One of the major highlights of the collection is a tempera and oil on canvas painting by Nikolai Konstantinovich Roerich (1874-1947), entitled The Treasure of the Angels. The work, which was completed by the artist in 1905, is a monumental painting in Byzantine icon style reconceived in Post-Impressionist terms and depicts the Holy city located in Northern Russian hills. The painting, which was purchased by the couple in 1998 at Sotheby’s for £287,500, is estimated at £800,000-1,200,000.
THE ROSTROPOVICH-VISHNEVSKAYA COLLECTION OF RUSSIAN ART TO BE OFFERED FOR SALE AT SOTHEBY’S LONDON ]]>
Sotheby’s London, Thursday, July 12, 2007 — Sotheby’s London announced today that it will offer for sale The Rostropovich-Vishnevskaya Collection of Russian Art on Wednesday, September 19, 2007. The sale is entirely devoted to fine and decorative Russian Art from the 18th to the 20th centuries that formed the contents of the Paris and London apartments of recently deceased internationally renowned cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich and his wife Galina Vishnevskaya, the famous Russian soprano. These works come to sale following a decision taken by the couple to auction their collection and relocate to Russia.
The unprecedented sale of their collection will be held in Sotheby’s London salerooms and is estimated to realise in excess of £3 million. Commenting on their move to Paris and building their collection of Russian Art, Madame Vishnevskaya, said: “When we were forced to leave Russia in 1974 we had to abandon everything; all of our property was left behind in Russia. We left, quite literally, without a penny to our name. Everything we owned remained there. When we left – Rostropovich with a cello and Kuzya, a Newfoundland dog, and I with two suitcases and two children – we had to build our lives all over again from nothing and when in 1978 we were stripped of Russian citizenship, we bought the flat which we’ve lived in for all these years. The flat which we decided to turn into a Russian house is still there today.”
“We used to buy things from countries all over the world.…I love porcelain. Russian porcelain is somehow special. I can instantly distinguish it from other types – if there are several beautiful objects displayed together I immediately pick out a Russian work, I can see it as though I’ve been familiar with it since childhood…. It is interesting when I look back and remember when and where I bought something, what impressions I had when I first saw it. It warms the soul, recalling what life was like before and makes you think about what will be left after us.”
The decision to sell the collection was a mutual one, taken by Mstislav Rostropovich and Galina Vishnevskaya together. “We wanted the precious items that we had collected with such love over the years to be obtained during our lifetime by real connoisseurs and people who loved Russian art and Russian antiquity. We hoped that these works of art would be acquired by people who love and appreciate them, people to whom these objects speak.”
Discussing the historic sale of The Rostropovich-Vishnevskaya Collection of Russian Art, Jo Vickery, Senior Director and Head of Sotheby’s Russian Department in London, said: “The collection of Mstislav Rostropovich and Galina Vishnevskaya – two of the 20th-century’s most talented musicians – was very much a part of their lives and reflects their love of Imperial Russia. We are truly honoured to be able to offer it for sale. The auction is the first major single owner collection of fine and decorative Russian Art I have had the privilege to handle, and it comes to auction at a landmark moment in the evolution of the international market for Russian Art.”
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