection of all the paintings." Robinson carefully considered them., And then chose. First he stopped at the Black watch Cezanne. The current price of this work, which cost then $ 35,000, $ 25 million. Then he chose the portrait of Madame Cezanne. Followed by two Gauguin: beautiful flowers, and horses on the beach, very beautiful Berthe Morisot, Seurat, and an amazing Hussar on horseback Gericault. In total, he selected fifteen works, and then asked: "How many of me?". My father did not know how to count, but still call any number. Robinson wrote a check, gave it to his father and left. The Pope was extremely happy. He told me: "Come counted, just in case." I counted. As expected, his figure had nothing to do with reality. I told him about it, "You ripped off him too much." His father was white: "What a mess. Go to his hotel. You must return the check to him and explain what happened ... ". Probably do not need to say that such a prospect did not please me at all.
I went to Robinson, the hotel George V, he opened the door. I felt out of place - it was like a gangster, which is usually played in the movie - but told him what had happened. He laughed and said: "I was waiting for you," and wrote a new check. "I realized that your father is not good at arithmetic ...". Since then, Edward G. Robinson is literally adopted me ... Later, he introduced me to the Hollywood community, presented the directors, actors, producers. I even lived with him ... The old man, Edward became for me a real godfather. He supplied us with numerous clients - all of Hollywood treated him with respect to, and in his paintings - with envy, because this man has had a taste. He advised and one and another, and his advice was to three words: "Go to Daniel!". He even brought in our New York gallery of Samuel Goldwyn. Yes, very Goldwyn - "G" from MGM. Robinson took Goldwyn with his wife by the arm and led to the gallery. This was a great Silent Goldwyn. And the wife he had a clever and easily amused. They bought a dozen paintings, including Jeanne Avril Dancing by Toulouse-Lautrec. Between 1918 and 1955. My father bought and sold five times the picture. Godwin said he was very fond of Toulouse-Lautrec. But maybe he just liked the John Huston film Moulin Rouge?
Returning from Frantsmm, Robinson went on to star in movies and buy paintings. In total, I bought a painting for him to $ 500,000. We can say that his collection was compiled by 98%with us.
In the 1950's. He suddenly appeared in the gallery, pale and miserable, "This is a disaster - he said - I have yet to sell." He was married to actress Gladys Lloyd, and she decided to divorce him. They could not agree on the fate of the collection, and his wife's lawyers asked her to sell. It was about sixty paintings. I asked him: "How much do you want for it?". He believed that it was worth two and a half million dollars. The California court ruled that it is entitled to sell only the U.S. Marshal. Sale of this collection began the famous New York-based trading house Knedler, who suggested Niarhosu to participate in this operation ...
Shortly before, in 1956, Niarhos in the first and last time we bought the picture. We had not particularly funny, but the amazing El Greco, whose father bought the Countess de la Beroder. Descent from the Cross, the Pieta by El Greco - never in my life I have not seen El Greco's beautiful. In truth, we do not know who to offer it. One of our New York sales suddenly lit up: "El Greco needed Greeks!". We contacted Niarhosom. They came to the gallery, rpobyl there for ten minutes, it looked El Greco, and left without saying a word. We thought: 'Past! ". But a week later the phone rang. Called Niarhos: "How much are you asking for a picture?". I thought, "Oh, well, that's better." My father paid for the drinks 100 million old francs. I called him the price, the equivalent of 120 million francs in dollars. He took it. Niarhos bought the picture for the first time in my life. 120 million for him meant nothing. He pulled out a stack of bills and said with a laugh: "I have always with you ten million dollars in cash." The present Maharaja of ... It's as if someone were to tell you that he's always with a $ 2 billion in the suitcase ... leaving, Niarhos threw me: "If you have something unusual, do not hesitate to call me." One day a wonderful Rembrandt, I called Niarhosu, but Rembrandt was not interested. The conclusion: "It was just a Greek, which was needed by El Greco." But ...
Trading House Knedler Niarhosu addressed. He came to them, examined a collection of Robinson, said: "I take it" and immediately paid off, as if it was worth two and a half francs. I must say that Robinson was a central collection of precious stones, the kernel, the heart of the collection Niarhosa. Later he bought paintings for $ 20 million, but no one can be compared with pictures of Robinson. In any case, none surpassed them. After the death of my trusted Niarhosa assessment of its collection. One only "a collection of Robinson's" worth $ 500 million if it sold in a hurry, 600 million if the sale of its well-prepared. What do I mean? We do not make a mistake by choosing him to canvas. And the old man knew it, Edward.
After receiving his two and a half million dollars, he immediately went to New York and bought everything he could on the whole the whole amount. He has not changed, just let go of his beard. There was no bitterness. When I quoted him Iva Miranda: "There are people who drink milk from rabid cows. As for me, I married her! "With laughter, he held on to his stomach. Interestingly, his ex-wife also came to me, she asked: "Tell me, how to make a collection? How did he do it? ". But the story was left without a continuation.
Edward G. Robinson remained loyal to the Impressionists. Prices were no longer the same, and he modestly chose the canvas, but high quality. He bought a good - marvelous little Degas, Cezanne's remarkable watercolors. His son died of an overdose, and it remains only to art. Once he took part in the television show «Sixty Four Thousend Dollar Question» («Question six hundred forty thousand dollars"), a plot of the questionnaire was painting. He answered all the questions. He knew everything.
Before the end of his life, Edward treated us with gratitude and affection. He was fond of his trip to Paris, and about the wonderful day when he crossed the threshold of the gallery ... "Do you remember Daniel in the day ...". And he concluded: "I was lucky that I have visited your gallery first."
This is a man who had a lot to me ...

Vildenshtayn against Vildenshtayna

Grandfather died April 24, 1934 In the last year of life grandfather dined with us. And he died upstairs in his bedroom. It was awful ... His last words were addressed to me, with the dramatic intensity of vremenemoni purchased ... He just told me: "Honor your father and mother." I was seventeen years old. I did not get along with their parents, and he knew it. Could he tell me this, not thinking about myself? Does that mean these words, that he forgave his parents? With his terrible secret of his shattered life. I do not know. His grandfather took a tragedy to the grave ...
My grandmother very soon followed him ...
Her death was a severe blow to his father. This is the moment chosen by his sister Elizabeth, to sue him in court. She demanded half of the paintings. And it meant a death sentence Vildenshtayn gallery. His father was ready to kill her, and I must confess that I understood it.












It was great!

[LCR]

War

Throughout the war I lived with a picture in your pocket. She went with me to New York. It was a picture of the size of a cigar box: a tiny work of Seurat, which depicts a public toilet. When I was five years old, my father took me with him to Lucy Kustyure, an old friend, Sulfur, which itself was a pointillist painter. Grand Zhatt, located in Chicago, now a museum, belonged to her. We just went to her to look at this amazing Grand Zhatt. Painting occupied an entire room, floor to ceiling! My father could buy it. He did not do this, but sorry. Lucy Kustyure asked me: "What like a baby?". I liked the toilet. This was my first purchase.

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I got married at the beginning of the war. And then put on military uniforms, took his Cera - and march in step Bitsch Maginot Line ... ... ... Mosel fort was located on the east of the city, the river Bitsch. Do not place anything. It was a strange war. We sat and waited. What are we waiting for. Nothing ... We sat in the valley, like rats. Water flowed over the walls, ceilings dripping with damp ... ... Cries ... Fighting ... How sad it was. When I was really bad, I got a Seurat and looking at him ... He consoled me and pleased.
He was with me in a military hospital vl-de-Grace, where I got tuberculosis. In June, we Sulphur, my pregnant wife and my dog ​​Mandy were together on the Spanish roads. At vezle in Burgos we were arrested members of the Spanish police. And then Seurat left me in the first and last time I was at the last moment managed to hide it under the seat of our blue Simcoe. They locked us in a prison cell. The warden then told me: "The order came from Madrid, it was signed by Frank himself. Your father sympathized with the Republicans, right? ". This was an allusion to a completely ridiculous project of transportation of the collections of the Prado Museum in Geneva. This project was developed by the International Committee of some to save the treasures of Spain. There was a list of the members of this Committee, and Franco was acquainted with him. This list is the names of the museum's Conservatives, artists, and intellectuals. The father appeared to him in a good location - along with Picasso and the whole gang. Besides, my father was a close friend of Juan Negrin, a former Prime Minister of Spain and the chief Spanish government in exile.
Three weeks later I was able to reclaim the car - and the picture. Was ordered to transmit to us and to give France the Germans ... on the border of a French border guard saved our lives by giving us a cross-border residents. After the war I tried to find bezumpeshno this man, whose face remained in my memory forever ...
We are with my parents and my younger sister, Miriam met in Pau, and together went to Aix-en-Provence. I think, April 25, we stopped there at the King Rene. The hotel was swarming with Germans, there was placed the General Staff of the Luftwaffe Field Marshal Milch, and quartered, the right hand Goering. They commandeered the airport at Marignane their aircraft.
We stayed at the King Rene six months.
Living in Aix, as it were frozen. French intellectuals met in a cafe De Garcon, the local equivalent of the Paris De Mago. My father sat there all day with Paul Eluard. There was to be found all Communist intellectuals ... We were cut off from the world, we were on the moon. We did not know what's going on in Paris. No news from home. That summer, we learned only one thing: in July Vishistkoe the government has deprived us of French nationality. It was a monstrous insult to the memory of my grandfather, a man who sacrificed his own family out of love for their country ... What a betrayal! .. Thank God he did not see it! I was very upset, and most importantly - ashamed of these people ...
We did not know that the looting had begun. In late August, Roger Descoings arrived in Aix from New York. After joining the UK Descoings war he returned to Paris and offered my grandfather: "In London, no business is no more. Let me go to America. " A year later he returned and said: "I'm going to Paris and see whether anything can be saved." In Paris he found an opportunity to send us a letter, so we learned something about some news. Not particularly pleasant, "Your picture was taken in the Orangerie ...". However, everything is relative: the present misery sluchiloas with France. Besides, we had a huge advantage over other - America. We had a gallery in New York.
Our passports were not valid, and now we were not French, and could not leave the country. To travel from France, we needed exit visas. And they were given in Vichy.
I went to Vichy to the reception to Roger Storey, Secretary Pierre Laval. This accounted for Stora our distant relative, he was a cousin of the husband of one of the sisters of my mother. He designed my documents for ten minutes.
In January 1941 we left France. Neither my father nor sister is not carried with soyuoy a single picture. With us there was only Seurat, never leaving the pocket of my jacket. He was with me in Marseilles, where my wife gave birth to our son Alex. We sailed in the Admiral on board Alzher Gedon, then went to Casablanca. Go to Tangier, we could not: we were not allowed to stay in Spain, and Tangier fell into the hands of Franco. But we had no choice in Lisbon, we could get only through Tangier. In Casablanca, a friend of my father gave us the transit documents, proclaiming our special correspondent of the newspaper ... Arriving in Tangier, we did not stay to watch the city, we rushed to the airport where we waited for a tin can - six-seater airplane. Officially, we went "on the report" about the collections of the King of Portugal ...
Cousin Felix from New York City has reserved us a place to Siboney, ship repatriated American families. Raging storm. The journey took twenty-one days ...
We stayed at the Hotel Pierre, and lived there for a suitcase to the end of the war to his old French passports. My father bought a mansion in Manhattan, but we have not moved there. He repeated: "What is the move? Wait out the hotel, because we will be able to return to France at any moment. "

Vildenshtayn House during the war

What really happened to our house during the occupation? After the war my father's lawyer, Raymond Rozenmark talked to our domestic workers. Rozenmark himself was a Jew, so that at the end of 1941, he had to leave Paris and take refuge in the free zone, he returned in September 1944 he and his partner propagation Mogena Maitre, who replaced him in his absence. After the procedure, restitution, he addressed a letter to his father on four pages. Before we tell you what I know, I'd like to read you some passages from this letter, it will give you some idea of ​​what happened.

on 25 June 1940 the Germans made a gallery in your search for chrezvychaynm powers, they had a list of paintings owned by your company, and they were convinced that the best canvases disappeared. On July 25, they came back with a search warrant at your residence, and then, being aware of your precautions are taken, the 2nd August 1940, they naprivilis in Muar (Department of Sarthe) and confiscated thirty-eight canvases. Your company has been notified of this letter to the Director of the National Museums of 8 th July 1941 On August 25 the Germans searched your personal estate in Ini, and the Commissioner of Police has sent a list of thirty works which they have confiscated.
30th October 1940 the Germans confiscated all the pictures, which in November 1939
you put in the safe of the Bank of France.
It should be clarified that in all three cases, the predatory actions did not result from actions taken against businesses owned by persons of Jewish origin. They were directed against you personally.

In Ini nahodlisya our castle Mariental. It was built in the XIX century by a man named Mouton: he had a factory for production of stoves, and he was overweight and suffered from the heat. So he ordered the digging under the house of an artificial cave. The entrance is coming from the billiard room, and she goes out into the garden, to the fountains. In May 1940, we increased this underground gallery at fifty meters and hid our pictures there. The Germans found them and removed. But there was quite an incredible thing: pictures, the masterpieces hanging in the castle, we have not touched. They remained on the walls. But the Germans did not take them - they thought that since we have not hidden, it means they have no value. The castle was a collector, and furniture. German soldiers burned it.
His father put in the Bank of France the maximum number of jobs. Hundreds of paintings, sculptures, medieval manuscripts, old coins. All these items were of the highest quality. The Germans took everything. They made a list of confiscated items, called our accountant, Mr. Mollard, demanded that he signed the perechnen, and handed him a copy. They acted like true Germans ...

As for you, if my memory serves me, you left Paris in late May, leaving no instructions regarding the management of the trading house in your absence. And after the signing of the armistice you are not given anyone any powers of attorney.
In late August, Mr. Descoings, Director of the London branch of the trading house Vildenshtayn, who was in America, arrived in Paris and agreed to protect the interests of Mr. Vildenshtayna in Paris for a period of occupation. It was decided that it will act as business manager, that is, without any power of attorney was Mr. Vildenshtayna and under his responsibility.

The fact that the father did not give a power of attorney Descoings, there were obvious reasons: Deco was what is called, the man with the past. Let me remind you: in 1930 it manufactured antique busts, and changed the floor of authentic busts ... So, he was business manager. What are the functions of business manager? It checks: checks the prices at which sold paintings and objects, he makes sure that the money actually was paid.

The company can not function without qualified representative, so I recommend that you contact the President of the Commercial Court to the fact that it has appointed a temporary administrator. By a decision of the 2nd November 1940 Commercial Court has appointed a temporary administrator, Mr. Germain. This appointment did not spare the company from the use of German decrees with respect to businesses owned by persons of Jewish origin, and the 5th of February 1940 decision of the Prefect of Police Commissioner and was appointed manager of Mr. Grace.
But apparently, Mr. Grace could not provide sufficient guarantees for the Germans, so in April 1942 he was appointed the new Commissioner-manager, Mr. Jacques Bruyere.
In November 1942, the extraordinary and unprecedented in relation to the decision of the German trading houses set up at the Principal Commissioner and the Comptroller and the person appointed to her German nationality, Dr G. Buverta.

That is, this Buvert was appointed to speed up elimination. This is the end of the war he sold our library of some German. We can say that she was survived by miracle - it saved the release.

From the 1941 in accordance with my recommendations, Mr. Descoings tried "arianizirovta" your company to avoid liquidation, which was the sole purpose of appointment of Commissioner-manager.
] For this purpose has been issued several legal acts of the assignment that you own shares of the company. These operations were carried out with the assistance of your notary Maître Bucaille, the President of the Chamber of Attorneys Mr. Bourgeois and Maitre Mogena my staff. I take this opportunity to remind that all these three people during the occupation proved to be true patriots and brave people. All three, incidentally, which was unanimously agreed that Mr. Descoings did everything to save the property of your company.
Despite the efforts of reputable lawyers, they did not manage to get the German registration, designed to "arianizirovat" your trading house.
In the end, the Commissioner-Manager, Mr. Bruyere signed with the firm set up by the Germans for this purpose, an agreement to surrender its lease of all your shopping at home with the promise of the sale. This is a lease-purchase, which was a gratuitous alienation isuschestva was annulled a decision of 7th January 1947

Following the signing of the treaty ab lease-purchase of any one of the servants of our house except for the accountant, Mr. Mollard to the end of the war had no right to appear on our predspriyatii.

should be noted that since the 5 th February 1941, that is, with the appointment of an administrator Vishistkim government company, the company is out of control, Mr. Deco, who could now act only as a subordinate Commissioner -Governor. This means that all transactions for the sale - said that they were very few in number - committed in the name of your company during the occupation, were held exclusively commissioner-manager. Direction of the trading house was charged in the commitment to open a gallery for trade, and it was difficult to refuse sale to customers in the exhibited paintings. In this regard, one must also note that when you return a certain number of paintings sold in Germany, the Commission has tried to prevent the return of the return of works that belonged to your shopping home, and these actions were intended to allow the state to seize these works, you are paying them the equivalent amount paid for them , ignoring the fact that the amount was very far from nastoyaschzy prices.
President of the Court, mandated to make decisions on matters related to bezvozmezhdnym alienation of property, and then the Court of Appeal of Paris rejected all the claims of the Commission on the return and the Ministry of Education. The judgment confirming the decision of the Court of First Instance, has concluded that all items were sold to the Commissioner, the manager, and ordered to transfer trading house Vildenshtayn all the pictures returned from Germany.
Finally, I must add my personal testimony. I believe that very few companies, except for companies working in the army, were presleduemynemtsami with toughness and tenacity.

The Germans bought the painting for money, stolen from France, and « in such a ridiculously low price that the deal could not be considered commercial operations ». However, an administrator appointed by the Vichy government to sell these paintings with great gusto. They gathered all the thieves of the high road - agents of Alfred Rosenberg, a conservative collection Goering Bruno Lohse, Karl Habershtok, Chief Marshal Dr. Posse, Hitler's project director of the museum in Linz, certainly many more ...
On the left picture here. Some of our records were in place. As stressed Rozenmark, sales were very few. Why not? Yes, for one simple reason: most of our masterpieces have been stolen. Roger deck, among other things, tried to put pressure on Habershtoka to minimize losses. I emphasize tried. The fact that we had a marvelous picture, which, together with the collections of the Louvre were transported to the castle Sursh. Occupation Headquarters rayhslyaytera Rosenberg (Einzatstab Reichleiter Rozenberg, ERR) was going to grab them, but ahead of Habershtok Rosenberg and confiscated them for Hering's collection - by the way, he himself does not hurt ... Habershtok and Deco were familiar with the 1390-ies. The German secret revealed trading house in London. Deco, who was then vozgavlyal our London office, managed to find him useful. Habershtok gave him the deposit of the shares of his company and other documents ... So he was in the hands of the deck is really in their hands. And then began to blackmail this Descoings Nazis because of the underground in London, German firms have simply shot. That's how he tried to save at least a very small portion of our inventory - canvases, which were stored in Surshe. The question that you can ask yourself about this: for someone trying to deck, for us or for themselves? As for the motives deck, I do not share the views of my father and MEDT Rozenmarka, I do not believe in the dedication of deck: leopard change his spots ... the occupation he was engaged in a profitable trade with the Habershtokom, he bought himself a magnificent apartment on the Rue Saint-Florante - it's exactly what not on salary, we paid him in London. His apartment was furnished with beautiful furniture and paintings, most of which prinedlezhala us. After the Liberation, he, of course, all at once returned. All but the tapestries. Allegedly, the type, to whom he entrusted to them, refusing to return. My father was angry: "So buy them from him!". But Descoings replied that he fully broke. And my father gave him money to buy out the thief of our tapestries!
Now it is obvious that if we were two steps away from disaster ... In November 1940 Habershtok, which recommended that the deck came to Aix-en-Provence to my father. Before the war, they corresponded for the work of Gauguin, which suggested Habershtok father. My father found a client for this job - Edward G. Robinson. But personally, they did not know each other.




























In theory.


That's it.
Very good. What?











Do you understand?

[K-Maler]

Сообщение от LCR; 2020991"

Vildenshtayn House during the war

What really happened to our house during the occupation ? After the war my father's lawyer, Raymond Rozenmark talked to our domestic workers. Rozenmark himself was a Jew , so that at the end of 1941 , he had to leave Paris and take refuge in the free zone , he returned in September 1944 he and his partner propagation Mogena Maitre , who replaced him in his absence. After the procedure, restitution , he addressed a letter to his father on four pages. Before we tell you what I know, I 'd like to read you some passages from this letter , it will give you some idea of ​​what happened .

Against the background of gray and boring events with "investments" Your text is a miracle . The deepest gratitude!

[LCR]

The postwar period

Commission on the return of cultural property

The Allies managed to find in Germany and Austria, most of the works of art stolen by the Nazis in individuals of Jewish origin. In France, the return procedure was delayed until 1950. soprovaozhdalas harrowing scenes. Commission on the return of cultural property divided all patients into two groups: on the one hand, major collectors, that is, bankers, industrialists: Arthur Veil-Picard, the king of absinthe. These people have not had any problems. By the close of the Ministry of collectors was treated with great kindness - they could choose whatever they like ... [SPOILER]
On the other hand were individuals, those who before the war were a few pictures. Those who returned from concentration camps barely alive. These people have tried to describe his paintings as they could - and it is very difficult. As they responded to the Commission? "You do not have pictures? Oh, what a shame ... ". As if these people could be preserved photographs and slides ... When the surviving children are vaguely recall that their parents bought a painting of a Marchand, they went to the Georges Petit, or the "Busse and Valadon," and they gave them documents to prove that their father or grandfather actually bought them on canvas. And they talked to the Commission? "Who can show us that you did not sell his pictures?". These people have lost fathers, mothers, his entire family in the gas chambers. They are deprived of everything - houses and property. And the Commission is not only required to submit to her fotorafii, but also accused them of "Who can show us that you did not sell his pictures?". They had to collect svidetelstkie testimony given under oath they had taken counsel, they had to get the money, which they did not have - these people did not have anything else! Many of them simply chased away ... In the struggle with the ministries they had no chance ... The state sold an incredible amount of property they owned. Works of art, imported from Germany were first exhibited in the museum The same de Pom, and then on Avenue Rapp in gromandyh hangars, which were placed over a thousand items. Show lasted two weeks, then move on to the next thousand. It was necessary not to miss their subjects, because immediately after the show they were passed up for sale. However, there was a small discrepancy: the Nazis robbed not only of Jews in Paris, they both should be robbed, and Jews living in the province ... Showing items in these hangars lasted at least three years. Can you imagine the nightmare of the provinces, who is forced over three years to travel to Paris twice a month! These shows - a real shame. At this point you start to think that some civil servants to hold property belonging to Jews, it is an act of patriotism.
In the end, major collectors and Marchand managed to regain most of their collections, so keep the conscience, gentlemen, do not cry ... This is a small collectors do have to complain about.
Interestingly, after the war returned to the Commission has done everything to bring back pictures of the owners, who sold them over completely voluntary, and all the gold. So it was with a portrait of Madame Daudet brush Renoir. Leon Daudet sold it just to get money. My father, who was then understood if the Commission, made a real scandal: "Why would you return it? The only suitable place for zhtoy work - the Louvre! ". There she is now ... Some set out on such machinations ... One well-known wine torgoveu tried to regain Rembrandt, whom he dearly sold to the Germans: among other things, a deal had deck. Amazing Rembrandt, my father bought it in the Hermitage. In the midst of the crisis in 1929, we sold it for a third of the price paid by us.

I almost fell off the chair!

Some of the stolen paintings to us and not come back: in particular, the pictures that were taken from the Germans Ini, from the cave castle Mariental. I think that most of these works were destroyed, except for two paintings Boldin, that my grandfather gave me when I was thirteen years of Spanish dancers, and a portrait of Lady Harley. Ribbentrop took these pictures to give them the Count Ciano. As we know, Ciano had little quarrel with his father: in 1944 on the orders of Mussolini, he was shot, his property was seized and later sold at auction publichnyh. That's my Boldin went under the hammer ... One day in mid-1950., Walking on 57th street, I saw Mrs. Harley in the window of a New York City Marshal. I immediately gave it to ... Spanish dancer, we found ten years ago, flipping through a catalog of the exhibition in Milan, Giovanni Boldin Palazzo della Permanente, it lent an Italian collector. I filed a lawsuit to try to return it, and promised that he will give it to a museum in Ferrara Boldin. Well, I lost this process! The case is not over yet, we filed an appeal. But I must say that I love Italians. If this story happened in France, the atmosphere would have been most dramatic. And then they - obviously, that the commission of frauds, but so much fun ...
But we will continue to work, brought from Germany to France: we had to fight to get them back. As well as small collectors, from civil servants suspected of any marshal of wrongdoing. The fact that we were absoltno all documents, all the evidence, they just killed. Our archives are intact. Accounting books and registers of reservists - even those that my grandmother kept in the XIX century - stood on their seats in metal cabinets ... Yes, here we can speak of a miracle. Nevertheless, in 1940-1950 - years. Father and Maitre Rozenmarku had to fill up the Commission for the return of private property and the Office of the letters. I still have dozens of letters, which read all about the same: "Wait! Not prodavate! This thing - ours. Here is a picture. Here is the number of register of stocks. Here is a description of the ledger. " The hardest thing had when we had everything but the picture: we did not have nine images of medieval manuscripts anlyuminirovannyh purchased between 1909 and 1930. grandfather and father of a family of Cannes and various Marchand. Father put these manuscripts, along with other items in the Bank of France. Not only do we have gathered all reporting documents, and evidence that the manuscripts were bought by us - and believe me, it was not easy - we even had a certificate, in which those who stole this manuscript, admitted the theft. But the General Directorate of Libraries in no hurry to return them to us. These people wanted to keep it. God knows what. We had to threaten court again. It must be admitted that we were able to protect their interests. But the modest private collectors, can you imagine what they were in the position ...
In 1997 these manuscripts began to talk again. In the New York Times article heir Kahn said that is their own: that the Germans had stolen them during the war, his family members. His statement contained a rather nasty insinuations. After reading this article, I almost fell off the chair! Because I was holding these manuscripts, when I was twelve years old. I had to once again delve into the archives, which are now kept in New York. This is a long and very tedious process. Frankly, I'm not mad at Kannov heir. First, because the registry of stolen property was a mistake, and secondly, because he could not know that the manuscripts belonged to us, and we had all the evidence. However, I think that some people knocked him to start the whole thing ... "Oh, you ztaete these Vildenshtayny ...". I sent a copy of all documents in the National Library. Just in case. I sent them one master, he finds himself. Generally this is a very brilliant man ...

Val

In short, if your name is not Maurice de Rothschild, then you have the impression that you have fought to have given you a picture that belonged to them, people from the ministries ... But since I mentioned Maurice, you need to say a few words about Wala Wala ... was an extraordinary man. Braggart, and wit, his words would not climb. Outwardly, this type has been obscenely ugly ... He worked for the Baron. If Maurice had asked him to kill the queen of England, it would have been lying in a coffin. Shaft was a friend of Rose Wallace, member of the Resistance, which amounted to inventories of products confiscated by the Nazis and kept in the museum The same de-Pom. After the war she was engaged in the return of cultural property, and Val was a mediator between her and Maurice. In the hangars on the Avenue Rapp, he felt at home. He said Rose Wallace: "This is ours, it is also ours, and this is also our ..". By the way, he helped Mrs. Mane check whether the State did not sell our things on the sly. He knew them. Every day he came to us at five o'clock, and they discussed the problems with his father Maurice, who had to settle. In general, the profession that Val and his father were restavratorammi frames. But Val-son was not only a restorer. He was cutting wood sculpture, and I had never seen such beautiful work. The shaft was an artist, a genius ... and manufacturer of fakes. After the war, Maurice sold his house at the Embassy of the United States, this house was a wooden carving and flooring of the XVIII century. Shaft replaced them with his own hand-made copies, and originals in a half-dozen trucks loaded up and moved to Switzerland. Maurice went ahead on his Rolls-Royce. At the border customs of Val gave a cigar - and the op-la! .. What? Permission for export from France? Maurice was extremely indifferent to these permissions! In general, it has always been quite atypical Rothschild. The fact that all of the Rothschilds - I repeat, all - were distinguished by impeccable integrity to the state. Every time they asked for razreshnie to export anything, they were given to the Louvre to ten times greater, Vermeer of Delft, this is not great trinket ... But Maurice was higher than that. He was above all the world. He was at it literally spit. Maurice, it was Louis XIV. Sun King.
After the death of Maurice in Val had no desire to return to their frames. He found a new client - Marcel Dassault. Dassault bought a mansion on the Champs-Elysees, the Round Square, and naturally he wanted to, so there was a wooden carvings, parquet floors and furniture of the XVIII century. But be careful, he needed not any furniture of the eighteenth century, it was only needed new furniture of the eighteenth century. Copies of the Versailles furniture. The company Vala set to work.

A search of the FBI in New York

Life consists of 20%and 80%of the joy of any zamorochek. These zamorochki not conceal. Generally do not need to gloss over.
In 1955, our New York gallery of people came from the FBI.
We had one employee, a great salesman named Jay Ruzyuk. It is very secular, very capable, he knew all the cream of America. He told me: "They imagine that I was out of their circle. But my father was in a deep hole rastovschikom the Middle East. If they knew this, none of them would not tell me any more words. " I am very fond of this young man. What he was cocky. This magnificent aplomb. When we took a taxi with him, I felt like we were characters in the film Billy Wilder. He always had some incredible adventures. He once told me: "I have to throw away. In Canada. And the sooner the better! ". Yeah? And why not? "Yes, dashed off a complaint to a whore, I'm looking for ... the police." The constant antics. Constant jokes. With him was a lot of fun. I must say that before the arrival of the FBI, he entertained me very much.
He knew absolutely everyone - and with people from high society, and with all sorts of scams. He was totally devoid of hypocrisy, and that I really liked it. Once the case has brought him some penny detective. He asked, "would you like to listen to the conversations of other Marchand?", And my grand nerd replied, "Yes!" Presumably, this roguish detective was in the best relations with the telephone operators. That's three Ruzyuk started listening Marchand. He chose the most good -, eavesdropping bad he was not interested. He overheard a gallery Knedler and the company. Perhaps he thought it was the best method to secure the most successful activities. It must be again imagined himself the hero of some movie ... I do not know how the FBI found out about this combination, it became clear that this sluyuda prslushivaniya operated for more than six months. For my father it was like a thunder-stroke. What a mess - to spy on their colleagues! What will people think? Well, yes, people will think we are complete assholes, and they will be right! Indeed, in such cases, you can swear by anything that you have nothing to blame, you will laugh in the face. Thank God, the judge recognized that we were absolutely not involved in this story. But that has not changed. Whatever we may say that whatever we do - point the finger at us. I had to bite the bullet and endure. The father was furious: "Just think: it is not brought to our blockhead no new deal! Well done! That drove him from his job nasty broom! What can I say, a brilliant result! Oh, what an idiot. " And in addition to everything said about us: "Obviously, the easiest to put the blame on others ...".
In the end Ruzyuka sentenced to a short period, he was a good friend with a bootlegger Joe Kennedy, father of Edward and Robert. This was Joe's entree into the most serious political circles. He helped Ruzyuku leave the story as little feathers.

The son of Dr. Gachet

Thus, in 1940-1950 - years. I lived between America and France. I remember well the way in Auvers-sur-Oise, I went through it several dozen times. I went to the son of Dr. Gachet, I tried to buy his paintings, masterpieces by Van Gogh, Cezanne, Pissarro, written when these artists stayed with his father. Gachet was a villa on the road. Behind it was a rock, all cut up by deep caves where Gachet's son hid in the liberation of the Germans - to avoid being shot. He did it out of the goodness of the soul. It was a little crazy old eccentric. It amused me very much. When I came to him for the first time, he told me: "Let the paper. First, the paper, and then decide about the pictures! ".
I've always loved old paper. This is my dancer is my passion. I hunt for the archives of artists, Marchand, collectors. I have it from his father, he first began to collect documents. He collected the correspondence of Ingres, Corot, Gauguin ... I went, I bought a lot, but I gave a lot. I have documents Vollard, and many other avrizhskih Marchand. Of course, I have a large part of the archives Monet ... This is both a pleasure and a necessity. Take, for example, my Monet. It is a purely historical interest. He is completely devoid of literary interest, except for the volume in which the collected correspondence of the two. In particular, when Monet was in England. Letters to his wife are especially interesting. Why not? Yes, because the artist looks like a fish that does not see the river. It is fully immersed in what he does. Sometimes he sees the work of other artists, but he sees its very rare. Therefore, items of information about the process of his work convey to us the voices of his loved ones.
Before we continue talking about Gachet, due to the old documents, I would like to talk about the brilliant insight of my father in 1955, when he left a law imposing an obligation on all noratiusov France to transfer copies of the minutes to the State Archives. Pope formed a small group - a man in his twenties, some elderly ladies who were retired librarian who loved and knew how to work with archives. They delved into the workshops of inventories after the death of most major artists, from the XVI century. This speleological activities in the state archives has led to a sensational discovery. Were found hundreds of pictures, escapes from art historians. Continuing our research, we were able to trace the movement of the blades to the twentieth century and to find their owners, who were unaware that they have a masterpiece. We told these people that they hang on the walls, "wrote Le Nain your picture. If ever you decide to part with it ... ". I should add that these studies are not limited to the inventory of the great masters. Forgotten minor artists, ephemeral glory in his time, painted this or that church, no less interesting. Why not? Yes, because at all times, artists are sharing pictures and bought them from each other, sell each other. This means that the inventory of assets of a troubled hudozhnikaiz Academy of St. Luke's, you can natsti Watteau. His father published his findings in all of La Gazette des Beaux-Arts ... I went to work. I also have a small group of librarians. This work each year gives us the opportunity we have to buy some wonderful paintings. Notarial Archives constitute the vast mass of documents in his telling the story of the Old Regime and the French bourgeoisie. I think somewhere after two thousand years, I have finished work on their study.
Now back in Auvers-sur-Oise. Dr Gachet was also a lover of old papers. He kept everything - he did not throw a single notification, a single bill from the laundry. At each visit my son Gachet laid out on the table in the dining room of paper that he was willing to sell me.
But no.






[/B]















This is me!

So what?

That's it!


























[/B]














Yes.













That's it.

[LCR]

Michelangelo Pieta

Now I want to tell you about my "friend" Paul VI. Yes, yes. Job Marchand might lead you anywhere.
That's what happened. [SPOILER]
I'm pretty well acquainted with master Rodin, Prelate of the Pope, he often came to us], we talked about art in general about this and that. Master Rodin was then president of Caritas internationalis, charitable institution of the Roman Church. In each country, it happens that people leave their paintings as a bequest Vatican. These paintings are sold and the proceeds go to help the infirm. One day - it was in 1970. - Master of Rodin asked me to come to Rome to see the paintings that they have received recently. When I arrived, the master Rodin took me to the Vatican Bank, which is located under the Vatican. I've never seen a more modern bank - a city beneath the city. Just like in science fiction. You should have seen it! Such an anthill. People for the computers. Huge rooms with safes. Otkrylil one of them. Show me items donated to the Vatican. Not much. Second-rate pictures ... then we went out into the daylight, and suddenly the master of Rodin tale to me:
- The Holy Father wants to see you.
- Oh, I'm very flattered, but ... he knows that I am a Jew?
- Yes, of course. But do you really think that we are anti-Semites? - Laughed the Master.
I went into the private apartments of the Pope. He was waiting for me in a small, very modest kabinetike ... This sharp-nosed, my dear, and most importantly - a very modern man greeted me cordially. He spoke French with a strong Italian accent.
The Holy Father once told me: "I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Vildenshtayn. I need to talk to you. You - marshal arts, and I need your help. But before I tell you what it is, I want to ask: do you have a concept of how many are gathered here a work of art? ". This question is not answered, the property of the Vatican's unimaginable: old books, manuscripts, sculpture, paintings ... in the Vatican vaults are kept pictures of all the artists who worked for Julius II and all subsequent popes. Treasures, which no one has ever seen. Preparatory drawings by Michelangelo for the Sistine Chapel. Drawings by Raphael for the Stanze: for the most modest estimate of $ 10 million for the drawing ... I must say that they have opened the folder to me a few ...
But the Holy Father continued: "I would like to tell you about what bothers me more than anything else. Nascheta reigning in third world countries. People are dying of hunger, and we are in the Vatican sits on a golden throne. This idea is unbearable to me. The church must show that it is really ready to give everything to the poor. That's why I need your help. I want you to sell to us a very important work. " And then began to talk to me about my commissions. I immediately stopped him: "I do not want any commission, they are not out of the question. For the Church, I will work for free. But what is that thing? ".
From his response I was shocked, as never before in my life.
The Holy Father said to me: "It's Pieta of Michelangelo."
That's it! ..
An absolute masterpiece. Maris Virgin with the dead Christ. Six and a half tons of marble. The most beautiful thing in the world ... I said, "I am truly sorry. I must tell you now: I will not do it. I can not], I do not want to participate in this transaction. This is a monument kklturnogo heritage of all mankind, it belongs to the walls of the Cathedral of St. Peter. Forgive me for saying this, but it seems to me that the sale of Pieta can seriously damage the Church. " It was evident that it was unpleasant to hear, but at the same time, it seems to me that he appreciated my candor. I could not do otherwise, it was the cry of the soul.
I added: "A Jew who sells drinks from the Cathedral of St. Peter, can you imagine that? After all, my crucified! .. ". He replied with a smile: "Well, you're not the first. It has been ... ". The Holy Father went to his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo. He told me: "Do me the pleasure, come to me tomorrow."
I went to Castel Gandolfo ... There have been unprecedented, unheard-of treasures ... For starters, on the walls of the residence kollaktsiya Italian painting, which the Pope commanded by an American cardinal. Phenomenal picture. Absolutely priceless paintings ... Then the Holy Father asked me, 'Do you want to see what we have recently found in the garden?'. Oh, yeah, yeah ... people in the garden excavated. "They started to dig, - the Holy Father said to me, - and found an Etruscan settlement ...". Then he took me to the garage where he kept dug bronze statues, absolutely stunning ... the Holy Father said: "You know, Mr. Vildenshtayn, this night I dtsmal on what you told me yesterday. You are right. Indeed, from my venture may not get what I want. " We continued our walk, and I decided to give him their thoughts: "If you need money, I can offer you a way out. We must organize traveling exhibitions around the world: Europe, America and Asia. This exhibition will bring more money. Your reserves run out in a thousand shows. " The Holy Father thought and said:
- It is very interesting ... Would you help me organize this exhibition? What would you suggest, with which countries to start?
- From Japan. I'll talk to the Japanese.
- I am very interested in Japan. This country is very important to us.
I was suddenly very afraid that the priceless statue might be broken, and the immortal paintings damaged in the road. Masterpieces of the Vatican could not insure: that would be too expensive, and because the aim of these exhibitions was - to help the poor, not the insurance companies. I shared with him their concerns. He smiled: "Do not worry. The Italians - great carriers. Already in antiquity from Greece to Egypt, they all knew their skill. "
I went to the Vatican three times. I talked about this project with Maurice Schumann. He immediately lit up and offered to write a preface to the catalog of exhibitions varikanskih ...
But this idea has remained the project. Soon after, in 1978, the Holy Father died. If he had lived a little longer, we would have shown the world the fantastic treasures ... The next Pope lived only thirty-three days. And then chose Johann Paul II, who turned the project. He was not interested. In Johannes Paul II had other priorities, a political nature.

Daniel Vildenshtayn

Family dumb

In the late 1970s. was published bestseller: Frank McDonald certain origin. The perfect title for this book, half-fiction, semi-novel with a key. Kzhe I do not remember his story, but I know what it said about us. I remember a wonderful description of my grandfather, which was very unlike him. They acted Corsican gangsters, Nazi murderers in the Vatican, some things in the walls of walled ... In general, the law of the genre. The book was very well written. She brought a contribution to the black legend Vildenshtaynov and other fantasies, but I must say that the author was correct in fact there were other books - and before that, and after. I should be no less than eight or ten, up here. I still read it. One of them is, in my opinion, fortune teller. It talks about my father, and Malraux. This is a very bad book. There is another, it wrote the actor Eddie Constantine. You have not read it? It's called the Owner. In the first scene I was - because he described me - the night crept into the stable and took the horse by the name of allez France (France, go ahead!) Some clever shot ... In general, solid stupidity ...
 I have to disappoint my readers. I am very sorry, but I'm not James Bond. I handed it to his sons. But even if I did not do the trading house, I would like to talk about this profession, as if I was still working in it. Marchand Marchand art is art until his death. Actually, this is not a profession, and the nature of addiction.
A few days ago I received this stupid questionnaire Proust. To the question "What do you expect from your friends?" I would say this: restraint. Well, yes! See, because doctors do not tell their patients about the disease. That the marshal arts, they can not talk about their clients. I'm just telling stories from the past ... But if I tell you: "I just bought a Mr. X a great picture, and it has about thirty paintings of the same level," on Mr. X did not immediately hang sixty Marchand. They will bore him. And me, too. So, everything is very simple: nothing to say, keep a secret. First of all, out of respect for the client. Concern about the private life of the customer to be the cornerstone of the art Marchand.
In our family, self-restraint has become a complete muteness. Shut up. Nothing to tell. Do not talk about himself. We have always been terribly secretive, and may be in vain. I understand that. This behavior always leads to the legends. They have one ... no, ten Vermeer! They have three hundred Sulfur! They are stored in the cellar of rare treasures! .. You know, I heard everything. But more or less mentally healthy Marchand simply can neither confirm nor deny. He has no right to talk about their stocks. Do you know why? Because stocks - a phantasm. Each Marchand to create the illusion of abundance of masterpieces. Reserves must be mythical, mysterious - if a customer who was going to buy something else, will think: "Stop. Do not rush it. Surely there are things Vildenshtaynov and better ... ".
In fact, during my grandfather's, we had a Vermeer, the only one that has passed through our hands ... It was the size of twenty inches by fifteen. He was kept in a vault next to the bedroom Nathan. He was fine, but Vermeer's work is better. Now he is in Washington's National Gallery.
What else? We had four of Leonardo da Vinci, one of which was a perfect masterpiece - Ginevra de Benci. We bought him at the Duke Lihtenshtaynskogo. He was also sold to the National Gallery. Of the four da Vinci have remained alone. He is a long time. This is a Hail Mary with the Christ Child - Madonna with the spindle. Wonderful picture. It was bought by Nathan. When he bought it, it is not attributed to Leonardo, it attributed the entire thirty-five years ago. We found the preparatory drawings for the Queen of England ... Since then, the Madonna and participates in all exhibitions of Leonardo. However, the remains of it is not so much work ... This is a very interesting picture, Leonardo wrote it twice. Madonna and second spindle for several centuries in an English family. But we did the best of the two.
But Marchand, worthy of the name should always strive to get a picture, which he does not. What kind of picture I would take with me to the moon? The picture, which I have not. All the pictures, which I have not. Marchand art should be megalomania and a dreamer. If you do not know how to dream, you're not made for this profession. I would like to have everything. Marchand wants it all. Or is it not Marchand. In fact, even unpleasant to admit it - because it means to confess their frustrations. However, these frustrations are ephemeral and variable. I remember I was just exhausted at the National Gallery in front of a painting by Velazquez - Venus Rokebi.Ya went crazy from the inability to get it. Until that day, when this unfortunate woman naked armless cleared restorer. The poor girl has lost some of its lessirovok, and with them the charm. How is it sad. I immediately got sick to have it.
I am impressed by collectors, proud of his collection. This Marchand can not be proud of what he has, it is unthinkable. What is there to be proud of? Marshal are moments of joy: a new picture - it's like a newborn baby in her arms ... But it's not all. This is the only profession in which surprise and delight every day. For example, recently I was beside myself with joy: registries Maurice brought me Juan, Marshal Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, the founder of the museum in Albi ... I can take them apart for weeks ... In 1898, a hundred years ago, Lautrec lived with his mother. She kept saying to him: "You have cost me too much!" ... When Lautrec painting sold Giovanni, she immediately sent to Marchand for the money. Here, look: 1900 francs, mamma, and 500 - Lautrec ... It's so pechatelno. It's just unbelievable. A shiver through his body. You think that you are present at the same time. What are you close to him. What you share with him something that is present in his canvases. This drama ... The relationship between mother and son ... There is even the names of people whom she sent the money.
And again, in these "securities Juan" visible Lautrec, who seeks perfection. From this we can see that between the lithographs each time he wrote the five paintings. Sometimes he was able to sell these paintings, sometimes destroying them ... Most importantly, we see how it looks, looks, and suddenly finds. This is great. This is the genius of the artist.

Everything has changed

My grandfather and father "raised" me Marchand art, taught the laws of the profession that has existed for a hundred years. What was our profession? We bought from the heirs of the picture, people in a family where they were kept twenty, fifty, or even three hundred years. We sold them to fans of art, which delighted the possession of these pictures, and that too for a long time did not leave with them.
All that is gone. Job Marchand was quite different. Now everything has changed - and the relation to time and relevant to the picture. The rate at which pictures are resold. Berenson told me shortly before his death in 1950. "We were the picture dealers. And now it's time to picture brokers ... ».
It all started after the war, at a time when the French hid their money under the mattress. The money which has not always been obtained legally ... Black Market ... Spektslyatsiya of gold ... a little of everything. As for de Gaulle, it was decided to change the currency, some were afraid. They rushed to the Marchand with cash, and they went out there with pictures. It was a way and to legalize their money and investment. From the speculative hope - will specify that they were justified - these buyers was born a new type of art lover. Consequently, between 1950 and 1970. mentality of buyers has changed. Now they have bought the picture is not the love of art, and to protect their capital from erosion or even increase it, in a word, the art market has become the stock exchange, where shares in the picture played a role. A Marshall - stockbrokers.
In this context, many buyers turned to Marchand. Any doctor, bought canvases, opened a gallery and planting behind the counter of his girlfriend ... So there were hundreds, thousands of galleries. They paved the way for the big game, which began in the second half of 1970. culminating in the 1980s. We left the Stock Exchange and headed to the casino.

Artistic value of art no longer had any value, importance was only their commodity value. During the month prices grew by 20%. Pizarro, in 1980, which cost 600,000 francs, leaving in 1988 to 5 million. Client to whom you sold Lautrec in 1980, came to you with a picture and say, "Sell it to me, it's time." Previously, I had never heard of this paintings ... are increasingly passed from hand to hand. It was incredible, people are not kept his canvases, as before, when they appeared on the market only after the death of the collector. Now, on Monday they bought the work, and in the environment is already sold. All sold out.
And in this rush to forget some of the difference between a mediocre painting and a masterpiece. But mediocrity is always mediocre. Renoir wrote for the life of 5600 works, perhaps 400 of them are really good. And so with every artist. At 200 amazing works of Cezanne and 1300, it is not such amazing ... But at the time, all sold out ... The work, which modestly referred to as "commercial products" - this is when an artist to paint a masterpiece, it varies in every way - until the market is saturated. Picasso was a true master of this "market saturation", he said: "There is a demand. That's what the market wants. Well, give the people what they want! ". And give. Sometimes I was embarrassed for him, he was hack-work. But it was a true artist, he has a really brilliant work ...
In the genre of "shopkeeper," no one can compare to Chagall. Lord, you would have heard what he said! It was very funny, "Oh, this lady wants a big cross? Now we all do. We will make it a cross, it tells us a thank you! So, it's a violinist, then cross, then Maiden ... All of this is more than enough! ". He was completely indifferent to the quality of the canvas, and very often his canvases were disgusting, but he and the wonderful work, honest. My father thought of Chagall's rejection of art, it was the incarnate cynicism. But in the 1980s. these terrible Chagall sold well. However, in all corners of the earth all sold out.
A wave of madness that gripped the world, becoming higher. And then, in early 1991, the market suddenly collapsed. Everyone panicked. Everyone was trying to sell everything he had, as if they were shares. But shares fell. Even schedevry affected - they are cheaper by 10-20%. "Commercial products" suffered the most - they have lost from 40 to 60%. I'm not talking about contemporary art for art ... the crisis was worse than the crisis of 1929 many were killed in action.
I looked at it with a strange feeling. I've had - and it left me - the impression that I turned into some kind of dinosaur. The last instance. After all, what I was taught? Search for the best artist. Buying the best pictures. Keep them. In short, the antithesis of what happened and still happening to my eyes.
No one.






I apologize.

And what do we see? Nothing.

[LCR]

right to make mistakes

I want to talk about experts: who is an expert? This is the man who basically knows a lot of pictures. Which has a number of plays, for example, the Zeri was more than a million reproductions of Italian paintings. The man from time to time attributed unknown or little-known paintings. However, sometimes a very well known - if he denies the fact that other experts said. Typically, the loud expert declares that a masterpiece is a fake, so it becomes better known, is a way to make a reputation. [SPOILER]
Confirm more difficult than to refute. And then, you need to know that the famous experts say never. Zeri never wrote: "I testify that this picture is written by such and such." He wrote on the back of the photograph: "I think that this picture could have written such and such." It is his opinion, a nuance feel? .. In any case, these words with his signature constituted over 80%of the value of the picture. The same can be said of Berenson. Without his signature painting became incorruptibility. Of course, and Berenson, and Zeri had to be wrong, but they otshibalis less frequently than the others ... When some experts argue that it is never wrong, I stifled laughter. Maybe I was telling you about the Doctor Cooney? In the 1950's. Cooney was a conservative Brooklyn Museum. It was the best expert on ancient Egyptian art, he was not equal. I once tale him: "My dear Cooney, I do not understand in this Egyptian thing, I am unable to distinguish the original from a fake." He said: "I will teach you how to pass for a connoisseur, every time, as you will be showing some object, say it is a fake!". And then he added: "You make a mistake once in a hundred."
In all countries there are hundreds or even thousands of experts. Anyone can become an expert, it is enough to declare it. What looks like an honest judge? A man who looks at the canvas or the subject, but does not always provide an instant response. He is responsible in some time. He studies the canvas or the subject, he compares it to similar products. An honest judge like a man who was obsessed with doubt.
In the end, perhaps the best judge - it is very Marchand, for a simple reason: if he makes a mistake, that his money was lost. Hence, it must be very careful. Do not be ashamed of his doubts. Of course, I'm not talking about the canvas or the origin of which you know right from the inception to the present day, or about the artists, almost all of which are known - they are not so much.
You can make a mistake for many reasons, and in both directions. First, many paintings were copied. Second, there is a fake. But it happens that the picture makes you sort of vertigo: you show a picture with a completely false color, and yet it may be original. The fact that some of the "enliven" coloring of the picture to make it more attractive to each other we say "to the picture began to sing," Then it must be clear. Entries will wash off, will remain the original color. Canvas is suffering from such actions, but what can you do? .. I say this to the fact that knowledge is not enough to look.
Paintings for sale, accompanied by a certified expert. As a rule, they have a state license. There are different categories of experts: in the auction halls, the courts, the customs, etc. Here are people who by definition knows everything. Experts in all things. What happy people ... From the earliest times to the present day there is a whole army of the most diverse group of artists and works, what a blessing that there are people willing to express their opinion on any of them. This is absurd. What is their opinion? Nothing. They earn a living, that's all.
So, you need to check everything, no one word for it. Look, first, if your picture appears in the union catalog, that is indisputable in the list of his works. In principle, if there is reproduced, it's all right. The possibility of error is practically eliminated. I say almost, because it can still be fooled. In any directory may contain errors and inaccuracies, so the origin of the pattern should be studied very carefully. Be sure to look at how long this pattern is known. If you know when a picture of the artist's life, can be sure ... but why in the union catalogs can be a mistake? The fact is that when we make these catalogs, we include them in the work that we have never seen. The catalog can be shown in black and white photograph of Manet, Emile Zola in the archives you can prove that the painting belonged to him, accordingly, we include it in the union catalog. But who saw this picture? I have not seen her. No one knows where it is. So while we have not seen a picture of ...
It also happens that the picture seen, but the reproductions of her missing. For example, I read in an old newspaper that at the fifth Impressionist exhibition was put up a picture Sisley such and such size and with such a name. Yeah? Where's photo? Get it impossible to play. Nevertheless, I shall include it in the directory and add: "whereabouts unknown". How does she look like? Do not have any idea. So while we have not seen a picture of ...
I do not need an expert on paintings by Monet. I myself an expert on Monet. For Monet, Manet, Gauguin I do not need anyone. As Degas and Renoir - I've seen so many of them that believe in his opinion ... Actually, I well know the Impressionists. I have seen so much of their work - at Vollard, the Durand-Ruel, in the gallery Bernheim-Jeune. And when all these people talking about some canvas, believe me, they found the right words ... but when in front of me is Italian painting of the XV century, I need an expert. I was Zeri. Now I need to find another, or rather more, but I already know who. Because ladies and gentlemen Pico della Mirandola, who know all the Italian art - these no longer exist. When a scholar dies phenomenal, it must be replaced by a group of very specialized experts. People who know a few artists as I know the Impressionists. These people are not aware of any Florentine artists of the XVI century, nor the Florentine painters of the XVII century, they know the Florentine artists of the XV century. That trend in the last thirty years, and it is absolutely correct. With people who study one artist, one period, the art of one of the city, to work reliably. Very often, these experts live there, where he worked for the artist, they have grown up seeing his work, they do not cease to study it. The best connoisseur of Parma Schools - Parma conservator of the museum.

I refused

Someone showed me a picture, arguing that it is Renoir and Monet.
First of all, we should see it as a. If it does not look like a letter of Monet, so it's not Monet. That is, if not put brush strokes, as they put Monet. This is the handwriting of the artist. The handwriting does not change his life. Sometimes in old age it becomes more friable - appears tired of the artist. I have seen only one case, absolutely fantastic - it was the work of Renoir. I looked at work and said, "No, no, this is impossible, it's not Renoir. This picture is not his hand writing. " But I had proof of authorship Renoir. So, imagine this painting Renoir wrote with his left hand, he broke his right arm. But Renoir, painted with his left hand - this is not a real Renoir.
Second stage: confusion. I'm confused, I do not understand. You've got to decide: either the true picture, or a fake. Ingenious forgers are rare, they must be very, very strong to forge handwriting ... in which case I say, "Leave me your picture." First of all, I look at this picture of a sodium lamp to remove the color. To identify the handwriting. I can and put it next to the paintings of that time. To do this, sometimes you have to go to the museum, they usually allow you to do so. And then it becomes clear to you. Despite the similar handwriting, you can see that there is something wrong. Or conversely, you can see that everything is in order, and, therefore, the picture is authentic.
When I'm not sure in the film, I use to help people whom I trust. These people are not experts. This selfless people - art lovers, critics, admirers of his talent. I show them the picture and simply ask, "What do you think about it?". And then I have to assess their opinion. When two or three of them agree, I am calm.
I had difficult cases. Most often, a second-rate pictures - crafts, adds nothing to the fame of the artist. I gave up on them - because I was not sure of himself. Most often, I am 100%confident in his judgment. If I'm in the authorship of 95%, then I say it. But I could be wrong - my margin - 5%. When my confidence is not as high as 95%, I tell people: "I did not include this picture in the union catalog. It must also be studied. Maybe it's the script. " Of course, no evidence for inclusion in the catalog picture loses in value. It is harder to sell at Christie's ... However, there is always an expert who will say to the owner: "Vildenshtayn wrong" and give him a certificate ... But to sell the painting will still be difficult. The owner will be willing to my death, and I understand it. But what can I do? I can not confirm the author to please. And I can not write to the union catalog can be. But if you can prove to me that this was at Vollard's Renoir, Durand-Ruel and Bernheim-wife, if you have proof, then fine. All three Marchand worked with Renoir is a serious company. However, I still check it out. But what? Each had a picture of their number. We're going to check in the inventories.
The evidence available. Therefore, artists of the XIX century, it is easy to verify. With artists XVIII is more complicated. As for the artists XVI, XV and XIV centuries, it is very hard with them. In these cases, the picture should be checked with various tools to see if it is not recorded. Now, using infra-red rays. They not only help identify the hand of the artist and the authenticity of the picture. If you're interested, we'll see Modigliani. I look Modigliani, not in order to determine the original or a fake - it's the originals and masterpieces. But it is very interesting to photograph them with infra-red light, and then compared with photographs of mediocre works by Modigliani. Have the photos in the archive is very important, they help to make a comparative analysis between mediocre and excellent.

Certificates for inclusion

I never gave out certificates that I have before my eyes work, written by Monet or some other artist. I just take a piece of paper with a reproduction of a picture and write under it: "Vyshevosproizvedennaya picture will be included in the union catalog prepared by us." That's all. I certify that this painting Monet wrote. Simply for the reason that I have not seen how he wrote it. So, I write only one thing: it will be included. That is enough. Once I turn it, so I'm not afraid to print and publish the photograph. And it's still more fair. You know, I saw so many certificates, which are approved by the most incredible things ... These certificates are very common. I have seen the certificates signed by the artist's wife, his children and even his dentist. The dentist, by the way, was good but the picture was a fake. There are lots of fake certificates. There are people who forged the signature of the expert. Yes ... We take the union catalog of Renoir. The expert's name was Francois Dolt. He recently user in Switzerland. There are a huge number of fake certificates Dolta. His children sent me photocopies of the certificates that he really signed. We Mauger check. I have a wonderful working people who are engaged in testing and research.

Published union catalogs, expert and Marchand

His father began making union catalogs after World War II. Naturally, he began with the artists of the XVIII century. He did not immediately realize what the pitfalls lurking in this lesson - it was very dangerous to our profession. While it was easy to sell ... Now people have become suspicious because of union catalogs. In order to sell the painting, it is necessary that it appeared in the union catalog, and it is a nightmare for sellers of paintings: the artist to sell that does not have a union catalog, it is very difficult. But how many artists have a union catalogs? Not every one hundredth, and not every thousandth.
I continued my father's initiative. I make myself union catalogs or ordering them to others. Catalog Gericault did Germain Bazin. Catalog Velasquez - Jose Lopez Rey. First, I trust these people. And secondly, I always check everything. This is necessary. Let the best of my directories will be listed, not all work, than to put questionable pictures. But mistakes happen. I'm sure my directories are not perfect - in this world below there is nothing perfect. That is why everything must be checked, is the foundation of everything. So I'll tell you a story ...

Once an English art historian wrote a very harsh review of a father's Gauguin. It was Douglas Cooper, he's interrogated Harebshtoka after the war. In the article there were a fair criticism and baseless accusations. Then my father suggested that Cooper to take part in the second edition, and he agreed. He died in 1984, completing the entire catalog of Gauguin paintings. But when we began to see his work, it became clear that not everything here is smooth. The fact that Cooper was phenomenal neuzhivchiv and quarrelsome. So, he could not admit that the picture belongs to someone of his enemies, may be genuine. And the enemies he had very much, I swear. He was terribly amused me, he said, "Oh, this type, it's just a filthy bastard! And the picture of him - a fake! ". I did not pay attention to it, knowing that we still all check. But he was expelled from the catalog of all the movements of which the artist's studio to its current owner were known to him. All this, of course, very nice, but if you're going to throw out all the paintings of people, you do not like, may be better to do something else ... We had to make a thorough inspection and rehabilitation of illegally repressed picture. The first volume of Paul Gauguin will be released this year. He is ready.
Union catalog, this time. It takes years, on average, between twenty and five years davdtsatyu. Some directories are prepared forty or fifty years. Often you make a directory for future generations. You must be willing to enlist the cooperation of four researchers at the quarter-century. Candidates for this kind of work do not. Humans emit a small union catalogs of artists who left behind no more than six hundred paintings. And it is very good. However, such catalogs as ours, nobody does. Oh, no, there was one man, John Revald. He has done for me Seurat and Cezanne for himself.
When the union catalogs decide to do, in any case impossible to think about what it will cost you. It is better not to know. Otherwise, you give up the idea. The pleasure you get when directory finally comes out - the most beautiful voznagrazhenie. But there is another reward.
Publication of the catalog displays the pictures on the surface. They are beginning to emerge. If you Marchand, it allows you to buy them. I buy very little. Once, not very easy to say to the owner: "Listen ...". But what I did never in my life, so this offer to the owner to sell me their work before telling him that I will include this work in the catalog. This is done only arrant scum. If a client sends me some Marchand, I give him a certificate of inclusion but do not say that I'm interested in the work. In life, you have to be honest. But then I can say is that Marchand: "If you buy this work, tell me how much you want for it, because they are interested in me."
When I give a certificate on and showing your interest in this work, people often say, "Could you make me an offer?". No. Never. I never make suggestions. I tell them: "Go to other Marchand, go to Christie's, Sotheby's for. Go to someone you like, compare the prices that you will offer. And then you can come here. Once I told you that I'm interested in your work, so it got me really interested. But I can not be an appraiser, and the buyer. " If they return, they will say, "I suggested as much," and I will answer them: "At this price, I immediately take it from you" and give them a little more. Here's how they should behave. Despite my license junk, I am embarrassed that I would have taken you this thing for so much, and I take it at that price, and then ... no. I can not do that.
You may ask, is it not it would be easier just to bid and take a picture? Even if we abstract from issues of principle, I know myself, and I can assure you that it would not be easier. When the picture I like, I'm losing my mind. I am willing to pay dearly. I am very worried about: the new picture! The new baby is so eager to take on his hands! I am willing to do anything. That's why I never make suggestions. Never ...
In the end, when the union catalog comes out, thanks to him I had already bought from twenty five to fifty paintings. If you compare these figures with the term of the catalog, you will have one or two paintings a year. Wonderful. Maybe you've earned a little more than spending on the directory. But it is not a fact.








So what?

[uriart]

Read voraciously and got a real treat!

My best word of thanks to you!

[Маруся]

Сообщение от LCR

Typically, the loud judge declares that a masterpiece is a fake, so it becomes better known, is a way to make a reputation.

These words would be so in the ears of our experts, especially those who like to convene a press conference ...