2011-D for the Russian art market was a year of "mature crisis." This is when a noticeable improvement has not occurred, hopes to close yield vanished, but also did not become worse

2011-й for the Russian art market has become the year of "maturity crisis". This is when a noticeable improvement has not occurred, hopes to close the exit vanished, but worse too. Statistics ARTinvestment.RU is generally confirmed. Besides, she looks better statistics, which does not rely on Russian and the foreign sales of Russian art. With one of these numbers and start.

1. 5 new auction records registered in the past year in the Russian top-20. Rating ARTinvestment.RU were updated in the quarter. 2011 was a record at the refresh rate of the rating auction results for Russian art. "Recruits" in honor of the occasion, and not a sin to list:

• 8 place: Nicolas de Stael. Reclining Nude. 06.12.2011. 6
  million euros;
  • 9 Tamara de Lempicka. The dream (Rafael on a green background). 2.11.2011. [8,48] million dollars;
  • 10 place: Ilya Repin. Parisian cafe. 06.06.2011. 4 [4.52] million pounds;
  • 11th place: Vasily Polenov. Who among you is without sin? 30.11.2011. [4,07] million pounds;
  • 20: Vasily Vereshchagin. Taj-Махал Evening. 06.06.2011. 2 [2,28] million pounds.

needless to mention that all new records established abroad — in London, new-Йорке and Paris (rare, but it's the most expensive de Stael was sold at ArtCurial French). Overall, overseas sales of all cheer up. But to say that this news as-то helluva lot of influence on the Russian art-бизнес, probably not. Still wondering what the top ten world ranking of all auction record in 2011 stood motionless. No they have there soul.

2. 100 % lots sold — for the first time in the history of so "dry" bill was drawn string of Russian art in London in 2011. In the framework of the "Russian week" in November in London was completely sold out the collection of drawings by Alexander Benois. In fairness, we note that some lots didn't find buyers. But then the participants were asked to "repeat" and eventually left it. For "pure" result of Lord Poltimore were presented with white gloves — rare case in the history of modern auction.

3. 22 percent increase for the year average prices in the segment of Russian art, i.e., conditional thousand dollars invested in Russian art, has turned into 1 of 226 USD. I think that this positive statistic we owe to foreign auctions, which sold Russian lots. In Russia, prices do not grow.

by the Way, the price index of world art has grown at roughly the same dynamics as the Russian segment, even faster. But by the end of the year prices fell back slightly. In the end, according to calculations ARTinvestment.RU, conditional thousand dollars invested in the art world, to the end of the year, increased to 1 183 $ .

4. More than 10 new local auction appeared in Moscow over the past year. Of course, most of them managed to spend only a couple of sessions of trading. And in such cases there is always the risk that the auction will not be regular, and will be conducted only in the situational mode, from case to case. But the trend is clear: the auction format is becoming increasingly popular as in the organizers and the buyers. One (not main) reason for this is the desire of people to fix the price through a public sale. Cases are known when the transaction between buyer and seller agreed uponin advance, but still carried the thing through an auction to have paintings accumulating provenance. And this need in a civilized approach — is also encouraging trend.

5. 29,7 million rubles — such was the price of the most expensive paintings sold at auction in Russia in 2011. And it happened not in Moscow, as one would assume, given the growth of the Metropolitan auction sites in Petersburg, the auction house "Russian seasons" may 15: panel "the Goddess of the waters" Konstantin Makovsky went almost to the upper bound estimate (25,5–30 million). To a record for Makovsky of two million pounds is still far away, but London prices and high entourage generally do not survive.

• MAKOVSKY ke the Goddess of water. 2-я half of 1880-х
  oil on Canvas. 200 x 136
  "Russian seasons". SPb. May 15, 2011
  evaluation of the auction (estimate): 25,5–30 million rubles
  Price: 29.7 million rubles

6. 4 percent in comparison with last year has decreased the percentage of lots sold in the segment of Russian art. The index of purchasing activity for Russian art ARTIMXba-RUS decreased from 68 points earlier in the year (when it sold an average of 68 percent of all exposed Russian lots) to the current 64 points. But there was a time when he went out and did 63 points. For comparison, the index of purchasing activity for the art world throughout the year remained remarkably stable — was sold at auction 69 percent of lots put up and sold. Nothing changes. This, I stress, in the world. Directly in Russia the auctions percentage of sales throughout the year were significantly lower. Namely...

7. 30 percent of the lots sold — this is the usual outcome for Moscow's regular auctions. And as a result of above 40% —, it is considered that very well. ARTinvestment.RU at the end of the year tracked the situation in the halls of the main Moscow venues (including "Gelos", "Scoop" and the Gallery of Leonid Shishkin) and made sure that the mood of the public — business, one might even say skeptical-прагматичный. There is a feeling that this year's great illusions was reduced. Probably the expectation is that all of a sudden return to pre-crisis prices, completely melted away. And people just stopped to postpone decisions for the future, and make deals at today's realistic prices.

Provides statistics reflecting the state of the Russian art-рынка in the past year, is to Supplement their own feelings. The main one — crisis will not go away, he just learned how-то to live. Yes, there is no previously expected, "Jora" did not come. But on the other hand, the cultural life is not something that shrank from lack of money, but on the contrary, even flourished. Exhibitions were held in a tight schedule, and almost every weekend in spring and autumn, held several auctions. This living memory never had. A once vibrant cultural life, the art market will not miss her. By the way, one of the achievements of the year was the increased availability of the offer: galleries and auctions in the policy had shifted towards the real effective demand. In 2011 the average things will not hesitate to sell it for the money that they are willing to pay. Without inflating the cheeks and thought about how much it cost in "fat" years. One of the most significant experiments in this sense was the auction Leonid Shishkin Gallery "All of 5000 rubles", which sold out almost without a trace.

Finally, the outgoing year was marked by a change of municipal and Federal elites. In Russia, as life has shown, these processes are directly reflected on the art-рынке. And even ask his cycle. Who-то believes that the impact is even stronger financial crisis. Half-два transitional year, when the old officials Packed their bags and moved to new offices they themselves and their broader environment and the business-партнерам is briskly not to art. Only then are usually adjusted. In this sense, today forecast — it is doubly ungrateful.

wish all of us in the new year, more meetings with good art. In addition, these meetings are always instructive. If the classic flavor develops and teaches us not to lose a sense of proportion, that contemporary art is and does has a prophetic gift — accumulates and condenses the charges of the social atmosphere.

Vladimir Bogdanov, AI