LONDON.- MacDougall’s have the star lot of London’s “Russian Week”. Ivan Shishkin’s early masterpiece, View of Valaam Island, Kukko (est. £900,000–1,200,000) will be on sale at MacDougall’s Russian Art Auction on 2 December. This painting is the most expensive Russian work offered by the four auction houses holding specialist Russian art sales during the first week of December.

Shishkin exhibited two versions of the composition at the Imperial Academy of Arts exhibition in 1860, for which he was awarded the large gold medal. The smaller version of the work is now at the State Russian Museum in St Petersburg.

MacDougall's Russian Art Auctions in London on 1-2 December 2010 will present a superb selection of significant works by important Russian artists from the 19th and 20th centuries, including Natalia Goncharova, Robert Falk, Petr Konchalovsky, Nicholas Roerich, Ilya Repin, Ivan Shishkin and Ivan Aivazovsky. In total the three sales consist of over 600 lots, with a total estimate of over £17 million.

Catherine MacDougall, Director, comments: “I believe the current auctions represent
Russian art truly well: from Icons to Classic masterpieces of Aivazovsky and Shishkin to avant-garde artist Natalia Goncharova, to Works on Paper to Contemporary Russian art – all the periods and styles are represented and there is something for every collector’s taste.”

Russian Art Auctions
Russian Works on Paper: Wednesday, 1 December 2010, 10:30
Russian Classic and Contemporary Art: Thursday, 2 December 2010, 10:30
Russian Icons and Works of Art: Thursday, 2 December 2010, 16:00

Viewing
London: 26-30 November 2010, MacDougall’s, 30A Charles II St., London SW1Y 4AE