Hidden Masterpieces

	Story updated in December 2010
	So it happened, that the Czech Republic has preserved the biggest collection of Russian painting outside the borders of the former Russian Empire. Some paintings were bought by the Czech Russophiles as early as before the Bolshevik Revolution, another paintings were brought by the Russian emigrants after it. With rare exceptions masterpieces by the most outstanding masters of Russian art are hidden from the public for the decades in storerooms of Czech museums or in private collections. One of the few opportunities to see at least some of masterpieces is exhibitions of Russian painting which take place every two years in the Fine Art Gallery of the small town of Nachod beside the Czech-Polish border: 1. Preparation for the exhibition of Russian painting in the Nachod Gallery in February 2009. Research worker Marcela Trojanova carries the painting 'Spring Flood' by Sergey Svetoslavsky to the exhibition hall. 2. Director of the Nachod Gallery Jan Kapusta with his son Jan carry the paintings 'The Spring' by Filipp Malyavin and 'Young Girl from the Ryazan Province' by Abram Arkhipov. 3. Jan Kapusta with his son Jan carry the painting 'Elaginsky Park in St Petersburg' by Ivan Shishkin. 4. Painting 'Wedding Procession in the Orel Province' by Vladimir Makovsky. 5. Staff of the Nachod Gallery hangs out the painting 'Easter Procession in an Oak Wood' by Ilya Repin. This painting is the largest as well as the most important work of Russian art in the Czech collections. 6. Painting 'Tatar Village in the Crimean Mountains' by Vasily Polenov. 7. Research worker of the Nachod Gallery Marcela Trojanova makes a mat for the drawing by Ilya Repin 'Portrait of a Young Man' before to show it on the exhibition of Russian art. 8. Portrait of Poet and Translator Alexander Strugovshchikov by Karl Brullov and the painting 'Amour and Bacchant' by Fyodor Bruni in the storeroom of the Nachod Gallery. 9. Sketch by Ilya Repin for his famous painting 'The Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of the Ottoman Empire' in the Nachod Gallery. 10. Preparation for the exhibition of Russian painting in the Nachod Gallery. From time to time some of the works by Russian artists from Czech private collections are appeared in the auctions. In October 2010 an unknown panting by Filipp Malyavin 'Portrait of Singer Nedezhda Plevitskaya Wearing a Boyar Costume of Kursk Province' was sold at the auction of the Gallery Pictura in Prague. Performer of Russian romances Nedezhda Plevitskaya, who depicted in the portrait, was extremely popular in pre-revolutionary Russia. Tsar Nicholas II called her 'the Kursk nightingale'. Then the long years in exile followed and finally the death in a French prison, where the singer had got on a charge of a collaboration with the Soviet secret police NKVD in the kidnapping of Russian general in exile Evgeny Miller. Filipp Malyavin painted the portrait of Nedezhda Plevitskaya in 1924. The painting was shown once at an artist’s exhibition in Prague and then remained in a private collection in Czechoslovakia. Works by Russian atrists of such high quality haven't appeared in the Czech auctions for about a decade. The portrait was sold for 2.5 million korunas (approximately 102,000 euros) with a starting price of 650,000 korunas (approximately 26,500 euros). 11. Portrait of Singer Nedezhda Plevitskaya Wearing a Boyar Costume of Kursk Province by Filipp Malyavin shown at a pre-auction exhibition in the Gallery Pictura in Prague. Not every work of Russian art has found a buyer immediately. In March 2009 the auction house Meissner Neumann from Prague tried unsuccessfully to sell the sketch by Ilya Repin to his painting 'Barge Haulers on the Volga'. Nobody wanted to buy the sketch by the outstanding Russian artist for nearly 5,000 euros: 12. Wife of the owner of the auction house Meissner Neumann Dana Neumannova shows a sketch by Ilya Repin to his famous painting 'Barge Haulers on the Volga' at the pre-auction exhibition. 13. Owner of the auction house Meissner Neumann Jan Neumann conducts the auction. One of the most significant private collections of Russian painting in the Czech Republic is now permanently exhibited in the new Museum of Russian Art, which opened in December 2010 in Prague. Art collector Valery Larionov has spent almost twenty five years in search and purchase of works of Russian artists which have remained in some Czech private collections. The result of his work was the superb collection of more than four hundred paintings and drawings, which is exhibited in the new museum now: 14. Preparation for the opening of the Museum of Russian Art in Prague. Worker controls the position of the painting 'Russian Bath House' by Soviet artist Anatoly Talalaev. 15. Art collector Valery Larionov controls the preparations for the opening of the the Museum of Russian Art. 16. Painting 'Snowstorm' by Nikolay Sverchkov. 17. Painting 'Bay of Naples' by Vasily Sternberg. 18. Painting 'The Cossacks Crossing the River at Dawn' by Franz Roubaud. 19. Painting 'Mars and Venus' by E. Bokov. 20. Worker controls the level of illumination on the paintings before the opening of the Museum of Russian Art. 21. Workers hang out paintings in the Museum of Russian Art in Prague. 22. Owner of the Museum of Russian art collector Valery Larionov chooses the place for one of the paintings. 23. Painting 'Saint Barbara' by Mikhail Nesterov. 24. Painting ‘Nude Woman’ by Filipp Malyavin. 25. Painting ‘Forest Stream’ by V. Bondarenko. 26. Portrait of Madame Frankenstein by Ilja Repin. 27. Worker hangs out a painting in the Museum of Russian Art in Prague. 28. First visitors of the newly opened Museum of Russian Art in Prague in front of the painting 'The Cossacks Crossing the River at Down' by Franz The photographs in this story were shot from March 2005 to December 2010. This story isn't finished jet. New photographs will be added soon.
	Copyright © 2010 Vova Pomortzeff