A unique collection of Polaroid snapshots from the family archive of film Director Andrey Tarkovsky was auctioned on 6 October. Sold two lots of 29

Auction "Nostalgia: Before and after — valuable Polaroid pictures Andrei Tarkovsky" was held in the London office of the auction house Bonhams. Just put it was 257 pictures are divided into sets of 8 to 10 photos on 29 lots. Lots were estimated in the range of £20 to 37 thousand (about 1.5–2.8 million rubles.).

Andrei Tarkovsky was fond of shooting on a Polaroid camera in the late 1970-х — early 1980-х: photographing Pets, landscapes of Russia and Italy, the locations. Film historian mark Le fanyu believes that the great Director was involved in Polaroid color saturation and at the same time a certain vagueness of imagery, giving each of them a mysterious haze and the effect is "retro". Besides, the Polaroid was a convenient Tarkovsky to search for the shooting plans. Snapshots exhibited at Bonhams, was made in Italy during the filming of "Nostalgia", in Moscow and in the house of Tarkovsky in the village of Myasnovo in the Ryazan region.

But, despite the uniqueness (all Polaroids exist in a single copy), provenance (at the auction they were offered from the collection of the son of the Director), the artistic value and the magic of a name of Tarkovsky, from the entire collection were sold only two lots: a selection of 9 Polaroids from the filming of "Nostalgia" (lot 12, the result of a £32 500 / 2,5 mln.) and 9 photographs from Tarkovsky's house in the village of meat in the Ryazan region (lot 25, the result of £31 250 / 2.4 million Euro).

Why it happened? May be the case in the fragility of the Polaroid pictures? Surely everyone has at home Polaroid photographs, which for several years had faded almost beyond recognition. How, then, has survived to the present day famous snapshots of Andy Warhol, Chuck close, Ansel Adams, Robert Rauschenberg, etc.? Certainly for collectors have invented a way of preserving Polaroids.

anyway, the collector's value of snapshots can be huge. In 2010, Sotheby's held the auction of Polaroid cameras from the collection of the owner of the Polaroid company, Tom Peters (the collection was put up for auction at the request of the bankruptcy court). So the auction brought $12.5 million, Nearly all have bought more expensive grades. For example, $722 500 paid for the Polaroid Ansel Adams with a view of Yosemite, for $254,500 left Polaroid self-portrait Warhol, self-portrait Chuck close composed of 9 snapshots, bought for $290 500.

Can stand in this row Andrei Tarkovsky? Of course, it can. A collection of Polaroids, which during the life of the Director did not leave, and everywhere carried with him, were put up for auction for the first time — collectors the unique chance. But, as often happens, unparalleled lot is always difficult to properly assess. Maybe fans of Tarkovsky yet were not ready for such a price?

the Material was prepared by Maria Onuchina, AI

Sources: bonhams.com, russiangap.com, artinvestment.ru