The best works of artists of the 21st century. Modern artists and their amazing fantasies

Alexey Chernigin

Konstantin Lupanov

Stanislav Plutenko

Nikolay Blokhin

Dmitry Annenkov

Vasily Shulzhenko

Arush Votsmush

Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky

Mikhail Golubev

Sergey Marshennikov

The face of contemporary art in Russia combines with a variety of contrasts. The beginning of the 21st century is a certain transitional moment in the history of art, when the process of rethinking the artistic heritage takes place and the lines of further development of fine art are outlined. We live in a period when not only the way of life of the previous generation is becoming obsolete, but also, as a result, the spiritual component is changing. People and their thoughts are undergoing a kind of renewal, and all this is the threshold of a new era.
The birth of new ideas, as always at such moments in history, are fruitful, but more than ever, those that reflect the ambiguous, unusual and sometimes frivolous attitude of the artist to the meaning of painting as a spiritual quest stand out among the fruits that have artistic and ideological weight.

Perhaps the current opinion is not entirely objective and this period should be comprehended only after its full formation, because no one excludes the idea that painting is destined to become something else and acquire a new meaning in the form of conceptualism. But this would be unnatural for painting, and at the same time, most modern art researchers say that the trends of new conceptual art, which were another revival of avant-garde painting of the early 20th century, are destructive for the continuation of the line of “classical” painting. By its nature, the avant-garde denies tradition and thereby has a detrimental effect on the role of “meaningful” painting; in this sense, it appears as its enemy. But in itself, little explored, and therefore relevant, the avant-garde movement grabbed part of the thread of the history of the development of painting at the beginning of the 21st century in the form of conceptual art.

"Priesthood" and "foolishness" of modern painting

In addition to the conceptual line, the academic line also stands out. She is supported by the Russian Academy of Arts. As for the second institutional structure - the Creative Union of Artists of Russia - there is a more interesting picture here. This organization includes a large number of artists from completely different areas of painting, which our cultural heritage contains, including figures of the conceptual direction. But the Russian Academy of Arts does not proclaim its goal to produce exclusively academic artists.
In such a “motley” world of modern painting, which does not have a stable foundation and is not united by a common idea, several directions have nevertheless clearly emerged in our country. As the domestic art critic Alexander Yakimovich calls the two main ones - “priesthood” and “foolishness”. It is this “priesthood” that fuels the hopes of many researchers, artists and viewers for the future of Russian painting.
Contemporary Russian artists fall into the first direction, many of whom have still managed to experience the spirit of the USSR. These masters left the innermost essence of painting untouched. Their canvases, imbued with meaning, are filled with a religious spirit, the breath of ancient sacred images, and the warmth of utopian ideas. Their works still contain a philosophical view of the world.

"Sashkin's bouquet" N. Nesterova. 2009

"Paris". N. Nesterova. 2005

Such are the instructive creations of Natalia Nesterova - “Sashkin’s Bouquet”, “Paris”. Through the naivety of her images, the artist conveys to us the truth of the futility of our existence. This is not a mockery of the senseless activities of man, but a demonstration of human narrow-mindedness, which can ruin everything that is alive and deep that remains in us. These ideological tendencies could be traced back in her early “masquerade” works.

"IX". Series "Matriarchy". O. Bulgakova. 2007

"Return of the Prodigal Son" From the series “Biblical Sketches”. O. Bulgakova. 2007

The ancient silent images of Olga Bulgakova, in a passionate, flaming color, overwhelm the consciousness and appeal to the primordial foundations of our being. The “Matriarchy” and “Biblical Sketches” series, as well as other works by O. Bulgakova, are an excellent example of modern oil painting in an expressive manner, which only enhances the semantic equivalent of the artist’s works. Truly worthy of being called a masterpiece, The Return of the Prodigal Son. Laconism and expressiveness of forms, smoldering figures linked in a fit of emotion. Nothing more needs to be added here; this image conveys the love between a child and a parent as it is. Without any mediocrity, the picture embodies the very subconscious that should forever remain unquestioned in the human soul.

"Carrier". Series “City. Entrance from the yard." D. Ikonnikov. 2003

“At the hour of early spring sunset...” From the series of St. Petersburg works. D. Ikonnikov. 2006

Dmitry Ikonnikov is inimitable in conveying the “little things” of life. It takes enormous willpower to take your eyes off his work. Everything that our vision can catch, but our consciousness misses on an everyday day, is captured by the artist. In his works, the secondary things in our lives come to the fore. The artist has his own execution technique, thanks to which each of his works glows from the inside. Thus, everyday moments acquire the meaning of a joyful, in their own way idyllic existence, which can be seen in the wonderful series of works dedicated to St. Petersburg, the “City” series. Entrance from the yard”, etc.

"Everyone." A. Mosiychuk. 2000

The religious and mystical images of Anatoly Mosiychuk are also particularly impressive. Through them we can partake of the innermost human faith, the depths of the human soul and, sometimes, unilluminated, difficult to access and unclear. The Master is sometimes very difficult to understand. What he depicts is not stated in words, but is read on an intuitive level. For example, the painting “Everyone” represents various characters, or rather ghosts. And that’s why they are ghosts because they have no individuality. Although they have different occupations, this does not help them form culture in themselves or develop high spirituality. These are souls that cannot find themselves in any way, and the golden, smoky color that is characteristic of the artist’s works only emphasizes this idea, the mystical nature of the images, which are so reminiscent of the feelings that sometimes arise within a person of our time.

"Mother and Child". L. Naumova. 2015

Larisa Naumova, like previous artists, shows her love for primitivism and naivety in her performance. Her works are distinguished by a rich, fresh, Venetian flavor, and the plots and characters are not as simple as they appear at first glance. Often religious and symbolic, and sometimes seemingly everyday, the scenes in her works are always filled with high meaning. The painting “Mother and Child” raises the theme of love in its most sincere and pure manifestation; for this, the artist resorts to rethinking the iconography of the Madonna and Child, thereby turning love into a shrine. Among other things, the work of L. Naumova harmoniously combined the academic school and free technique.

"Titanic". Series "Puppet Theater". A. Sitnikov. 2010

The work of Alexander Sitnikov, on whom the Soviet era left an indelible impression, is absolutely extravagant. In his works, the artist goes beyond the conscious, which can be seen in the series of paintings “Concerto”, “Puppet Theater”, etc. It is worth recognizing that his work in some moments is closer to conceptual, since his idea is higher than the painting itself .

Contemporary conceptual art in painting

The second movement, which stands out against the colorful background of the modern world of fine art, is largely a conceptual direction. As mentioned above, most researchers and connoisseurs of painting disapprove of such trends. Artists of this movement are called doubters in the values ​​of painting. In their works they resort to the destruction of painting with the help of painting itself.

"The Fall of Icarus" O. Lang. 2012

Oleg Lang is one of the founders of this movement, one of the first “doubters”. If before 2000 one could see fullness and untouchable sacredness in his works, then in more modern paintings we can observe the disintegration of ideological integrity; the canvases became carriers of motley disharmony (“The Fall of Icarus”).

"Antique Boy" O. Koshlyakov. 1995

Valery Koshlyakov often presents masterful solutions in terms of visualization and execution technique. But his works are united by one idea - a mockery of those who are afraid to break ties with traditions. This is clearly conveyed by the series “Collages” (“Antique Boy”), which contains the idea of ​​unquestioning generally accepted values, but which are so unstable that they disintegrate before our eyes and are about to completely collapse into oblivion.

"Breakfast on the grass." I. Lubennikov. 2013

Ivan Lubennikov, a muralist, takes the pictorial qualities of his works to such an extreme that they become like decorative posters, the essence of painting is lost in them (“Breakfast on the Grass”).

"John". K. Khudyakov. 2008

Konstantin Khudyakov, like I. Lubennikov, wants to escape from painting. The artist works in the style of digital painting, the features of which also break the foundations of painting. It is no longer clear to our eyes whether what is depicted is a painting. On the other hand, the visual possibilities surpass the illusionism of the “classical” painting (“John”).

Alternative contemporary painting

The so-called alternative painting is the third line of development. Famous Russian artists include Vladimir Dubossarsky and Alexander Vinogradov, who have been working in a duet since 1994. As the artists themselves say: “We are not classical painters. Our method is flow” And indeed, their painting is distinguished by the absence of the painful, and even more so the sublime. Very often they take parts of famous works and connect them with some overly festive, bacchanalian noise. In this regard, their painting is empty, as are the works of those who follow in the same direction (“Triumph of the Titans of the Renaissance”).

"The Triumph of the Titans of the Renaissance." Duet Dubossarsky - Vinogradov. 2009

The two latest trends in the painting of contemporary artists can be combined under the sign of indifference to spiritual quests. Such trends make us fear for the future of painting and, as a consequence, for the spiritual education of a person. The variety of genres, techniques and styles gives rise to a huge mass of works of varying quality and meaning. Now among the paintings of contemporary artists it is not often possible to find something outstanding, but if this happens, then it is unlikely that their work will remain unappreciated like the works of N. Nesterova, O. Bulgakova, D. Ikonnikov, L. Naumova and others.

The Art Newspaper Russia presents the rating: the most expensive living Russian artists. If you are still sure that there were no Russian artists in the Western scene, we are ready to argue with that. The language of numbers.

The conditions were simple: each living artist could be represented by only one, his most expensive work. When compiling the rating, not only the results of public auctions were taken into account, but also the most high-profile private sales. The authors of the rating were guided by the principle “if something sells loudly, then someone needs it,” and therefore appreciated the work of marketers and press managers of artists who brought record private sales to the public. Important note: the rating is based solely on financial indicators; if it were based on the exhibition activity of artists, it would look somewhat different. External sources for analytics were resources Artnet.com, Artprice.com, Skatepress.com And Artinvestment.ru.

The US dollar was chosen as the currency for the world ranking; the British pound sterling was taken as the equivalent of sales of Russian artists (since 90% of domestic sales took place in London in this currency). The remaining 10% of works sold in US dollars and euros were recalculated at the exchange rate at the time of the transaction, as a result of which some positions changed places. In addition to the actual cost of the work, data was collected on the total capitalization of artists (the number of top works sold at auction over all years), on the place of a contemporary artist in the ranking of artists of all times, on the place of the participant’s most expensive work among all works sold by other authors, and also about nationality and country of residence. Statistics on repeat sales of each artist also contain important information as an objective indicator of investment
attractiveness.

Last year, 2013, significantly changed the position of contemporary artists in the international sales rankings. Of the top 50 most expensive works of art, 16 modern works of art were sold last season - a record number (for comparison, 17 works were sold from 2010 to 2012; there was only one sale in the 20th century). The demand for living artists is partly identical to the demand for all contemporary art, partly to the cynical understanding that the capitalization of assets after their death will invariably increase.

Among the Russian participants, the brothers turned out to be the most respectable Sergey And Alexey Tkachev(b. 1922 and 1925), the youngest - Anatoly Osmolovsky(b. 1969). The question is who will be new Jean-Michel Basquiat, while open. In the sales of our artists, clear classes of buyers are visible: the leaders are bought by foreign collectors and Russian oligarchs, places from 10th to 30th are provided by emigrant collectors, and the conditional bottom of the top 50 is our future, young collectors who have entered the market with “new » money.

1. Ilya Kabakov
It seems that in general he is the main Russian artist (which does not prevent Kabakov, who was born in Dnepropetrovsk, from describing himself as Ukrainian), the founding father of Moscow conceptualism (one of), the author of the term and practice of “total installation”. Since 1988 he has lived and worked in New York. He works in collaboration with his wife, Emilia Kabakova, which is why the title should look like “Ilya and Emilia Kabakov,” but since Ilya Iosifovich became known earlier than Ilya and Emilia, then let it remain so. The works are in the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Hermitage, MoMA, Kolodzei Art Foundation(USA), etc.
Year of birth: 1933
Work: "Beetle". 1982
Date of sale: 02/28/2008
Price (GBP)1: 2,932,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 10,686,000
Place: 1
Average Job Cost (GBP): 117,429
Number of repeat sales: 12

2. Erik Bulatov
Using techniques that would later be called social art, he combined figurative painting with text in his works. In Soviet times, a successful illustrator of children's books. Since 1989 he has lived and worked in New York, and since 1992 in Paris. The first Russian artist with a personal exhibition at the Pompidou Center. The works are kept in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Pompidou Center, the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, etc., and are included in the collections of the Foundation Dina Verni, Viktor Bondarenko, Vyacheslav Kantor, Ekaterina and Vladimir Semenikhin, Igor Tsukanov.
Year of birth: 1933
Work: “Glory to the CPSU.” 1975
Date of sale: 02/28/2008
Price (GBP)1: 1,084,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 8,802,000
Place: 2
Average job cost (GBP): 163,000
Number of repeat sales: 11

3. Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid
The creators of Sots Art - an ironic movement in unofficial art that parodies the symbolism and techniques of officialdom. Since 1978 they have lived in New York. Until the mid-2000s they worked in pairs. As an art project, they organized the “sale of souls” of famous artists through an auction (soul Andy Warhol since then it has been owned by a Moscow artist Alena Kirtsova). Works are in the collections of MoMA, the Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre, and in the collections Shalva Breus, Daria Zhukova And Roman Abramovich and etc.
Year of birth: 1943, 1945
Work: “Meeting of Solzhenitsyn and Böll at Rostropovich’s dacha.” 1972
Date of sale: 04/23/2010
Price (GBP)1: 657,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 3,014,000
Place: 7
Average job cost (GBP): 75,350
Number of repeat sales: 3

former comar&melamid artstudio archive

4. Semyon Faibisovich
A photorealist artist who remains the most accurate realist even now, when Semyon Natanovich is less interested in painting than in journalism. He exhibited on Malaya Gruzinskaya, where in 1985 he was noticed by New York dealers and collectors. Since 1987, it has been regularly exhibited in the USA and Western Europe. An active supporter of the repeal of the law on the promotion of homosexuality in Russia. Lives and works in Moscow. Works are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Moscow House of Photography, museums in Germany, Poland, the USA, and are included in the collections Daria Zhukova And Roman Abramovich, Igor Markin, Igor
Tsukanova.
Year of birth: 1949
Work: “Soldiers” (from the “Station Stations” series). 1989
Date of sale: 10/13/2007
Price (GBP)1: 311,200
Total capitalization (GBP): 3,093,000
Place: 6
Average Job Cost (GBP): 106,655
Number of repeat sales: 7

5. Grigory (Grisha) Bruskin
The main character of the first and last Soviet auction Sotheby's in 1988, where his work Fundamental Lexicon became the top lot (£220 thousand). At the invitation of the German government, he created a monumental triptych for the reconstructed Reichstag in Berlin. Winner of the Kandinsky Prize in the category “Project of the Year” for the exhibition Time H at the Multimedia Art Museum. Lives and works in New York and Moscow. The works are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, and the Pushkin Museum. A. S. Pushkin, the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, MoMA, the Museum of Jewish Culture (New York), etc., are included in the collections of the Queen of Spain Sofia, Peter Aven, Shalva Breus, Vladimir and Ekaterina Semenikhin, Milos Forman.
Year of birth: 1945
Work: “Logies. Part 1". 1987
Date of sale: 07.11.2000
Price (GBP)1: 424,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 720,000
Place: 15
Average job cost (GBP): 24,828
Number of repeat sales: 5

6. Oleg Tselkov
One of the most famous artists of the sixties, in the 1960s he began and still continues a series of paintings depicting rough, as if sculpted from clay, human faces (or figures), painted with bright aniline colors. Since 1977 he has lived in Paris. The works are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Hermitage, the Zimmerli Museum of Rutgers University, etc., and are included in the collections Mikhail Baryshnikov, Arthur Miller, Igor Tsukanov. The largest private collection of Tselkov's works in Russia belongs to Evgeniy Yevtushenko.
Year of birth: 1934
Work: "Boy with Balloons." 1957
Date of sale: 11/26/2008
Price (GBP)1: 238,406
Total capitalization (GBP): 4,232,000
Place: 5
Average job cost (GBP): 53,570
Number of repeat sales: 14

7. Oscar Rabin
Leader of the “Lianozov group” (Moscow nonconformist artists of the 1950s-1960s), organizer of the scandalous Bulldozer exhibition 1974. He was the first in the Soviet Union to sell works privately. In 1978 he was deprived of Soviet citizenship. Lives and works in Paris. In 2006 he became a laureate of the Innovation Prize for his contribution to art. The works are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, the Zimmerli Museum of Rutgers University, and are included in the collections of Alexander Glezer, Vyacheslav Kantor, Alexander Kronik, Iveta and Tamaz Manasherov, Evgeniy Nutovich, Aslan Chekhoev.
Year of birth: 1928
Work: “The City and the Moon (Socialist
city)". 1959
Date of sale: 04/15/2008
Price (GBP)1: 171,939
Total capitalization (GBP): 5,397,000
Place: 3
Average job cost (GBP): 27,964
Number of repeat sales: 45

8. Zurab Tsereteli
The largest representative of already monumental art. Author of the monument to Peter I in Moscow and the monument Good conquers Evil in front of the UN building in New York. Founder of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, president of the Russian Academy of Arts, creator of the Zurab Tsereteli Art Gallery, which operates at the above-mentioned academy. Sculptures of Zurab Tsereteli, in addition to Russia, adorn Brazil, Great Britain, Georgia, Spain, Lithuania, USA, France and Japan.
Year of birth: 1934
Work: “Dream of Athos”
Date of sale: 12/01/2009
Price (GBP)1: 151,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 498,000
Place: 19
Average job cost (GBP): 27,667
Number of repeat sales: 4

9. Viktor Pivovarov
One of the founders of Moscow conceptualism. Like Kabakov, the inventor of the concept album genre; like Kabakov, Bulatov and Oleg Vasiliev, a successful illustrator of children’s books who collaborated with the magazines “Murzilka” and “Funny Pictures”. Since 1982 he has lived and worked in Prague. The works are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, and the Pushkin Museum. A. S. Pushkina, Kolodzei Art Foundation(USA), in the collections of Vladimir and Ekaterina Semenikhin, Igor Tsukanov.
Year of birth: 1937
Work: “Triptych with a snake.” 2000
Date of sale: 10/18/2008
Price (GBP)1: 145,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 482,000
Place: 20
Average job cost (GBP): 17,852
Number of repeat sales: 6

10. Alexander Melamid
Half of the creative tandem Komar - Melamid, which broke up in 2003. Together with Vitaly Komar, participant Bulldozer exhibition(where they died Double self-portrait, a seminal work of Sots Art). Since 1978 he has lived and worked in New York. There is no information about which famous collections contain Melamid’s works, created by him independently.
Year of birth: 1945
Work: “Cardinal José Saraiva Martins.” 2007
Date of sale: 10/18/2008
Price (GBP)1: 145,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 145,000
Place: 36
Average job cost (GBP): 145,000
Number of repeat sales: —

11. Francisco Infante-Arana
The owner of perhaps the most extensive list of exhibitions among Russian artists. Member of the kinetic group "Movement", in the 1970s he found his own version of photo performance, or “artifact” - geometric forms integrated into the natural landscape.
Year of birth: 1943
Work: “Building a sign.” 1984
Date of sale: 05/31/2006
Price (GBP)1: 142,400
Total capitalization (GBP): 572,000
Place: 17
Average job cost (GBP): 22,000
Number of repeat sales: —

12. Vladimir Nemukhin
Metaphysician. A classic of the second wave of Russian avant-garde, a member of the “Lianozov group”, one of the participants in the Bulldozer exhibition, curator (or initiator) of important exhibitions of the 1980s, when the unofficial Soviet
art was just becoming aware of itself.
Year of birth: 1925
Work: “Unfinished Solitaire.” 1966
Date of sale: 04/26/2006
Price (GBP)1: 240,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 4,338,000
Place: 4
Average Job Cost (GBP): 36,454
Number of repeat sales: 26

13. Vladimir Yankilevsky
Surrealist, one of the main names of post-war Moscow unofficial art, creator of monumental philosophical polyptychs.
Year of birth: 1938
Work: “Triptych No. 10. Anatomy of the soul. II." 1970
Date of sale: 04/23/2010
Price (GBP)1: 133,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 754,000
Place: 14
Average job cost (GBP): 12,780
Number of repeat sales: 7

14. Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky
Scenic project Paintings to order, which they began in the hopeless 1990s for painting, received what it deserved in the 2000s. The duet became popular with collectors, and one painting ended up in the collection of the Pompidou Center.
Year of birth: 1963, 1964
Work: "Night Fitness". 2004
Date of sale: 06/22/2007
Price (GBP)1: 132,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 1,378,000
Place: 11
Average job cost (GBP): 26,500
Number of repeat sales: 4

15. Sergey Volkov
One of the heroes of perestroika art, known for his expressive paintings with thoughtful statements. Soviet auction participant Sotheby's in 1988.
Year of birth: 1956
Work: “Double Vision.
Triptych"
Date of sale: 05/31/2007
Price (GBP)1: 132,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 777,000
Place: 12
Average job cost (GBP): 38,850
Number of repeat sales: 4

16. AES + F (Tatyana Arzamasova, Lev Evzovich, Evgeniy Svyatsky, Vladimir Fridkes)
AES projects were distinguished by their good presentation in the slack 1990s, which is why they were remembered. Now they are making large animated murals that are broadcast on dozens of screens.
Year of birth: 1955, 1958, 1957, 1956
Work: “Warrior No. 4”
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 120,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 305,000
Place: 27
Average job cost (GBP): 30,500
Number of repeat sales: —

17. Lev Tabenkin
A sculptor and painter with a sculptural vision, as if sculpting his heroes from clay.
Year of birth: 1952
Work: "Jazz Orchestra". 2004
Date of sale: 06/30/2008
Price (GBP)1: 117,650
Total capitalization (GBP): 263,000
Place: 28
Average job cost (GBP): 26,300
Number of repeat sales: 7

18. Mikhail (Misha Shaevich) Brusilovsky
Sverdlovsk surrealist, author of meaningful allegories.
Year of birth: 1931
Work: "Football". 1965
Date of sale: 11/28/2006
Price (GBP)1: 108,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 133,000
Place: 38
Average job cost (GBP): 22,167
Number of repeat sales: —

19. Olga Bulgakova
One of the main figures of the intelligentsia “carnival” painting of the Brezhnev era. Corresponding Member
Russian Academy of Arts.
Year of birth: 1951
Work: “Dream of Red
bird." 1988
Date of sale: 11/22/2010
Price (GBP)1: 100,876
Total capitalization (GBP): 219,000
Place: 31
Average job cost (GBP): 36,500
Number of repeat sales: —

20. Alexander Ivanov
An abstract artist who is known primarily as a businessman, collector and creator of the Faberge Museum in Baden-Baden (Germany).
Year of birth: 1962
Work: "Love". 1996
Date of sale: 06/05/2013
Price (GBP)1: 97,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 201,000
Place: 33
Average Job Cost (GBP): 50,250
Number of repeat sales: —

21. Ivan Chuikov
An independent wing of Moscow pictorial conceptualism. Author of a series of paintings-objects Windows. Somehow in the 1960s he burned all the paintings, which is why gallery owners are still sad.
Year of birth: 1935
Work: "Untitled". 1986
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 96,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 1,545,000
Place: 10
Average Job Cost (GBP): 36,786
Number of repeat sales: 8

22. Konstantin Zvezdochetov
In his youth, a member of the Mukhomor group, which called themselves “the fathers of the “new wave” in the Soviet Union” -
with good reason; with the onset of creative maturity, participant of the Venice Biennale and Kassel
documenta. Researcher and connoisseur of the visual in Soviet grassroots culture.
Year of birth: 1958
Product: "Perdo-K-62M"
Date of sale: 06/13/2008
Price (GBP)1: 92,446
Total capitalization (GBP): 430,000
Place: 22
Average job cost (GBP): 22,632
Number of repeat sales: 2

23. Natalya Nesterova
One of the main art stars of the Brezhnev stagnation. Loved by collectors for its textured, painterly style.
Year of birth: 1944
Work: “The Miller and His
son". 1969
Date of sale: 06/15/2007
Price (GBP)1: 92,388
Total capitalization (GBP): 1,950,000
Place: 9
Average job cost (GBP): 20,526
Number of repeat sales: 15

24. Maxim Kantor
An expressionist painter who performed in the Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 1997 - as well as a publicist and writer, author of a philosophical and satirical novel Drawing tutorial about the ins and outs of the Russian art world.
Year of birth: 1957
Work: “The Structure of Democracy.” 2003
Date of sale: 10/18/2008
Price (GBP)1: 87,650
Total capitalization (GBP): 441,000
Place: 21
Average Job Cost (GBP): 44,100
Number of repeat sales: 2

25. Andrey Sidersky
Creates paintings in the style of psy-art he invented. Translated works of Carlos Castaneda and Richard Bach into Russian.
Year of birth: 1960
Work: “Triptych”
Date of sale: 12/04/2009
Price (GBP)1: 90,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 102,000
Place: 42
Average job cost (GBP): 51,000
Number of repeat sales: —

26. Valery Koshlyakov
Known for paintings with architectural motifs. The largest representative of the “South Russian wave”. Often uses cardboard boxes, bags, and tape. The first exhibition with his participation was held in a public toilet in Rostov-on-Don in 1988.
Year of birth: 1962
Work: "Versailles". 1993
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 72,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 346,000
Place: 26
Average job cost (GBP): 21,625
Number of repeat sales: 8

27. Alexey Sundukov
Laconic, leaden-colored paintings about the “leaden abominations” of everyday Russian life.
Year of birth: 1952
Work: “The Essence of Being.” 1988
Date of sale: 04/23/2010
Price (GBP)1: 67,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 255,000
Place: 29
Average job cost (GBP): 25,500
Number of repeat sales: 1

28. Igor Novikov
Belongs to the generation of Moscow nonconformist artists of the late 1980s.
Year of birth: 1961
Work: “The Kremlin Breakfast, or Moscow for Sale.” 2009
Date of sale: 03.12.2010
Price (GBP)1: 62,092
Total capitalization (GBP): 397,000
Place: 24
Average job cost (GBP): 15,880
Number of repeat sales: 3

29. Vadim Zakharov
Archivist of Moscow conceptualism. The author of spectacular installations on profound topics, represented Russia at the Venice
biennial
Year of birth: 1959
Work: "Baroque". 1986-1994
Date of sale: 10/18/2008
Price (GBP)1: 61,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 243,000
Place: 30
Average job cost (GBP): 20,250
Number of repeat sales: —

30. Yuri Krasny
Author of art programs for children with special needs.
Year of birth: 1925
Work: “The Smoker”
Date of sale: 04/04/2008Price (GBP)1: 59,055
Total capitalization (GBP): 89,000
Place: 44
Average job cost (GBP): 11,125
Number of repeat sales: 8

31. Sergey and Alexey Tkachev
Classics of late Soviet impressionism, students of Arkady Plastov, famous for their paintings from the life of the Russian village.
Year of birth: 1922, 1925
Work: “In the Field.” 1954
Date of sale: 12/01/2010
Price (GBP)1: 58,813
Total capitalization (GBP): 428,000
Place: 23
Average job cost (GBP): 22,526
Number of repeat sales: 4

32. Svetlana Kopystyanskaya
Known for installations of paintings. After the Moscow auction Sotheby's in 1988 he works abroad.
Year of birth: 1950
Work: “Seascape”
Date of sale: 10/13/2007
Price (GBP)1: 57,600
Total capitalization (GBP): 202,000
Place: 32
Average job cost (GBP): 22,444
Number of repeat sales: 2

33. Boris Orlov
A sculptor close to social art. He is famous for his works in the ironic “imperial” style and his masterful craftsmanship of bronze busts and bouquets.
Year of birth: 1941
Work: "Sailor". 1976
Date of sale: 10/17/2013
Price (GBP)1: 55,085
Total capitalization (GBP): 174,000
Place: 34
Average job cost (GBP): 17,400
Number of repeat sales: 1

34. Vyacheslav Kalinin
The author of expressive paintings from the life of the urban lower classes and drinking bohemia.
Year of birth: 1939
Artwork: “Self-portrait with a hang glider”
Date of sale: 11/25/2012
Price (GBP)1: 54,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 766,000
Place: 13
Average job cost (GBP): 12,767
Number of repeat sales: 24

35. Evgeny Semenov
Known for his photo series with Down syndrome patients playing the roles of gospel characters.
Year of birth: 1960
Work: "Heart". 2009
Date of sale: 06/29/2009
Price (GBP)1: 49,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 49,000
Place: 48
Average job cost (GBP): 49,000
Number of repeat sales: —

36. Yuri Cooper
He became famous for his nostalgic canvases with old household items. Author of the play Twelve paintings from the life of the artist, staged at the Moscow Art Theater. A.P. Chekhov.
Year of birth: 1940
Work: “Window. Dassa Street, 56." 1978
Date of sale: 06/09/2010
Price (GBP)1: 49,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 157,000
Place: 35
Average job cost (GBP): 2,754
Number of repeat sales: 14

37. Alexander Kosolapov
A socialist artist whose work has become a target for all sorts of attacks. During the Art Moscow 2005 fair, one of his works was destroyed by a religious fanatic with a hammer.
Year of birth: 1943
Work: "Marlboro Malevich." 1987
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 48,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 510,000
Place: 18
Average job cost (GBP): 15,938
Number of repeat sales: 1

38. Leonid Sokov
A leading sculptor of Sots Art who combined folklore with politics. Among the famous works Device for determining nationality by nose shape.
Year of birth: 1941
Work: “A bear hitting a sickle with a hammer.” 1996
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 48,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 352,000
Place: 25
Average job cost (GBP): 13,538
Number of repeat sales: 7

39. Vladimir Ovchinnikov
One of the patriarchs of unofficial art in Leningrad. Orthodox version of Fernando Botero.
Year of birth: 1941
Work: “Angels and Railway Tracks.” 1977
Date of sale: 04/17/2007
Price (GBP)1: 47,846
Total capitalization (GBP): 675,000
Place: 16
Average job cost (GBP): 15,341
Number of repeat sales: —

40. Konstantin Khudyakov
Author of paintings on religious subjects. Currently working in digital art technology.
Year of birth: 1945
Work: “The Last Supper.” 2007
Date of sale: 02/18/2011
Price (GBP)1: 46,850
Total capitalization (GBP): 97,000
Place: 43
Average job cost (GBP): 32,333
Number of repeat sales: —

41. Ernst Neizvestny
An icon of Soviet nonconformism - ever since he openly objected to General Secretary Nikita Khrushchev at the vernissage of the legendary exhibition dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Moscow Union of Artists. After that, he made a monument at Khrushchev’s grave and a monument in front of the UN European headquarters.
Year of birth: 1925
Work: “Untitled”
Date of sale: 06/08/2010
Price (GBP)1: 46,850
Total capitalization (GBP): 2,931,000
Place: 8
Average job cost (GBP): 24,839
Number of repeat sales: 13

42. Anatoly Osmolovsky
One of the main figures of Moscow actionism of the 1990s, art theorist, curator, publisher and head of the Baza Institute research and educational program, laureate of the first Kandinsky Prize.
Year of birth: 1969
Work: “Bread” (from the “Pagans” series). 2009
Date of sale: 04/23/2010
Price (GBP)1: 46,850
Total capitalization (GBP): 83,000
Place: 46
Average Job Cost (GBP): 11,857
Number of repeat sales: —

43. Dmitry Vrubel
Photorealist painter, known mainly for his painting of Brezhnev and Honecker kissing (more precisely, thanks to the author’s reproduction on the Berlin Wall).
Year of birth: 1960
Work: “Fraternal kiss (triptych).” 1990
Date of sale: 11/25/2013
Price (GBP)1: 45,000

Place: 40
Average job cost (GBP): 16,429
Number of repeat sales: 2

44. Leonid Lamm
The author of installations that combine motifs of the Russian avant-garde and scenes of Soviet prison life. Lives in America. In the 1970s, he spent three years in prisons and camps on false charges.
Year of birth: 1928
Work: “Apple II” (from the “Seventh Heaven” series). 1974-1986
Date of sale: 12/16/2009
Price (GBP)1: 43,910
Total capitalization (GBP): 115,000
Place: 41
Average job cost (GBP): 14,375
Number of repeat sales: —

Irina Nakhova’s picturesque installations of the 1980s in her apartment can claim authorship in the “total” genre.

45. Irina Nakhova
Muse of Moscow conceptualism. Winner of the 2013 Kandinsky Prize for “Project of the Year”. In 2015 at the 56th Venice Biennale
will represent Russia.
Year of birth: 1955
Work: "Triptych". 1983
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 38,900
Total capitalization (GBP): 85,000
Place: 45
Average job cost (GBP): 17,000
Number of repeat sales: 1

46. ​​Katya Filippova
Avant-garde clothing designer who became famous during perestroika. She decorated the windows of the Parisian department store Galeries Lafayette, and was friends with Pierre Cardin.
Year of birth: 1958
“Work: Marina Ladynina” (from the “Russian Hollywood” series)
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 38,900
Total capitalization (GBP): 39,000
Place: 49
Average job cost (GBP): 39,000
Number of repeat sales: —

47. Boris Zaborov
Theater artist, book illustrator. In 1980 he emigrated to Paris and worked on costumes for the Comedy Française.
Year of birth: 1935
Work: “Participant”. 1981
Date of sale: 10/30/2006
Price (GBP)1: 36,356
Total capitalization (GBP): 67,000
Place: 47
Average job cost (GBP): 13,400
Number of repeat sales: 2

48. Rostislav Lebedev
Classic socialist artist, colleague (and workshop neighbor) of Boris Orlov and Dmitry Prigov. Creatively transformed visual propaganda from Soviet times.
Year of birth: 1946
Work: “Russian Fairy Tale”. 1949
Date of sale: 06/03/2008
Price (GBP)1: 34,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 122,000
Place: 39
Average job cost (GBP): 24,400
Number of repeat sales: 2

49. Andrey Filippov
Belongs to the Moscow conceptual school. Author of paintings and installations united by the theme “Moscow - the Third Rome”. Since 2009, together with Yuri Albert and Victor Skersis, he has been a member of the Cupid group.
Year of birth: 1959
Work: "Seven Feet Under the Keel." 1988
Date of sale: 05/31/2006
Price (GBP)1: 33,600
Total capitalization (GBP): 137,000
Place: 37
Average job cost (GBP): 12,455
Number of repeat sales: 3

50. Vladimir Shinkarev
The founder and ideologist of the Leningrad art group “Mitki”, in whose novel Mitki this term was first used. The novel was written out of boredom while working in the boiler room.
Year of birth: 1954
Work: “Lenin Square I”. 1999
Date of sale: 06/30/2008
Price (GBP)1: 32,450
Total capitalization (GBP): 33,000
Place: 50
Average job cost (GBP): 16,500
Number of repeat sales: —

Sales vs exhibitions

Market recognition and recognition by the professional community seem like different things to many, but the division into “commercial” and “non-commercial” artists is very arbitrary. Thus, of the Russian artists who have exhibited at the Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art over the past ten years (and this is the pinnacle of their professional career), seven (if counting by person, then 11 people) are included in our rating. And the top 10 artists from the rating either exhibited at the Venice Biennale before, or had personal exhibitions in major museums. As for those wonderful artists who were not included in the rating, their absence or not very outstanding sales can be explained simply and banally. Collectors are conservative and even from the most avant-garde creators they prefer to buy paintings (paintings, objects similar to paintings or photographs) or sculpture (or objects similar to sculpture). There are no record-breaking performances or giant installations in our rating (installations are usually bought by museums, but the prices are museum-quality, at a discount). That is why such stars as Andrey Monastyrsky, Oleg Kulik, Pavel Pepperstein(until recently I mainly did graphics, and graphics are a priori cheaper than painting) or, for example, Nikolay Polissky, whose grandiose designs have not yet found any understanding collectors.

In addition, the market is also conservative because recognition comes slowly - note that in the top 10 all artists were born in 1950 or older. That is, promising participants of the biennale still have everything ahead of them.

• 23.08.2019 Sales statistics at completed auctions - 12 out of 20 lots
• 19.08.2019 The traditional twenty lots of the AI ​​Auction are eight paintings, eight sheets of original and two printed graphics and two mixed media works
• 16.08.2019 This time, let me remind you, in addition to the 20 lots of regular auctions, we exhibited an additional 11 works as part of the curated auction “Russian Classics”
• 13.08.2019 On August 17, the Art Litfond at Winzavod will host the next auction of contemporary art, in which 136 artists and their 200 paintings, graphic and sculptural works will take part
• 13.08.2019 The traditional twenty lots of the AI ​​Auction are ten paintings, five sheets of original and one printed graphics, three mixed media works and one porcelain plate. Plus 11 lots of “Russian classics”!

• 13.08.2019 Brief excerpts and main figures from the traditional review of the Artprice portal on the state of the global art market
• 09.08.2019 Following the news about the sending of paintings by Jeanne Bullock seized by the authorities to the New Jerusalem Museum, there were several calls with the question: “Why to this museum?” Really, why?
• 13.06.2019 Buy for five dollars and sell for a million. The passionate desire to win a lottery ticket haunts many inexperienced buyers. Don’t fool me with your books and museums! Answer simply: how to buy a masterpiece at a flea market?
• 06.06.2019 The premonition did not disappoint. The buyers were in a good mood and the auction went well. On the very first day of “Russian week” the top 10 auction results for Russian art were updated. Almost $12 million was paid for Petrov-Vodkin
• 04.06.2019 Having not yet dealt with the “millennials,” professionals of the global art market began to share the skin of the next generation of 7–22 year olds - those who are briefly called Gen Z. Why? There's too much money at stake to stop trying to give advice to young people.

There is a very large number of contemporary Russian artists, whose activities are known only in certain circles - the broad masses are often far from modern art and, by inertia, are content with knowledge only about the work of Russian classics. We want to correct this situation, so we will further tell you what a Russian contemporary artist is like using the example of the following five authors.

Ilya Kabakov

This contemporary artist is one of the most significant Russian painters of his time, who personifies modern art, in particular, the soul of Moscow conceptualism. One of the paintings, “Beetle,” painted in 1982, was sold in 2008 at an auction in London for almost six million dollars and was included in the list of the most expensive paintings created by Russian artists. Modern paintings by Kabakov are now exhibited in many museums around the world: in New York's Pace Gallery, Moscow's Multimedia Art Museum and others.

I don’t know how others resisted this terrible complex: “You are already 25 years old, and you are not Raphael yet!” But for me this is one of the most terrible stimulating moments. ( Ilya Kabakov)

Another iconic work of the artist, “Holidays No. 6,” depicts a typical Soviet illustration, decorated with candy wrappers on top - they seem to camouflage the picture and thus represent feigned optimism that hides the dreary reality behind it. In general, the work of Ilya Kabakov is characterized by the concept of escapism - an escape from the surrounding reality and immersion in art.

Sergey Volkov

Sergei Volkov wrote many of his modern paintings under the impression of a trip to Germany, where he had to go on a creative business trip. A whole series of paintings is dedicated to German architectural Gothic and folklore and is covered in a certain symbolism. After a series of “German” paintings, the modern artist painted a series on themes dedicated to North American Indians and presenting portraits of freedom-loving Indian leaders.

And today the main theme of the painter’s work is the beauty of Moscow landscapes: “Taganka”, “Stankevich Street”, “Kadashevskaya Embankment”. Volkov's modern painting is an impressionistic depiction of a simple, everyday capital, such as it is, but at the same time in bright colors that appear in the sun's rays, traffic lights and colorful trams.

Grigory Bruskin

Grigory, or Grisha Bruskin, as his artistic name sounds, admired the profession of an artist since childhood. While studying at art school, he drew inspiration from the works of French Renaissance painters.

I can call myself a happy person as long as I can work. ( Grigory Bruskin)

In the 80s, when Bruskin was in exile, his work acquired a certain structure, with the help of which he was able to organize various symbols, signs and social myths. According to this approach, the modern artist combined his works into entire series or collages, where he depicted objects and inscriptions that were an allegory of some concept. One of these paintings, “Fundamental Lexicon,” subsequently brought him fame when it was purchased by Milos Forman himself, an Oscar-winning Czech and American director, at one of the auctions.

Semyon Faibisovich

Another famous Russian artist working in the popular style of photorealism. The author combines his modern paintings in a series: for example, “Roam”, “Obviousness”, “At the Station”. The latest cycle of works includes the artist’s most expensive painting, “Soldier,” which was auctioned off at Phillips de Pury for as much as 311 thousand pounds.

As the artist himself says, earlier in his works he wondered what exactly we see around us, drawing situations from everyday life: here is a person waiting for the arrival of an electric train, here he is riding in a trolleybus... Now Faibisovich is more interested in how we see: To convey the desired effect, the modern artist films future scenes using an old mobile phone and then transfers them to canvas.

Valery Koshlyakov

Contemporary artist Valery Koshlyakov is one of the most famous Russian painters, who has repeatedly represented the country at various world biennales. The Louvre, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Pompidou Center, the Russian Museum - you will find his works everywhere. The author's most famous painting was the painting "Versailles", which was sold in 2008 for 72.5 thousand pounds at the famous Sotheby's auction.

I am modern only in the sense that I am your contemporary, and not in the sense that I make modern art. ( Valery Koshlyakov)

Monuments of past eras are the artist’s favorite subject of painting. Koshlyakov’s modern painting has its own peculiarity, namely, a predilection for using not the most traditional materials for creativity: cardboard, fabric, packaging boxes, etc., although in recent years the painter has often returned to canvas. In an attempt to achieve a matte surface, the Russian artist avoids oil paints, preferring acrylic and tempera.

You can also appreciate the palette of contemporary Russian fine art by watching the following video report from one of the exhibitions of the Manege Museum:

Take it for yourself and tell your friends!

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Contemporary art seems pretentious and empty to many, but this does not change the fact that many 21st century artists receive fabulous sums for their paintings. Find out which contemporary artist has managed to earn the most from his work and who is just a little behind him in our article.