Russianart

In London today, $90 million in Russian art is going under the gavel, and the auction houses are hoping that a still robust community of Russian billionaires will come out in force to repatriate their heritage. Both Christie's and Sotheby's are holding auctions on December 1, 2 and 3, with MacDougall's, which specializes in Russian art, also selling on December 2 and 3. Bonhams is conducting one today.

There are some signs that the sales could go well. Sotheby's moved $13.8 million in Russian art at an auction a month ago, topping the $9 million presale estimate. The Russian government is saying the economy should grow next year, after falling 10 percent this year. If recovery is en route, big spending Russians may show up at this week's art auctions.

There's no shortage of Russian art coming on the market this week. In addition to the 540 lots being offered by Sotheby's, at a presale range of 14.8 million pounds to 21.2 million pounds, MacDougall's is selling 460 lots (12.5 million pounds to 17.6 million pounds), including a painting of a topless woman by Zinaida Serebriakova for between 1 million pounds and 1.5 million pounds. Christie's has 578 lots, with a presale estimate of 6.5 million pounds to 9.3 million pounds.

Last year, the Russians were buying art just as fast as they could. Now, they're doing the same thing in reverse. Sotheby's and Christie's are bringing $31 million in Russian art to market, thanks to a global recession that has left the country's many billionaires financially crippled and in desperate need of liquidity.

Christie's is hoping to rake in $21.6 million from today's Russian art auction, which includes a porcelain dinner set owned by once-heir to the throne Grand Duke Paul. Sotheby's has approximately $9 million in Russian art, which it plans to send under the gavel on November 2.

If art and economic never intersected, we could just enjoy the aesthetic and be done with it. But, reality forces its way in – especially with the Russian economy 10 percent smaller than it was a year ago. And, the number of Russian billionaires has plummeted from 110 in 2008 to 35 now. Wealthy Russians and Ukrainians, according to William MacDougall, co-director of MacDougall's in London, are responsible for more than 90 percent of the market for Russian art.

So, expect the selling prices to suck, frankly. Even with some strong lots – Alexis de Tiesenhausen, director of Russian art for Christie's calls this auction unique in terms of "quality and historical significance" – the target market is selling rather than buying. The Christie's auction consists of 550 lots. The Sotheby's auction will have 122 – including paintins by Natalia Goncharova and Konstantin Korovin.

Estimates are much lower than they were in 2008, because of supply at auction, the drop in the art market and the absence of buyers in the target market.

Art crime is running rampant around the world. More of the modern Russian art on the market is fake, according to an ArtInfo report, and authenticity is a problem in Vietnam, as well. There are lawsuits here in the United States, as well. So, ArtInfo asks the fair question: why are the wealthy, usually financially savvy so vulnerable when it comes to art?

Excitement is certainly part of the problem. The high prices, limited supply and egos involved create an emotionally charged environment. As hedge fund spouse Danielle Ganek observes in her (rather painful) novel, Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him, "Art is the new cocaine." Yep, and that leads to some hasty decisions.

Experience usually makes a difference in protecting collectors from fakes. New collectors rush into the bidding process, not always understanding the quality or history of what they're buying, though there's also plenty of room for seasoned buyers to make mistakes. For the newcomers, the risks include wanting to gain access to what is seen as an exclusive club, social pressures to abide by this subculture's conventions and an unwillingness to ask questions ... mostly because of those social pressures.

Yet, for all the regrets that top collectors have related about impulse buying, there are others who lament not having been faster on the paddle.

In his U.S. debut, Russian artist Roman Zaslonov will show his richly whimsical paintings at Chicago's Gallery KH starting January 16. With wait time for a Zaslonov composition hovering around two years, the gallery expects an enthusiastic response from patrons hoping to snag an original work.

And this show isn't just unique because it's Zaslonov's first in the states -- it's also bringing together works that have been hanging in private collections, new to the public and never before seen among other exhibited works.

Zaslovnov was born in the Soviet Union in 1962 and emigrated to France in the 1990s, where he first reached international acclaim.

The painting above, La Robe d'Architecte en Rouge, is priced at $97,000. See more of Zaslonov's work in the gallery. The show will run through March 7, 2009.