Famed entrepreneur Alisher Usmanov could be put forward to the state award for returning to motherland the collection of pre-revolutionary works owned by Galina Vishnevskaya and Mstislav Rostropovich.
Photo: Alexander Miridonov
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Usmanov Could Be Put Forward to Decoration
Famed entrepreneur Alisher Usmanov could be put forward to the state award for returning to motherland the collection of pre-revolutionary works owned by Galina Vishnevskaya and Mstislav Rostropovich, said Mikhail Shvydkoy, head of the Federal Agency of Russian Culture.
”For my part, I will address higher authorities with an offer to award Alisher Usmanov for this step,” Shvydkoy said at the news conference Tuesday.
The Rostropovich-Vishnevskaya collection of pre-revolutionary art including paintings, porcelain figures, plates, vases, ivory and glass had been to be sold by the London office of Sotheby’s at the auction on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Monday, however, it emerged that Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov bought it in part and in whole and no trading will be held.
”We’ve had a talk with Galina Vishnevskaya so that the collection would be sold in the interest of the Russian Federation,” Shvydkoy explained, adding that the talks commenced after it.
”We reached final agreement with Alisher Usmanov only on Friday,” Shvydkoy said. After it, the letter of guarantee was sent to Sotheby’s on behalf of Alisher Usmanov and Federal Agency of Russian Culture and the trading was called off.
The collection will be exhibited in one of Russia’s museums, but the definite place is yet unknown.
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