Of course, everything is legal. But this unusual sale is another reminder of the complex relationship between the Soviet state and national cultural heritage

"Sotheby's" does not publish the estimate, provides information to potential buyers on request. And for good reason. With high probability these white lines set a new auction record for the work of Kandinsky. Current record Kandinsky was updated only last year, when the picture of 1935, "Rigid and flexible" was sold at Christie's for $ 319 500 23. By the way, is No. 4 in the ranking of the most expensive Russian artists. The interesting thing, is much larger than "Painting with white lines", but it was late 1935. And "Painting with white lines" — is 1913 — perhaps the most valuable, the most innovative period in the artist's work. Work of this level appear at auction is not something that every year, but not every decade. You can even more precisely. The last time the class comparable picture sold at auction 27 years ago — in 1990: the famous canvas of "Fugue" (1914) "Sotbis". Then this canvas have given more than $20 million, and this record could not beat the tens of years. Think "Painting with white lines" will take in around $30 million Or more. Because you never know when the next time the collectors will have the chance to compete for such a masterpiece.

what does the Tretyakov gallery? Despite the fact that in a certain period of history, this picture was kept in the main Museum of the country. In General, where she not only visited! Kandinsky wrote, "Painting with white lines" in October, 1913, for exhibition in Germany. But in a country where he had lived for nearly 20 years, since the beginning of the First world war, Russian became to be unsafe. In 1914, Kandinsky moved back to Russia, taking it with him.

And spun. Kandinsky was actively involved in the management of the new revolutionary art. The Department of fine arts Narcompros, Injuk, the Museum of painterly culture. One time Kandinsky was the head of the Museum of painterly culture in Volkhonka, in the Fund of which the painting was purchased in 1919. From there, in 1920, the picture was sent to the Museum in Penza. Later it was moved to the Tretyakov gallery. But the next section of her biography: purchased by the collector William Huck (Wilhelm Hack) from Cologne in about 1974. Like what — do not ask, the catalog is silent about it. Observers suggest that the canvas of Kandinsky used in a-то the scheme of exchange. So, in German "Spiegel" (spiegel.de ) in 1974 flashed a hint of what hack suggested Tips for sharing he had a letter from Lenin (forum.artinvestment.ru ).

whatever it was, but after 43 years after these events we see the Kandinsky masterpiece with perfect provenance, with a bunch of publications and historical photographs, at public auction. Well, wait for new record.

Vladimir Bogdanov, AI

Sources: sothebys.com