This result — the best auction in the history of the artist over the past five years

at the same time with the London "Russian week" which is held by the major auction houses in the first half of June, small auctions worldwide traditionally include in their catalogues of works of Russian art in the composition of the thematic sections in the catalogs of mixed subjects or in separate lots. This year one of these auctions brought a small sensation. Top-лотом two-day online-торгов auction house Millea Bros., based in the U.S. city of Boonton in new-Джерси (USA), was the work of the "Old ballet" painted by Konstantin Andreevich Somov.

Perhaps unexpectedly for the organizers of the auction of work from the start of $70 thousand were sold to an unnamed collector from London for $425 thousand Though for Amateurs and connoisseurs of the artist's creativity there is no mystery here.

of the"Old ballet" Somov wrote in 1923, shortly after emigrating to France, having developed in the new style of one of my favorite theatre stories. Later he often used a compositional technique, showing a view of the scene in an unusual perspective. The first in a series of similar works were the "Old ballet." In 1924, the American collector albert Rothbart bought the painting at the new-йоркской the exhibition Russian Art Exhibition, and two years later, in 1926-м, sold it at auction Andersen Galleries in the same new-Йорке.

Since then, the work was not present and therefore were considered lost. Mention of it in the academic literature was present mainly in the form of a link to the catalogue of the exhibition of 1924. However, as it turned out, the picture of the "Old ballet" was in the possession of 1926 until June 5, 2020-го, when it was sold at auction.

Given the status of the work, are to be expected in a short time of its appearance in the catalog of one of the largest auction houses or on the walls of what-нибудь famous Museum.

the Material was prepared by Maria Kuznetsova, AI

Source: auctions.milleabros.com