Tamara de Lempicka became the most expensive Russian artist
ARTinvestment.RU   18 ноября 2019

The maximum auction price for a painting by Lempicka exceeded the previous record of Natalia Goncharova, which was held in 2008. Success came to her in Paris. But she was born in the Russian Empire, and we will take it to the orbit of Russian art

Lempicka — is the name of her husband. The noble "de" — fiction. And Tamara — alias. By birth she is Maria B. Gurvich-Гурская. Born into a Jewish family in Warsaw at the time when Poland was part of Russian Empire. The child arrived in Moscow for 12 years, moved to St. Petersburg, to cousin. There, in the capital of Russia, married, gave birth to a daughter. And in 1919-м, miraculously rescue her husband from prison, managed to escape with his family to France. Lempicka was one of those women who confidently took their destiny in their own hands. Paris, lack of money forced her to remember what she loved and what life subconsciously wanted — to do art. Her teachers of painting became a Lot Andre and Maurice Denis. And in the early 1920-х Lempicka found their own unique style, a variation of the ar-деко that Lot was called "soft cubism". Orders for portraits gave her a long-awaited financial independence. The artist ran in Bohemian circles, she had three (or so) of her husband, countless men and women. Model in scarlet tunic — is the Muse and lover of the artist, the same Raffaele who posed Nude for a calling "Beautiful Rafaella" in 1927. Before the war, Lempicka moved from France to the United States. "Soft cubism" soon gave way to abstract expressionism. Not to say that overseas, she has gained noticeable fame. Earned custom portraits, as in 1920-х in France. A new round of recognition received, when she was 70. She lived a long life, almost 82 years old. Grandchildren, exhibition, vivid memories. For 6 years before she died, she decided to move to Mexico, where he died. By will the strong women ashes scattered over a volcano.

First place in the rating was only a matter of time. The prices of paintings by Lempicka in recent years have grown rates, considerably faster than the average. Previous personal record of the artist was installed a year ago in November 2018-го at Christie's in new-Йорке her foot "Musician" was sold for $9 500 087. It was already half a step from the highest result of "Amazon vanguard" Natalia Goncharova ("Flowers", $10 883 000). And now — "Tunic the color of a rose" (meaning more correctly, "the scarlet tunic") — at Sotheby's for $13 362 500. And this thing is the same size as "Musician", the same period and a comparable artistic level.

it is said that among collectors of Lempicka — Madonna, BarbraStreisand, Jack Nicholson. And record a masterpiece now probably owns who-то of our rich. According to "Artguide" in the interests of the buyer at the auction traded Irina Stepanova —, the head of the Russian office of Sotheby's.

With the new 13-милллионным result Lempicka was not only No. 1 in the list of most expensive women-художниц, but also No. 9 in the ranking of Russian artists. Both ratings are updated automatically as new information becomes available in scientific database data auction results ARTinvestment.ru.

Vladimir Bogdanov, AI

Source: sothebys.com, artguide.com