Artist of the week: Alexander Volkov
ARTinvestment.RU   22 июня 2020

History, pricing and marketing indicators of the artist-авангардиста and the socialist realists, the founder of modern art of Central Asia by Alexander Nikolaevich Volkov

Years of life: (1886-1957)

Direction: modernism

type of art: the painting, graphics, scenography

Life and work

Alexander Volkov, the founder of the school of fine arts of Uzbekistan, born 19 (31) August 1886 in the family of a military doctor, General garrison duty Nikolai Volkov in New Margelan (Skobelev), today Fergana (Uzbekistan) the First years of life, Alexander Volkov held in Turkestan. Intending to continue a military career of his father, in the late 1890-х years old, he entered the Orenburg cadet corps Nepljuevsky; after graduating from training, he continued his education at the faculty of natural Sciences St.-Петербургского University, where he studied from 1906 to 1908.

while studying at the University of the wolves started painting and in 1907 he took lessons in watercolor and drawing at the private Studio of the artist D. I. Bortniker in St. Petersburg. Art school were not in vain: the wolves decided to devote himself to art and in 1908 he entered the Higher Art school at the Imperial Academy of arts in the class of Vladimir Makovsky. In College wolves spent only two years: it is known that already in 1910 he began studying at the private school of M. D. Bernstein, where among his teachers was, in particular, N. K. Roerich, I. Y. Bilibin.

However, Alexander Volkov did not stay for long: in 1912 he entered the Kiev art school, where under the guidance of F. G. Krichevsky and V. K. Menka studied for the full four years and in 1916 was finally certified by the artist. In the same 1916 he returned to Uzbekistan and settled in Tashkent. From this moment begins his independent life as an artist, to develop his own unique creative style and unmistakable and captivating the audience with the first look, the style, the Creator of the art school of Uzbekistan, influenced the formation of the modern art of Central Asia.

the First years upon returning to Uzbekistan — from 1916 to the late 1920-х — active career development located in the Prime of life 30-летнего artist, one of the brightest and most fruitful periods in his life and work.

In 1919, Alexander Volkov became the Director of the art Museum in Tashkent. And teaching began three years earlier, immediately upon return to Uzbekistan: taught drawing at the Tashkent teachers ' Institute (1916-1919), the Turkestan people's school of painting and sculpture (1919-1922), at the pedagogical faculty of the University of Turkestan (1921-1922), the Higher regional art school, Turkestan art College (1929-1941), Tashkent artschool and Studio of the Central house of children (1944-1947), simultaneously engaged in organization of art associations and societies that promote modern, built on the basis of the European academic school of art, until practically no followers, and systematic support in Central Asia. Among the societies and associations organized Volkov was the so-called "Brigade Volkov", Association "Masters of new East" and numerous exhibitions in which he participated as an Exhibitor and as an organizer, — from urban and Republican, to the Union.

Specialists tend to allocate in the work of Volkov's two main periods (in which, however, present their own division). Even during his studies in Kiev in 1910-х the years the artist became acquainted with A. Exter and A. Tyshlera. This meeting contributed to the dip in Volkov avant-garde ideas. However, a greater influence on the work of the second half of 1910-х years rendered his fascination with the visual style of M. Vrubel, whom he had met and studied in detail during multiple visits to St. Cyril's Church in Kiev, painted by Vrubel. Another source of inspiration Volkov was an old Russian monumental painting he had seen in the cathedrals of Kiev.

Thus, of Volkova and from 1916 until the early 1920-х years can be called a kind of rethinking of what is seen. In his works of this period discern and "fragmentation" of the and expression of the arts and the magnitude of the frescoes, combined with the rapidity and dynamics, characteristic of the Russian avant-garde.

In 1920-х years "Vrubel" and allusions to ancient mosaics and frescoes in his work give way to the elements of cubism, abstract art. His work is becoming more planar, contrasting color and gain more and more national middle Eastern. In near-abstract geometrism manner of wolves working on a series of works, main subjects of which gives him peace of the East. Thus, in 1918-1920 he creates a series of "Eastern entity", followed by "Mountain kishlaks of the Ferghana valley," "the Teahouse of the old town", "Return to man". In the same style executed many works for the theatre: since 1922, Alexander Volkov was the head of the "Proletkult-театра" in Tashkent.

In 1930-е years in connection with the frequent accusations of formalism wolves moved on to more figurative manner. With the change of style has changed and the subjects of his works — in place of the caravans and tea houses in his paintings came to the collective subjects, glorifying the construction of the new Soviet reality. So the avant-garde in his work is conventionally replaced by socialist realism. I must say that, despite all the changes — and narrative and style, their individuality, the artist is not lost. His work retains the freshness, dynamics, brightness and a sense of novelty. Which, of course, could not cause re-charges in formalist art.

the Result of one of these charges even was the removal of the artist from teaching in 1946year.

thus, since 1947, began the late period of the artist's work, in which stories about large-scale construction projects and collective farms gave way to more subtle, intimate impressionism landscapes and genre scenes that the wolves were created in the last decade of his life. Died Alexander Volkov in Tashkent on 17 December 1957.

In 1985, the artist's works included in the exhibition group exhibition Vanguardia Rusa 1910-1930 ("Russian avant-garde, 1910-1930"), organized by the Juan Miro Foundation in Barcelona. In 2007 the State Tretyakov gallery held a retrospective of Alexander Volkov, dedicated to 120-летию from the day of his birth. The works of Volkov are in many Museum collections, among them — of the State Tretyakov gallery (Moscow), State Russian Museum (Saint-Петербург), State Museum of art of the peoples of the East (Moscow), the Kiev Museum of Russian art, the Central art Museum of Tashkent, the State Museum of arts. I. V. Savitsky in Nukus (Uzbekistan), the State Museum of arts. After A. Kasteyev (Almaty, Kazakhstan) and others.

Financial indicators

In the three most expensive works by Alexander Volkov is part of the painting, sold in a fairly narrow period of time — from 2010 to 2013 — on the London auctions. The third and the second results — $796 112 ("Wedding", 1927) and $1 049 427 ("Hearing Bedana", 1920-е) was reached at MacDougall's in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Selling the most expensive work of the artist — "Children-музыканты" for $3 168 165 — auction was held at Bonham's (London) in 2013. Note that in ranking the top three auction results are not attended by leading auction houses Sotheby's and Christie's, and who knows what prices would reach these Volkova, if they are among the lots of the market leaders.

According to the database ARTinvestment.RU, at the time of publication of the artist's work 51 times were withdrawn at auction, including painting @27 mdas works, graphics @23 mdas work, collage — 1 work. The average price of sold works — $347,3 thousand Total capitalization to the public market — $3.37 million Has a balance of sold and unsold works 27 to 24 (53 % of all trading completed sales).

table 1. Sales by period of holding of the auction

the Period sales, years.

the lots, pieces

Results on lots

Sold,

Not sold, PCs.

PCs.

%

1991-2006

9

4

44

5

2007-2014

29

16

55

13

2015-2018

13

7

54

6

table 2. Sales by country the auction

the Country holding auctions

the lots, pieces

Results on lots

Sold,

Not soldPCs.

PCs.

%

United Kingdom

37

21

57

16

Russia

4

1

25

3

France

3

0

0

3

Belgium

3

3

100

0

the U.S.

2

2

100

0

Germany

2

0

0

2

Results of re-sales Alexander Volkov is not significant. In the public market there has been only two (the bulk occurring in the private dealer market), which makes it impossible though as-нибудь to rely on statistics. Both repeat transaction occurred in a small auction in Brussels and Copenhagen, the period of ownership for the work of "Soviet modernism" was very small — to two years (for these works are typical and recommended long-term holding period that was not aged buyers).

we Use the calculation of another indicator — exceeded the estimate upon successful sales. The average estimate of all sold works by Alexander Volkov was exceeded by 197 % — in other words, the sellers received an average amount of almost 2 times more than the initial estimation of the auction house. The upper limit of the estimate is recorded, with 44 % of sales and has a positive trend over time. The potential buyer will also note that among the 51 works on Russian auctions have only 4 sales (3 — in 2007-2011, last — in 2017), and the foreign trading in recent times the work of Volkov exhibited in 2018. This suggests that following the emergence of the artist at auction should bring the opportunity to acquire one of the lead authors of the "Soviet modernism" much attention of buyers.

On the current 335-м AI Auction watercolor "Spring (Cutmanmike)" 1917.

Sources: fergananews.com, tashkentpamyat.ru, artinvestment.ru, rusavangard.ru



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Индексы арт-рынка ARTIMX
Индекс
Дата
Знач.
Изм.
ARTIMX
13/07
1502.83
+4,31%
ARTIMX-RUS
13/07
1502.83
+4,31%
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