Exhibition «Spring Russian avant-garde» from the collections of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, museum trips to Japan, ended in scandal. Seven works from the collection of MMSI raised doubts about the authenticity and removed from the exhibit are three paintings by Chagall , three - Ivan Puni , and one - Vasily Kandinsky .

Exhibition «Spring Russian avant-garde» brings together 70 works created at the beginning of XX century, the major representatives of Russian avant-garde. Tour of Japan (Tokyo - Osaka - Gifu - Saitama) was to be the most solid MMSI visiting the project, but it seems that he became the most scandalous. After the «Spring Russian avant-garde» opened in Tokyo's Museum of Bunkamura, Paris Chagall Committee expressed doubts about the authenticity of three paintings from the exhibition, attributed to Marc Chagall ( «Portrait of a Woman» 1908, «The Family» 1911-1912 year «Violinist» 1917 ). However, the executive director of MMSI Vasili Tsereteli assured that «three disputed works do not pass through Paris Shagal Fund, therefore can not attest to their authenticity, but the artist in the 1960's and 1970's, has certified that it is indeed his early paintings» .

Next in the list of the museum - Suntory Museum in Osaka, announced that it had removed from the exposition of the three disputed items. However, right before the opening of the exhibition revealed that would have excluded not only «Shagalov». Right holders (as it should be understood that the heirs of famous artists and foundations) have questioned the authenticity of four paintings - two still-life and the «song with the lamp» Ivan Puni, as well as the maritime landscape of Vasily Kandinsky.

«The exhibition opens to the public September 25. We will refrain from demonstrations of seven paintings because of the discussions, which are the holders of different rights and MMSI - explained «Kommersant» museum curator Keiko Ueki. - We can not comment on issues related to the authenticity of these paintings. But we hope that even without these seven works, we can provide the dynamism of the Russian avant-garde Japanese public ».

In addition to the Russian avant-garde artists in the exhibition includes works by by Natalia Goncharova , Niko Pirosmani , Mikhail Fedorovich Larionov , Paul Filonov , Kazimir Malevich , Alexandra Arkhipenko . Moscow Museum of Modern Art opened in Moscow in late 1999. The initiator of its creation and first director was the sculptor Zurab Tsereteli, President of the Russian Academy of Arts. His personal collection of works by renowned masters of the XX century the beginning of the Museum collection, donated to the museum, he handed over about 2 thousand pieces. But later, Zurab Tsereteli peksya replenishment meeting. For example, the sale of the collection of Inkombank in 2002 he bought for the museum «Self» and «Portrait of the wife» Kazimir Malevich, as well as a selection of works by nonconformists.

Vasily Tsereteli commented on the situation for the «Kommersant»: «All the work to which the claim is right. In the case of works by Kandinsky Pugni and they asked us provenansy and photos that we sent to them. Foundation to Kandinsky satisfied in the case of the canvases Pugni we informed pravoobladatelnitsu his heritage. Pictures from our collection - it is a repetition, created by the artist to his exhibition in Berlin on (because he was not allowed to remove the painting from Petrograd). All the works have expertise, we are confident of their authenticity, and I think we gradually solve the problem ».

Source: kommersant.ru