The curator of the collection of Alexander Balashov uneasy fate of the collection of the International Moscow Bank, recently absorbed the western giant

Alexander Balashov - an expert in Russian art of XX century, art historian, consultant of several private and corporate collections. Author artistic album «Russian expressionism», «Kamensky», «Barteau» and many others that have emerged in a series of «new history of art» in the publishing Agey Tomesh /WAM.

- Most recently released album catalog collections of paintings bank UniCredit under your editorship. You were, and the curator of this collection. How and when was it created?

- Indeed, I was her supervisor, and all happened a long time - more than a decade ago. In 1998, the replenishment of collections virtually ceased, and released the album - an attempt to return to what we have done in the past five years, from 1993 to 1998.

- Bank stopped to gather a collection?

- The Bank simply cease to work with it. Items on display at the premises of the bank so far, but the purchasing works of art has been suspended. This, of course, a pity, because when we started to gather a collection, the approach to this with full responsibility and the assembly was created as a long-term project investment in the Russian art of the early XX century. Speaking «investment», I primarily mean the participation of financial-economic groups.

At the time, this art was not known to a wider audience too. But what we have today - an interim result, and I, as curator, is sad to realize that the project is not completed. Made only a quarter of work, including the investment plan. Now it makes no sense to say why the purchase of paintings has been suspended, likely to have political and economic reasons ... Today, the collection can be seen as an excellent foundation or beginning of a new art program.

- originally for the bank itself, it was rather a social program or a conventional investment?

- Of course, this was not a conventional investment. The reason for the establishment of the collection was a huge opening of the new bank facilities, built by architect Alexander Skokanom. The bank chose the Russian art of the 1920-1940's as the primary focus, because this period little explored, but at the same time is very valuable. And from a commercial point of view, it was obvious that the art which we call the post was completely underestimated. And the prospect of rising prices does not raise doubts. History has shown that the choice was correct: the cost of collection to date has increased about 30 times.

- You have been commissioned experts. And by the bank someone supervised the project?

- Yes, the bank has established a working group. I was invited as a bank expert and art, to engage in collection and to protect the interests of the bank. There was, of course, the competition, which was attended by several experts with different programs. Management decided that the Russian art of the 1920-1940's, which I proposed as the basis for the collection of the most promising.

- Where purchased work?

- For the corporate, as indeed for any other distinguished collections provenans important, especially if you're building a collection in Moscow. All the work we have tried to buy in the home of artists, the direct descendants or in private meetings with a good reputation. Therefore, prices were not really very funny. Valuable communications, which we used to be fully confident in the authenticity and «clean» the origin of all the works that were in the collection of the bank.

- Is the price for which was bought a picture, and its current value?

- for example, works by Alexander Drevin, a level that is now in the collection, now there is no market, and suggest how they may be worth today is difficult. Say so, the estimated cost of such works Drevin starting from Euro 300 thousand to a million and above. And we bought for ten thousand dollars. The same thing with pictures of Hope Udaltsova. For example, «Hunting Still Life» today is estimated at 600-700 thousand euros, and then was bought for nine thousand.

- Did you have expertise in selected cases?

- Yes, but it was mostly a formality. When you go to the daughter of the artist and buy the work of her mother, it is understandable that the examination is meaningless. We have introduced another practice - just ask the paper were from the heirs, and thus to create works provenans not a formal museum, but a real, genuine, which is very important for the works of Russian artists.

- you're familiar with other corporate gatherings?

- Of course! At a time when we have a collection similar to the work involved and the other banks, for example INCOM and «capital». In the latter, incidentally, was a collection of brilliant, but totally different budget, other possibilities, other ways. We have the same chamber assembly. Then we were at the beginning of the road and, unfortunately, it remained, but it may soon all change.

- Why did the bank decided to publish the catalog of its collections?

- It is rather a gift album for the bank's clients or partners of large, mostly foreign, who know little about this art. The collection was created for the International Moscow Bank, which not so long ago, was absorbed in the Western banking giant UniCredit. And now we return to the issue of resumption of the meeting. And because the album is due to including the need to demonstrate to shareholders than at present owns a bank.

In my opinion, attention to the art - we'll call it conditionally «Russian modernism», - which formed the basis of collections and is represented in the album, is only beginning to grow and manifest. Most people simply do not represent that such art existed. I am very pleased reactions that led to the publication of the Italian and Austrian colleagues - people sincerely say that discovering something new in the history of modern art in Russia. And it is important for the future of the collection bank.

Source: www.openspace.ru