Vereshchagin on the Auction Block

[Margaret Samu]

The Brooklyn Museum has recently announced plans to deaccession and sell a
painting by Vasilii Vereshchagin, *A Crucifixion in the Time of the
Romans*(1887). The painting was one of three works acquired by a
private collector
at the artist's 1891 solo exhibition in New York, and was donated to the
Brooklyn Museum in 1906 along with the other two.

The curator who led the decision to deaccession the work describes his
reasoning in the museum's blog. His arguments for selling the work seem
highly questionable (as you can see from the responses to his posting,
including my own). If he wants to sell it to raise money for acquisitions,
then he should just say so rather than pretending that it was a well
researched and reasoned process.
http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/community/blogosphere/2011/10/03/refining-the-russian-collection/

According to Lee Rosenbaum's CultureGrrl blog, the painting will be sold at
Christie's London on 28 November. I hope colleagues in the London area will
have a chance to see it there before it inevitably disappears into a private
collection.
http://www.artsjournal.com/culturegrrl/2011/10/vereshchagin_chagrin_russian_r.html

In a sad coincidence, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts is also deaccessioning
a Vereshchagin, his stunning *Pearl Mosque, Delhi*. It fits into the
museum's collection right alongside its French and British Orientalist
works, but apparently the museum thinks otherwise. Sotheby's is highlighting
the painting as a major work by a major Russian artist--which it is. Too bad
the MFA doesn't know that! Anyone in the New York area who wants to see the
painting before it vanishes from public view can visit Sotheby's 26-30
October for the pre-auction exhibition.
<
http://www.sothebys.com/en/catalogues/ecatalogue.html/2011/important-russian-art#/r=/en/ecat.fhtml.N08788.html+r.m=/en/ecat.lot.N08788.html/12/+r.o=/en/ecat.notes.N08788.html/12/
>

For anyone who wants to see Russian art in American museum and study
American collectors of Russian art (or Russian exhibitions in the U.S.),
this news is very discouraging.

Margaret Samu

=========================
Margaret Samu, Ph.D.
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Art History Department
Stern College for Women at Yeshiva University
215 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY  10016

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