Romantic, Ostovar, an outstanding master. Today the name of Labas is associated not only with innovation in Russian art, but also with exemplary management of the creative legacy of the artist

Name Alexander Labas (1900-1983) is strongly associated with the emergence and flourishing of the legendary Society of easel (OST), with romance scientific-технического progress with airships in the sky, planes in the air, the rushing locomotive, with dreams of future cities and meetings with inhabitants of distant planets.

Before the revolution Labas studied at the Imperial art school, then at VKhUTEMAS. Participated in the Civil war (in 1919 went to the Eastern front by the artist). Back in VHUTEMAS, studied in Konchalovsky, Malevich, Kandinsky. Then I taught. In the mid 1930-х Labas, like many of his colleagues, got under a skating rink of struggle against the "formalists" in art. For almost 30 years, the artist has not had the opportunity to participate in exhibitions and earned a living creating murals and dioramas for industry-specific exhibitions. Full access to the viewer is elderly artist was returned only in the mid-1960-х years. From this time he began his triumphant return.

outstanding Artist — what can I say. But for market participants today, his name is rare in our latitudes, an example of exemplary management creative heritage. It was all done in the mind: the systematization of heritage and archives, to mobilize the driving forces, preparation of catalogues and monographs, attracting sponsors, a model organization of exhibitions in the best museums of the country, as well as the organization of the artist. The latter needs to talk more.

What is the use of collectors and vendors from the Foundation of the artist? The most immediate. The Foundation's work objectively makes the market works by the artist are cleaner, safer and more civilized. If the Fund is a non-fiction collection, and the structure, leading to a full-fledged research and expert activities, it can become a universal arbitrator and issuing a document for authenticity, not contested market. Labas-Фонд in this sense sets the bar high. It has created a rightful heir to the copyright Olga Beskin-Лабас — niece of Alexander Labasa. Even before legal registration of the organization (Fund of assistance to preservation of a creative heritage of Alexander Labas was registered with the Ministry of justice in 2010) was formed by a reputable Board of Trustees, which included experts, art historians and even Museum Directors. On the eve of an important solo exhibition of Labasa in the Tretyakov gallery was launched very informative site labasfond.ru that contains a catalog of works, publications and archival materials. And after some time it was announced that the issuance of Fund certificates of authenticity for works of the artist. With this paper, the conclusion of large deals has become much safer.

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the Greatest investment potential, of course, are the work of 1920-30-х years. Of particular value are the stories with airships, planes, trains. Technical romance and thoughts about the future were a favorite motif of Labasa. Needless to say that such works are extremely rare on the market and are very expensive. Where would they only take? But then, as they say, he who seeks will find. For example, look how handsome-дирижабль was shown in the collection of BorisThe Suris.

• Figure A. Labasa at the exhibition "Russian graphics of the first half of the twentieth century. Collection of Boris Suris" (22.10.2013–31.01.2014, Moscow, Galeyev-галерея)
  Photo by Vladimir Bogdanov, AI

in General, the most expensive work Labasa airship was sold at auction in London in 2006 for 116 thousand dollars. It was a picturesque "Zeppelin", 1934, valuable period, but still quite large: 65 × 80. It is the second largest auction result Labasa. Alas, this picture is fake. Fake convincingly exposes Labas-фонд: the attacker unknowingly stuck to the top piece of the airship hangar, against which he was shown in another picture. And in the first place cost why-то "view of the Kremlin" in 1946, which at a London auction in 2012, paid 360 000 dollars.

• Alexander LABAS Zeppelin. 1934
  Oil on canvas. 65 × 80
  MacDougall's. 30.06.2006. Lot 64
  Price: 116 000 dollars. The most expensive painting Labasa airship in history auction
  ATTENTION: the picture is false https://www.facebook.com
• Alexander LABAS view of the Kremlin. 1946
  Oil on canvas. 77 × 97
  MacDougall's. 25.11.2012. Lot 39
  Price: 360 000 dollars. The most expensive painting Labasa in history auction

In our auction, alas, airships have not yet been. Mainly on the auction market, and in particular, presents a much more affordable landscape drawing and painting 1950-60-х years. Types Of Leningrad, Moscow And Koktebel. Are such works in the range of 70 000-155 000. And the story is more important than technique. In particular, for 155 000 we sold this summer it is graphics, watercolor "Leningrad. Sink" (1963). However, a fairly large — 35 × 53. Conversely, "Boat on Moscow-реке" for 71 000 —, it was just a painting, a small oil on cardboard. Interest in the work of Labasa in our auctions are almost always big: hits a lot and are traded actively. The number of bids per lot sometimes exceeds 50-60.

• Alexander LABAS Leningrad. Sink. 1963
  Paper, watercolor, pencil. 35,7 × 53,5
  Auction AI. 06.06.2014
  Price: 155 000

What more pleasant shopping Labasa? Collectors who purchase his work ends up in a fairly comfortable information environment. Literature is available in abundance, both old and new¹. In particular, ozon.ru even now you can buy the monograph "Alexander Labas" Evgenia Butorina, released in 1979; antiquarian publication is about one and a half thousand roubles. There you can buy a brand new study by Natalia Semenova. "Labas" in the f published in 2013. Interest in the artist's work in the domestic market is not reduced, and our sales confirm this.

Vladimir Bogdanov AI

¹ Albums Labasa came out in 2004 and 2012 (the most luxurious — 200-страничный catalogue of the exhibition in the Tretyakov gallery 2011 "Alexander Labas. For speed of the XX century"). In 2006-м — "Personal Labasa. Alexander Labas in private collections". Among other publications we can mention a book of the artist's son Julia Labasa "When I was big" in 2008.