In early June, Sotheby's will hold an auction of contemporary photography from Russia and Eastern Europe. The auction catalog covers the period from 1959 to 2004. In a selection of 156 works by lots of Komar and Melamid, Sutkus, Macijauskas etc.

June 5 in London as part of the auction Sotheby's «Changing the Focus: Collection of Russian and Eastern European Contemporary Photography" exhibit private American collection of more than 800 works of Soviet and Russian photographers of the period of 1959-2004 years. For the first time in overseas trading appears our photo collection of this size and importance. The total estimate of 156 lots is more than 891 thousand pounds, a preliminary assessment of individual lots range from 1,200 to 60,000 pounds. The content of the collection is very diverse: from reportage shots of the lives of Soviet citizens to photos with post-modern slant.

Head of Russian Art Sotheby's Joe Vickery called this auction is an important step in the market of Russian and East European photography reflecting the international interest in this topic and its critical rethinking taking place in recent years.

Among the most interesting works - a series of 16 shots Vladimir Kupriyanov «In memory of Pushkin." This photo portraits of Soviet Women, supplemented by lines of Pushkin's poems. Kupriyanov contrasted dry, devoid of any attractive female faces and emotions expressive language of poetry, love, youth and vast expanses, and this opposition forces to look into the face to find them, guess the hidden or perhaps forgotten feelings. Estimate series of 25 to 35 thousand pounds.

school founders of Moscow Conceptualism 1970 - s Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid presents a series of photographs "Our Moscow through the eyes of Mickey." Artist of the Moscow Circus chimpanzee Mickey artists have taught photography. The series includes a photo of the Mickey and made them blurry pictures of Red Square, so similar to the ones that are making thousands of tourists daily. Komar and Melamid question the exclusive right of people to work. Series "Our eyes Mickey Moscow" will be offered on June 7 with an estimate of 50-70 thousand pounds.

Soviet Baltic states represented by two works Aleksandras Macijauskas from the series" On the market "and one for his work in a series of" Veterinary Clinic "and the famous photograph" Zh.P.Sartr in Lithuania » Antanas Sutkus (1965), estimated at 4-6 thousand pounds. Photo sailors with a teddy bear, colored Boris Mikhailov (from the series "Lurik"), is estimated at 5-7 thousand pounds . And the organizers pay attention to the photo Igor Igor Mukhin from the series "Young people in the big cities" (estimate 6-8 thousand pounds), convey an atmosphere of Soviet punk rock culture of the 1980s.

Prepared by Mary Onuchina, AI

Source : Press Release Sotheby's