most expensive Russian photographer surprised composition of the top ten authors. Expected, it included Alexander Rodchenko and El Lissitzky, who led the ranking with the famous photographer "Designer" for which paid a little more than half a million dollars. Next to them (and it's nice) were contemporary artists Boris Mikhailov, Oleg Dou and group "AES F". Surprisingly, in the top 10 were not the works of Soviet artists, neither of the sixties, no photographs of the war years. If we denote the main directions of the dozens of photos, we can see that collectors are willing to pay dearly for the avant-garde of the 1920s, conceptual photography of the 1980s, as well as the art of the 2000s, in which the photographs are often subjected to computer processing.

Date of auction sales picture of our list shows that most records in Russian photography delivered in 2007 and the first half of 2008 (just before the crisis), and then in 2009 and 2010 - without any price spikes, and only in 2011 and 2012 - one photo. Note that the photomontage Lissitzky, who heads our list, bought at auction at Sotheby's in New York in December 2012 - a good sign.

El Lissitzky Design. 1924. Photomontage. 7.7 x 8,8 Sotheby's. New York. 12/12/2012. Lot 21 Estimate: 300-500 thousand dollars Result: 506.5 thousand dollars Source: sothebys.com

Photo constructivist artist El El Lissitzky (1890-1941) comes from the collection of the American investment Bul banker Henry (Henry Buhl) - large photo collection, containing only images of human hands. The auction house Sotheby's in New York, put up for auction Bul assembly 12 and 13 December 2012 and earned more than ten million dollars. "Designer" with a score of 506 Lissitzky-five hundred dollars (hereinafter the prices include the auction premium) was in the top five most expensive auction. Lissitzky created a "designer" in 1924 in Berlin, using multiple exposure, photograms and collage. In the upper left corner of the name of the author, the ink to draw a circle and the letters XYZ. The photograph combines two images: a hand holding a compass, and a self-portrait of Lissitzky. The artist considered a new kind of photo art, other than painting, with completely different methods, which he has shown in this picture.

Alexander Rodchenko Sokolniki Park. Winter. Hockey. 1929 gelatin silver print. 29.2 x 23,5 PhillipsDePury. New York. 24.04.2007. Lot 8 Estimate: 90-120 thousand dollars Result: 312 thousand dollars Source: phillips.com

Not surprisingly, the most expensive photograph Alexander Rodchenko (1891-1956) was shot in its "corporate" style - "bottom-up, top-down and diagonally." Rodchenko took this shot in 1929 during the preparation of a series of photographs for the book "Two Moscow" commissioned IZOGIZ publisher, photographer was invited to capture the "new Moscow" (the book was not published). Photograph "Sokolniki Park. Winter. Hockey "bought for 312,000 dollars, three times the estimate.

Vladimir Kupriyanov Do not reject me from your face. 1990 14 pictures. 180.5 x 430 Sotheby's. London. 12.03.2008. Lot 64 Estimate: 30-40 thousand pounds Result: 70.1 thousand pounds (142.093 thousand dollars) Source: sothebys.com , artinfo.ru

Symbolic photo Vladimir Kupriyanov (1954-2011) «Do not reject me from thy face" is a collective portrait of the factory workers. Consists of 14 photographic images, cut and made up in such a way that everyone will stand out from the crowd, like a series of personal portraits. Kupriyanov photos bought for 70,100 pounds at auction at Sotheby's in London in 2008. Probably the work Zimmerli Museum acquired in the U.S., as in 2011, there was an exhibition of Russian photography of the 1980s «Cast Me Not Away» («Do not Forsake Me"), in which the most important place was given to the new acquisitions of the museum - conceptual photography Kupriyanov of the same name.

AES F Auction Half Life. Episode 2, № 12. 2004 Digital print on canvas. 150 x 187,5 Sotheby's. London. 12.03.2008. Lot 140 Estimate: 35-40 thousand pounds Result: 42.5 thousand pounds (86.148 thousand dollars) Source: artinvestment.ru

group of contemporary artists AES F (Tatiana Arzamasova, Leo Evzovich, Eugene Svyatskiy Vladimir Fridkes) on the art scene for almost 20 years. They implement their projects not only in photography but also in sculpture, painting, video installation. A series of photos with the name of a popular computer game «Auction Half Life» was filmed in 2003-2005, in the frame to show the world of virtual reality - young model in arms against the landscape of the Sinai desert. Photos bought for 42 and a half thousand pounds at auction at Sotheby's in London in early 2008.

ARSEN Sawada Photos from the project «Underground 2000". 1999 Digital printing. 75 x 90 Golden Section. Donetsk. 17.12.2011. Lot 126 Estimate: 8-10 thousand dollars Result: 65 thousand dollars Source: artinvestment.ru

fifth place ranking takes photo Arsene Savadov (1962) of the project «Underground 2000". Savadov is Ukrainian contemporary art and creates a series of controversial and shocking photographs - for example, "Donbas-Chocolate" or "Book of the Dead." In the series «Underground 2000" Savadov reproduces fragments of frescoes by Giotto in the salt mines. For a photo paid 65 thousand dollars for Ukrainian auction "Golden Section" in 2011. Another photo of the series exhibited at Guelman «Icons» in Krasnodar in 2012, the opening time was thwarted because of the scandal, although the exhibition took place.

Oleg Dou nun number 2. 2006 Digital Printing Lambda. 100 x 100 Kieselbach Gallery. Budapest. 14.12.2007. Lot 229 Estimate: 350 000 Ft Result: 9 million forints (52.38 thousand dollars) Source: kieselbach.hu , artinvestment.ru

young photographers Oleg Oleg Dou (1983 ) quickly became a significant figure in modern art. In 2008, nominated for Kandinsky. In 2012, the Dow was the cover photo of a new version of Photoshop CS6. Dow works are portraits of women and children, often with distant faces. S technology includes not only the Dow photography, but image processing - in particular, the imposition of certain textures on photographic images. Photograph "nun" bought for 9,000,000 HUF (including premium auction, more than 52 thousand dollars) at auction Kieselbach Gallery in Budapest in 2007.

Alexey Brodovitch Ballet" Tent of Miracles. " 1935-1937 gelatin-silver print. 24.1 x 34,3 Christie's. New York. 18.10.2006. Lot 117 Estimate: 8-12 thousand dollars Result: 45,6 thousand dollars Source: christies.com

Alexey Brodovitch (1898-1971) was an important figure for the art of photography and design XX century. Brodovitch's career has developed in America, but his childhood and youth were held in Russia. From 1934 to 1958 he was art director for the magazine Harper's Bazaar. In 1935-1937 Brodovitch took a series of photographs on the performances of Russian Ballet of Monte Carlo. Photos were taken without a flash, the shutter speed is to "blur" to show ballet "in motion." While all wanted to shoot with maximum sharpness, so Brodovitch departed from the rules. In 1945, published a book with the photographs, titled «Ballet» («Ballet"), circulation of only 500 copies. Original photos from this series is very rare, as the negatives and the prints were burned in a house fire Brodovitch. Therefore, these vintage images of great value. Photo scene from the ballet "Tent of Miracles" was presented to Paul and Karen Brodovitch Radkay (Paul and Karen Radkai) and on the New York Christie's auction in 2006, came out of their collection. Shot bought for 45,600 dollars, almost five times higher than the estimate.

Igor Makarevich Metamorphoses (Self-Portrait). 1977-78 36 pictures. 113 x 113 Sotheby's. New York. 17/04/2007. Lot 509 Estimate: 10-15 thousand dollars Results: 30 thousand dollars < Source: artinvestment.ru

conceptualist Igor Makarevich (1943) is not known for its photographs, and objects and installations. Rather, even photographs are just a vehicle for the expression of conceptual ideas. Makarevich is a member of "collective action." In 1977, the artist has conceived a series of self-portraits in the mask, the face and the transformations of the image, just as people change their masks in life. For portrait Makarevich paid 30 thousand dollars at auction at Sotheby's in New York in 2007.

Boris Mikhailov Untitled. From the series "Sots Art". 1981 Black and white photography, toning. 59.4 x 49,5 PhillipsDePury. London. 10/13/2007. Lot 432 Estimate: 5-7 thousand pounds Result: 14.4 thousand pounds (29.327 thousand dollars) Source: artinvestment.ru

Guru Soviet conceptual photography Boris Mikhailov is better known abroad than in Russia. In the 1960's and 70's, he created a series of "Lurik", "Red Series" "Sots Art" - black and white pictures, hand-painted (with a predominance of red color as a kind of concept). His art reflects the worst aspects of human life and society of the Soviet and post-Soviet times. Photos from the series "Sots Art" PhillipsDePury bought at auction in London in 2007 for 14,400 pounds.

Vladimir Clavijo-Telepnev La Russe. From the series "Sensuality." 2003 gelatin silver print, eglomize. 125.1 x 105 PhillipsDePury. New York. 16.05.2008. Lot 432 Estimate: 20-25 thousand dollars Result: 27,4 thousand dollars Source: artinvestment.ru

modern photographer Clavijo-Telepnev (1962) is engaged in fashion and advertising photography, and also works in an unusual old technique - eglomize. Photography is a mirror, which is made by hand, in which artificially break the emulsion. Picture emerges through the mirror, creating an unusual visual impact. In the XVIII century the technique eglomize was a kind of pattern on the glass or mirror, which was created with the help of an engraving on the back. Photos «La Russe» series of "sensual" bought for 27,400 dollars at auction PhillipsDePury in New York in 2008.

All these photos were bought for a record for the authors and for Russian photography in general prices, fought for them (in some cases up to 20 steps) on auction sites. Maybe because every shot from the top ten can be called without any reservations hallmark of its author: the plot, style, technical features photography and imaging - everything right , recognizable and fully characterize creativity of each wizard.

All photos of this dozens of interest both for collectors and for historians of photography.

Comments Marina Bondarenko, AI