friend of the artist
The stolen masterpieces: Famous paintings whose whereabouts are still unknown
The paintings of the great masters are not only artistic, but also quite measurable in monetary terms, value, and therefore are always in the focus of the robbers. Some of the masterpieces that once disappeared from museums, churches and cathedrals, continue to exist now only in reproductions and copies – while the fate of the originals remains unknown.
Abductions of the 20th Century
Jan van Eyck. “Righteous Judges,” sash of the Ghent Altar.
The work, created by Dutch artist Jan van Eyck or his brother Hubert, was stolen from the Cathedral of St. Bavon in Ghent on April 10, 1934. A resident of Ghent suspected of this crime, already on his deathbed, pleaded guilty, while simultaneously reporting that he would take the secret of the whereabouts of the masterpiece to the grave. Currently, the altar in Ghent is supplemented by a copy made from surviving photographs of the lost fragment. Continue reading
“Who is b ** Jackson Pollock?”: 3 cases when people found masterpieces among the trash
Which of us did not dream of finding among the grandfather rubble a masterpiece worth millions? But, let’s admit, so few are lucky – and such lucky ones, most often, immediately fall on the pages of newspapers. Expensive works of art are most often found in the appropriate environment – in expensive homes and in expensive collections of collectors. But what circumstances preceded the finds of masterpieces among literally rubbish and trash?
In 1992, Teri Hortos bought a huge painting in a used goods store for a gift to her friend. The painting cost $ 8, but Teri bargained to five. The picture was so huge that it did not fit either at home or at the house of her friend, so Teri decided to sell it at the flea market. There, a man approached her, who said that this picture was similar to that of Jackson Pollock. “Who the fuck is Jackson Pollock?” Asked Teri. Later, with that name, a documentary will be released revealing an investigation of the authenticity of this canvas. Continue reading
People-birds, beautiful ladies and the joy of life: 6 forgotten artists who will change the idea of Soviet painting
They worked in the harsh conditions of socialist realism, but paintings with farmers and tractors are not their style. Their paintings were crushed by bulldozers, not allowed to go to exhibitions, forgotten for many years. Some of them were lucky, and they received professional recognition, participation in exhibitions, posters mentioning their names … but few today remember their work. Artists of the Soviet era combined art and family – or preferred the workshop to a family hearth, searched for their own path, fought, dreamed … and, of course, did it.
Alexandra Beltsova
Alexandra Beltsova was born in Latvia. During the years of training, she met the artist Roman Suta, who became her husband and associate. Together they traveled to Berlin, where they met many avant-garde artists, and to Paris, where they participated in exhibitions along with Picasso and Le Corbusier. Continue reading
