«In the Russian museums relating to art collectors arrogant»
ARTinvestment.RU   18 июня 2008

Issues of public and private collectors in Russia through the eyes of a German collector and gallery

Alex Lahmann, collector of Russian art and the owner of the gallery in Cologne, offered at exhibition «Time to collect ...» part of his collection of photographs of Russian modernism. Correspondent «Kommersant» Tatiana Markina, he talked about his relation to Russian museums and Russian collectors.

- What do you think, why the exhibition of Russian art from private collections of this magnitude took place at this moment?

- Apparently, the demand accumulated since the museums in Russia has never staged exhibitions of such amount from private collections. Attitudes to the private collection in Russia cautious. It is connected with the communist past, when private collectors can be selected. International traditions museum collectible or unique here is understood or not understood. Museums have very clearly reflect the state and society. Developed an independent civil society is diverse and rich museums, a country with such problems do not have.

- Well, very much richer than Russia's museums!

- I can argue. Russian museums are rich only because it was built before the revolution, mostly by private collectors and selected after the revolution, with a few exceptions for art and avant-garde Soviet period. In the Russian museums no advanced modernism - surrealism, Dada, and all the rest. Russia today as a museum by-country. Pride of Russia - ballet, impressionist and space - all in the past. Time goes forward, the twentieth century gave us the critical currents in art, and we the younger generation does not know what the art of the second half of the twentieth century: Pop Art, Minimalism, flyuksus. In the Russian museums do not have any Modigliani, Miro serious, in Russia there is no Rothko, there is no Lanskoe, Poljakova and de Steel. But it is the artists of Russian origin.

- But they are in private collections in Russia.

- but in Russian museums relating to art collectors such as if you are somewhere stolen. This is due to the fact that museums have received their collections easily. Unlike the Western museums that have emerged in the twentieth century - in which the directors were at the origin, as the inspirer of, they had to coax patrons and sponsors to build their collections. They understand that the foundation of museums - a private collector and artist. In the same Russian museums, on the one hand, a very arrogant attitude to collectors, on the other - the inability to gather a good collection of art of the XX and XXI centuries themselves. In St. Petersburg Alexander Borovsky, the latest trends zavotdelom Russian Museum, and in Moscow Andrey Tretyakov Yerofeyev in trying to do something, but when there is no common will to overcome the inertia of many years of difficulty.

- you're referring to participate in this process of state?

- The state should not interfere in the art. There are different policies in the field of art. In America, for example, museums are only through private initiative, the arts in general and artists in particular are trying to distance themselves from the state. There, the president did not visit the exhibition will be bonus for the artist. There is France, where the museums were created kings, and the government still strongly influences the market and art collecting. And there is Germany - which until recently did not have the post of Minister of Culture. They believe that culture - it is a regional matter, and each ground should be administered to him myself. In Germany, the state only provides money, but does not give directives - those that collect and display. And it is not based on laws, but on the traditions and rules of the game. For Russia this is a good concept. We have too much state, and the history of our country are parallel. Although there are differences, of course. For example, the patriotism in art now in Germany is considered to be tasteless.

- With Russian museums differ from the U.S., it is understandable. A Russian collectors are different from their American counterparts?

- Collectors, on the one hand, all different. And on the other - the same. After all, we live in a free society, to buy all of their money. One can collect nudity, and the other icon, one wants to show it, and the other not. Russia 20 years living in the new format and is now beginning to seriously think about «Oven».

- Exhibition «The time to collect ...» the traditional period of Russian art - XIX - early XX century. Are you the collector of avant-garde. What has been your interest?

- The concept for the exhibition I was not very clear. I can only say about myself that I was glad when the Russian Museum has asked me to participate in the exhibition. In Russia, very little is known about the history of Russian and Soviet photography modernism. I have the most important collection of Russian modernism in photography and photomontage in the world. In the Russian museums do not have anything like this. Very nice collection of the Pushkin Museum, but it is rarely exposed. But in the modern world the art of photography has played and plays a very important role. Therefore, the period 1920-1930's, when the art of advanced modernism emerging as important, Russian art of the time it is impossible to imagine without photographs and photomontage. Russian - like Rodchenko or Lisitsky - were universal artists, Renaissance type. They were also artists and photographers, and graphics, and scenery, and architects. These craftsmen are very much influenced by not only the Soviet, but also to the entire western culture. In the West, they discovered, they admired. It is in the early XX century Russian art was not a secondary (as it was before, in the XIX century, and later) - it was a huge contribution to world culture.

- How do you assess the current prices of Russian art? What will happen to them next?

- prices are high not only for Russian artists. In a world of great interest to art - in London last year the museum exhibition was visited by more people than cinema. This is a social process - for many years there was no war, the terms of globalization, the availability of information. Today's western museums - this show, and art - this is entertainment. And of course, that people who have the opportunity to buy art of their country. Just for the Russian art prices increased from zero, so the progress seems so great. But they are no higher than in German or American. Even below. I am confident that the price of Russian avant-garde, modernism would have to rise. While I always advise to buy art only when you really like.

Source: www.kommersant.ru