may seem strange
Life after Picasso
64 years ago, on February 11, 1955, Olga Khokhlova passed away. The general public probably knows only about the ballerina from Nizhyn that she emigrated from the Russian Empire and became the wife of Pablo Picasso. Officially, she remained in this status until the end of her days, although in fact for many years she had to spend all alone, away from her husband and son, resigned to their contempt, which almost deprived her mind …
Abroad, she was called the “Russian wife of Picasso,” but in fact Olga Khokhlova was born on the territory of modern Ukraine, which was then part of the Russian Empire in the city of Nizhyn. Her father, Stepan Khokhlov, was a colonel in the tsarist army. Olga spent her childhood in Nizhyn, and then her father was transferred to St. Petersburg. Continue reading
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
