Expert MKAAD Anatoly Borovkov answers questions forum ARTinvestment.RU

Recently Forum ARTinvestment.RU asked the expert MKAAD Anatolia Borovkova to review the sales of antique books : to make predictions about market trends, the prospects for investments, etc. We bring to your attention the article «Book of Russian avant-garde. Reflections A. Borovkova ». Exhibitions relied upon by the expert cited in the discussion forum.

Book Russian Avant-Garde from the Collection of the British Museum has long been held in 2001. Not all books of this collection is in good condition, many have been intertwined and have significant loss of covers. According to my information, after the exhibit books from this collection have been fully scanned, and the books themselves (at least some) are sold. But it's rumored. The very same collection of the British Museum was wonderful Suzanne Compton described in her first book The world backwards Russian futurist books 1912-16, published in 1978, and her second book of Russian Avant-Garde books 1917-34, published in 1992. This is perhaps the first book devoted exclusively to avant-garde art of the book in Russia. Unfortunately, they have not yet been translated into Russian. Once they have the book E. Kovtun (1989), also describing the publication of Russian Futurists before 1917, and Book V. Polyakov (1998) on the same topic. Books by Russian Constructivists, C. Compton described in her second book in the local media so far in Russia studied little. Some rare edition of the Russian avant-garde, and are described in my book, «Notes on the Russian front» (2007).

The most interesting was the exhibition of Russian avant-garde books shown in New York in 2002. The collection of these books was going around the world for several years, which has been spent several million dollars. But it is not as complete as a number of books were unable to find any, let alone buy. Collection fund Judith Rothschild, who transferred her to the New York Museum of Modern Art MOMA. Part of the exhibition was later shown in Denmark, Spain and Germany. Promised to the exhibition and show in Russia, but so far we did not доехала, maybe not interesting for the officials of the culture. The most important directory, issued for the exhibition. It is rich in illustrative material, and describes not only the size and number of pages and illustrations of books of Russian avant-garde, but at times, and gives details on the number of currently known surviving copies of the rare.

As to the picture books from the library of the British Museum and the text of the article which refer to the forum ARTinvestment.RU. They are depicted as rare or frequent in the Russian market publications. For example, the price of A. Kruchenykh «The word itself» lithographs from Kazimir Malevich , now ranges from 3 000 to 7 000 dollars. Set the journal LEF can buy up to 5 000 USD (suggested at the last, XXVI antique cabin in the CHA). Book Bobrova «Vetrogradari over lozami» with lithography is about 2-3 thousand dollars, and special, authorized copies of the 50 numbered may cost much more. Rare depicted in the book forum A. Kruchenykh «Obesity Roses» published in Tiflis. Its value - in the collage on the cover, made by hand, designed by Cyril Zdanevicha . Price books collage of not less than 5 000 dollars depending on the condition of the book, which is important. The most expensive of the book is the book «lipstick» with lithography M. Larionova . Even the ordinary painted copies may not be the price of a few tens of thousands of dollars. A number of books mentioned in the article, you can easily buy today. For example «Princess Turandot» has sold our gallery «Russian avant-garde he was 10-30.» 800 to 1 200 dollars. The book «Studio Impressionist», published Kulbinym in 1910, one of the first books of Russian avant-garde, now sold in our gallery for 2 150 dollars.

Unfortunately, the Russian avant-garde book market as such does not exist. Before the crisis, we had a Russian collector, the owner of a construction company, which acquired the book at times avant-garde. But now, more than half, he did not even go. Interested in the avant-garde books only foreigners who admire their design. But they do not buy, believing that it is expensive and thus not a lot of money in their country. Yes, and the risk of removal, because of our imperfect, is not adapted to the international import-export laws, great.

Now, about the prospects of antiquarian book market in general. Of course, like any antique buying, this is a good investment in the future. But we must remember that the prices for antiques are changing as a spiral. There is growth, there are the fall and then rise again, and so ad infinitum. But in general, of course, the value of good antique books in the last ten years has grown significantly. Some publications - in five or more times. You need only to collect really good and rare Russian edition because, in comparison with similar foreign publications, in most of our books are clearly underestimated. Take as an example of the first American edition of Edgar Po, which is about 100 thousand dollars. Our same Dostoevsky with his first book «Poor people» do not dotyanet and up to 20 thousand dollars. And this is despite the fact that Russia was the Patriotic War of 1812, the First World War in 1914, two revolutions, civil war and intervention, the communist regime, World War II in 1941, the cult of personality, and much more conducive to the death and disappearance of Russian books and made they are extremely rare.

Source: artinvestment.ru