By Yulianna Vertinskaya
In January 2020, art collectors Igor and Olga Toporovski were arrested in Belgium on suspicion of handling stolen goods, fraud, and money laundering.[1] The couple came under scrutiny in 2017, due to their involvement in the loan of artworks to the Museum voor Schone Kunsten in Ghent, Belgium for an exhibition entitled “Russian Modernism 1910–30.” The exhibition featured the works loaned by the Dieleghem Foundation set up by Igor Toporovsky and allegedly attributed to Kazimir Malevich, Alexander Rodchenko, Vladimir Tatlin, Wassily Kandinsky, and others.[2] The authenticity of the items have been publicly challenged by dealers, curators, and art historians in an open letter published in the Flemish newspaper De Standaard on January 15, 2018.[3] Shortly thereafter, the Museum shut down the exhibition and the works were placed in museum storage. Toporovski’s case shows an evolving trend in exhibiting and selling Russian art that is not authentic.
The fact is that artworks by prominent Russian avant-garde artists are sought after and sell well, with works by Chagall, Malevich, and Rodchenko leading sales. The size of the Russian art market abroad being relatively small, it is very sensitive to new works entering the market. With high demand and limited supply, the risk of fake or misattributed works is prominent, making authentication and expertise paramount.
The Market For Russian Art
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