Artists of modern painting. Modern artists of Russia

Levitan, Shishkin, Aivazovsky and many other names are familiar to every educated person in our country and abroad. This is our pride. There are many talented artists today. It's just that their names are not so widely known yet.
Bright Side brought together 10 contemporary Russian artists (we are sure there are many more), who will undoubtedly write their name in the classics of painting of the 21st century. Learn about them today.

Alexey Chernigin

Most of Alexey Chernigin's oil paintings on canvas depict beauty, romance and moments of true feelings. Alexei Chernigin inherited his talent and passion for art from his father, the famous Russian artist Alexander Chernigin. Every year they arrange a joint exhibition in their native Nizhny Novgorod.

Konstantin Lupanov

A young and incredibly talented artist from Krasnodar calls his painting "fun irresponsible daub". Konstantin Lupanov writes what he loves. The main characters of his paintings are friends, acquaintances, relatives and beloved cat Philip. The simpler the plot, the artist says, the more truthful the picture is.

Stanislav Plutenko

Stanislav Plutenko's creative motto: "See the unusual and make the unusual." The Moscow artist works in a unique technique of mixing tempera, acrylic, watercolor and the finest AirBrash glazing. Stanislav Plutenko is included in the catalog of 1000 surrealists of all times and peoples.

Nikolai Blokhin

Discover a contemporary Russian artist who, without a doubt, centuries later, will be on a par with the world's classics of painting. Nikolai Blokhin is known primarily as a portrait painter, although he also paints landscapes, still lifes, and genre paintings. But it is in the portrait that one of the most important aspects of his talent is most clearly manifested.

Dmitry Annenkov

Looking at the hyper-realistic still lifes of this Russian artist, you just want to reach out and take from the canvas or touch what is painted there. They are so alive and soulful. Artist Dmitry Annenkov lives in Moscow and works in different genres. And in all unusually talented.

Vasily Shulzhenko

The work of the artist Vasily Shulzhenko does not leave anyone indifferent. He is either loved or hated, extolled for understanding the Russian soul and accused of hatred for it. In his paintings - harsh Russia, without cuts and grotesque comparisons, alcohol, debauchery and stagnation.

Arush Votsmush

Under the pseudonym Arush Votsmush, a talented artist from Sevastopol Alexander Shumtsov is hiding. “There is such a word - “conflict”: when you see something amazing that makes your inner wheels turn in the right direction. A good conflict, “with goosebumps” is interesting. And goosebumps can be from anything: from cold water, from a holiday, from the fact that you suddenly felt something like in childhood - when you were surprised for the first time and began to play inside you ... I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone with my work. First of all, I enjoy. It is pure creativity drug. Or a pure life - without doping. It's just a miracle."

Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky

Vinogradov and Dubossarsky are the main hooligans and scoundrels of modern Russian painting. The creative duet was formed by the mid-90s of the twentieth century. And today he has gained worldwide fame. It is no coincidence that the writer Viktor Pelevin designed one of his novels with illustrations from the finished works of Dubossarsky and Vinogradov.

Mikhail Golubev

The young Russian artist Mikhail Golubev lives and works in St. Petersburg. His works are thought paintings, fantasy paintings and philosophical reflections. A very interesting artist with his own, but very familiar to many, view of this world.

Sergei Marshennikov

Many believe that there are no artists left in the 21st century. However, in reality, this is not the case. And in our time there are many talented and famous artists whose work is shown at exhibitions that earn big money. Below is a list of the 20 most famous and well-earned artists who are active in creative work not only in Russia.

Russian artist Alexander Ivanov, born in 1962, is best known for his work titled Love, which was painted back in 1996 and sold for almost 100,000 rubles. His style is abstractionism. He is also a businessman, engaged in collecting activities, opened the Faberge Museum in Germany, in Baden-Baden.

Olga Bulgakova is one of the few talented and famous artists in Russia, born in 1951, and she is a member of the Russian Academy of Arts as a corresponding member. The representative of such a movement of painting of the Brezhnev era, which is called "carnival". Her most famous work is The Dream of the Red Bird, written in 1988.

Russian artist Mikhail Brusilovsky, who works under the pseudonym Misha Shayevich, is included in this rating and takes 18th place. This world famous artist

The talented Russian artist Lev Tabenkin was born in 1952 in the Russian capital, Moscow. This painter sees the picture like a sculptor. The feeling that his written characters are molded from clay. One of Leo's most famous paintings is "Jazz Orchestra" painted in 2004. It was sold for 117,650 rubles.

The AES + F project consists of four people, in fact, the name consists of the initial letters of the names of the participants: Tatyana Arzamasova, Lev Evzovich, Evgeny Svyatsky, Vladimir Fridnes. The creativity of this company is characterized by a very good presentation back in the nineties and was appreciated only in the two thousandths. Now, for the most part, they create large animated murals that are broadcast on dozens of screens. One of the most famous works of this company: "Warrior 4".

Russian artist Sergei Volkov was born in Petrozavodsk in 1956. His works are characterized by the fact that he created during the period of perestroika art. The paintings are written very expressively, where very thoughtful statements and ideology are noticed. His most famous painting is Double Vision. Triptych".

Artists Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky were both born in Moscow in 1963 and 1964. They started working together in 1994, having met at the festival, creating an unusual and grandiose project. The original project has earned the respect of many collectors. Their paintings hang in such famous places as the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum and even the Pompidou Center. They themselves are the creators of the Art-Strelka gallery and the organizers of the Art-Klyazma festival.

Russian artist Vladimir Yankilevsky also made the list of the highest paid and famous artists. He was born in Moscow in 1938. Vladimir's father was also an artist, and his son inherited his profession. Vladimir works in the style of surrealism - art with paradoxical combinations. Back in 1970, he painted one of the most famous paintings called Triptych 10. Anatomy of the Soul II.

Artist Vladimir Nemukhin was born in 1925 in the small village of Priluki, located in the Moscow region. He was a participant of many foreign exhibitions in Europe. In the nineties he lived and was active in Germany, but in 2005 he moved to Russia. His work is characterized by a three-dimensional composition, the presence of a counter-relief and various cross-cutting motifs, for example, a deck of cards.

An artist with an unusual name, the son of a Spanish political emigrant, was born in the small village of Vasilievka in the Samara Region in 1943. He was the organizer of the group of artists "Argo", a member of the Moscow Union of Artists. Also, Francisco was endowed with the State Prize for achievements in the field of fine arts. The artist is active in creative work both in Russia and abroad.

Artist Alexander Melamed used to be one of the members of the very famous creative duo Komarov-Melamed, but it broke up back in 2003, then they began to work separately. Residence since 1978 is New York. He wrote most of the famous works together with Vitaly Komar, they also created the Sots Art movement together and were the organizers of the Bulldozer Exhibition.

This Russian artist, known as one of the founders of Moscow Conceptualism, was born in Moscow in 1937, where he graduated from the Polygraphic Institute. According to Viktor Pivovarov himself, his first work was written at the age of five. He is also a representative of "unofficial" art. His paintings are located in one of the most famous and major exhibition centers: the Russian Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Pushkin Museum im. A. S. Pushkin.

This artist was born in 1934 in Tbilisi. He is one of the brightest representatives of monumental painting. Zurab is known for his work in the form of a monument to Peter I, which is located in Moscow, as well as a monument, which is located in front of the UN building in New York. Zurab is the president of the Russian Art Academy, which operates his own museum-gallery. The creations of this artist are known not only in Russia, but throughout the world.

Russian artist Oscar Rabin is known for being the organizer of the Buldor exhibition in 1974 and four years later he was deprived of Soviet citizenship. He also became popular as one of the first artists involved in the private sale of paintings in the Soviet Union. At the moment, his permanent place of residence and work is Paris. His paintings are in major museums and exhibition centers: the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum and others.

Russian artist Oleg Tselkov is known as an artist who began the main creative movement in the sixties of the 20th century, showing very rough and sharp features in his paintings, including in the depiction of people who look like clay figures. Since 1977, Oleg continues his creative path in Paris. His paintings are located in such exhibition centers: the Russian Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Hermitage. One of the most famous paintings is "Boy with Balloons", painted in 1954.

Born in Moscow in 1934, Russian artist Grigory Bruskin, or Grisha, has been a member of the Union of Artists since 1969. He gained his greatest fame thanks to the large Sotheby's auction, where he sold his work under the name "Fundamental Lexicon" for the highest price, which was a record. At the moment he lives and works in New York and Moscow, which is why he is also called an American artist.

This Russian artist is distinguished by the fact that he accurately displays realistic things. His real creative activity began from the moment when, in 1985, exhibiting at Malaya Gruzinskaya, he won the attention and recognition of collectors from New York. Since then, his works have been exhibited in many European countries, are in exhibition centers in America, Germany and Poland. Now he lives and conducts creative activity in Moscow.

This duet, alas, lasted until 2003, but was a huge success. The two Russian artists rose to prominence through the creation of the Sots Art movement, which is an offshoot of unofficial art. This was a kind of response to the creation of pop art in the West. Canvases with the works of these artists are in major museums, including the Louvre.

The Russian artist is known for being able to combine both painting and text in his work, later it began to be called Sots Art. During the Soviet period, he was popular as an illustrator in children's books. For some time he lived in New York, then in Paris. He was the first artist to stage an exhibition at the Center Pompidou. His creative works are in the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Pompidou Center.

This most talented Russian artist, who works in tandem with his wife Emilia, can be considered the main artist of the country, the founder of Moscow conceptualism. He was born in Dnepropetrovsk in 1933, but since 1988 New York has become his place of residence. His works can be seen in the Hermitage, the Tretyakov Gallery and the Russian Museum. Ilya received the Japanese Emperor's Prize, and two of his works entitled "Beetle" and "Luxury" are the most expensive paintings.

If you think that all great artists are in the past, then you have no idea how wrong you are. In this article, you will learn about the most famous and talented artists of our time. And, believe me, their works will sit in your memory no less deeply than the works of the maestro from past eras.

Wojciech Babski

Wojciech Babski is a contemporary Polish artist. He graduated from the Silesian Polytechnic Institute, but connected himself with. Lately he has been painting mostly women. Focuses on the manifestation of emotions, seeks to obtain the greatest possible effect by simple means.

Loves color, but often uses shades of black and gray to achieve the best impression. Not afraid to experiment with new techniques. Recently, he has been gaining more and more popularity abroad, mainly in the UK, where he successfully sells his works, which can already be found in many private collections. In addition to art, he is interested in cosmology and philosophy. Listens to jazz. Currently lives and works in Katowice.

Warren Chang

Warren Chang is a contemporary American artist. Born in 1957 and raised in Monterey, California, he graduated magna cum laude from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena in 1981 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fine Arts. For the next two decades, he worked as an illustrator for various companies in California and New York before starting his career as a professional artist in 2009.

His realistic paintings can be divided into two main categories: biographical interior paintings and paintings depicting working people. His interest in this style of painting is rooted in the work of the 16th-century artist Jan Vermeer, and extends to objects, self-portraits, portraits of family members, friends, students, studio, classroom and home interiors. His goal is to create mood and emotion in his realistic paintings through the manipulation of light and the use of muted colors.

Chang became famous after the transition to traditional visual arts. Over the past 12 years, he has earned numerous awards and honors, the most prestigious being the Master Signature from the Oil Painters Association of America, the largest oil painting community in the United States. Only one person out of 50 is honored with the opportunity to receive this award. Currently, Warren lives in Monterey and works in his studio, he also teaches (known as a talented teacher) at the San Francisco Academy of the Arts.

Aurelio Bruni

Aurelio Bruni is an Italian artist. Born in Blair, October 15, 1955. Graduated with a degree in scenography from the Art Institute in Spoleto. As an artist, he is self-taught, as he independently “built the house of knowledge” on the foundation laid back in school. He began painting in oils at the age of 19. Currently lives and works in Umbria.

Bruni's early painting is rooted in surrealism, but over time he begins to focus on the proximity of lyrical romanticism and symbolism, reinforcing this combination with the exquisite refinement and purity of his characters. Animate and inanimate objects acquire equal dignity and look almost hyper-realistic, but at the same time, they do not hide behind a curtain, but allow you to see the essence of your soul. Versatility and sophistication, sensuality and loneliness, thoughtfulness and fruitfulness are the spirit of Aurelio Bruni, nourished by the splendor of art and the harmony of music.

Aleksander Balos

Alkasandr Balos is a contemporary Polish artist specializing in oil painting. Born in 1970 in Gliwice, Poland, but since 1989 he has been living and working in the USA, in the city of Shasta, California.

As a child, he studied art under the guidance of his father Jan, a self-taught artist and sculptor, so from an early age, artistic activity received full support from both parents. In 1989, at the age of eighteen, Balos left Poland for the United States, where his schoolteacher and part-time artist Cathy Gaggliardi encouraged Alcasander to enroll in art school. Balos then received a full scholarship to the University of Milwaukee Wisconsin, where he studied painting with philosophy professor Harry Rosin.

After completing his studies in 1995 with a bachelor's degree, Balos moved to Chicago to study at the School of Fine Arts, whose methods are based on the work of Jacques-Louis David. Figurative realism and portraiture made up the bulk of Balos' work in the 90s and early 2000s. Today, Balos uses the human figure to highlight the features and shortcomings of human existence, without offering any solutions.

The plot compositions of his paintings are intended to be independently interpreted by the viewer, only then the canvases will acquire their true temporal and subjective meaning. In 2005, the artist moved to Northern California, since then the scope of his work has expanded significantly and now includes freer methods of painting, including abstraction and various multimedia styles that help express the ideas and ideals of being through painting.

Alyssa Monks

Alyssa Monks is a contemporary American artist. She was born in 1977 in Ridgewood, New Jersey. She became interested in painting when she was still a child. She attended The New School in New York and Montclair State University, and graduated from Boston College in 1999 with a bachelor's degree. At the same time, she studied painting at the Lorenzo Medici Academy in Florence.

Then she continued her studies under the program for a master's degree at the New York Academy of Art, in the Department of Figurative Art, graduating in 2001. She graduated from Fullerton College in 2006. She briefly lectured at universities and educational institutions around the country, and taught painting at the New York Academy of Art, as well as Montclair State University and Lyme Academy College of Art.

“Using filters such as glass, vinyl, water and steam, I distort the human body. These filters allow you to create large areas of abstract design, with islands of color peeking through them - parts of the human body.

My paintings change the modern look at the already established, traditional poses and gestures of bathing women. They could tell an attentive viewer a lot about such seemingly self-evident things as the benefits of swimming, dancing, and so on. My characters are pressed against the glass of the shower cabin window, distorting their own body, realizing that they thereby influence the notorious male look at a naked woman. Thick layers of paint are mixed together to mimic glass, steam, water and flesh from afar. Up close, however, the amazing physical properties of oil paint become apparent. By experimenting with layers of paint and color, I find the moment when abstract strokes become something else.

When I first started painting the human body, I was immediately fascinated and even obsessed with it and felt that I had to make my paintings as realistic as possible. I "professed" realism until it began to unravel and deconstruct itself. Now I am exploring the possibilities and potential of a style of painting where representational painting and abstraction meet – if both styles can coexist at the same moment in time, I will do it.”

Antonio Finelli

Italian artist - time watcher” – Antonio Finelli was born on February 23, 1985. Currently lives and works in Italy between Rome and Campobasso. His works have been exhibited in several galleries in Italy and abroad: Rome, Florence, Novara, Genoa, Palermo, Istanbul, Ankara, New York, and they can also be found in private and public collections.

Pencil drawings " Watcher of time” Antonio Finelli send us on an eternal journey through the inner world of human temporality and the rigorous analysis of this world associated with it, the main element of which is the passage through time and the traces it inflicts on the skin.

Finelli paints portraits of people of any age, gender and nationality, whose facial expressions indicate the passage through time, and the artist also hopes to find evidence of the ruthlessness of time on the bodies of his characters. Antonio defines his works with one general title: “Self-Portrait”, because in his pencil drawings he not only depicts a person, but allows the viewer to contemplate the real results of the passage of time inside a person.

Flaminia Carloni

Flaminia Carloni is a 37-year-old Italian artist, the daughter of a diplomat. She has three children. Twelve years she lived in Rome, three years in England and France. Received a degree in art history from the BD School of Art. Then she received a diploma in the specialty restorer of works of art. Before finding her calling and devoting herself entirely to painting, she worked as a journalist, colorist, designer, and actress.

Flaminia's passion for painting arose as a child. Her main medium is oil because she loves “coiffer la pate” and also plays with the material. She learned a similar technique in the works of the artist Pascal Torua. Flaminia is inspired by the great masters of painting such as Balthus, Hopper, and François Legrand, as well as various art movements: street art, Chinese realism, surrealism and renaissance realism. Her favorite artist is Caravaggio. Her dream is to discover the therapeutic power of art.

Denis Chernov

Denis Chernov is a talented Ukrainian artist, born in 1978 in Sambir, Lviv region, Ukraine. After graduating from the Kharkov Art College in 1998, he stayed in Kharkov, where he currently lives and works. He also studied at the Kharkov State Academy of Design and Arts, Department of Graphics, graduated in 2004.

He regularly participates in art exhibitions, at the moment there have been more than sixty of them, both in Ukraine and abroad. Most of Denis Chernov's works are kept in private collections in Ukraine, Russia, Italy, England, Spain, Greece, France, USA, Canada and Japan. Some of the works were sold at Christie's.

Denis works in a wide range of graphic and painting techniques. Pencil drawings are one of his favorite painting methods, the list of topics of his pencil drawings is also very diverse, he paints landscapes, portraits, nudes, genre compositions, book illustrations, literary and historical reconstructions and fantasies.

Major international auctions are increasingly including contemporary Russian artists in their auctions of post-war and contemporary art. In February 2007, Sotheby's held the first and almost sensational specialized auction of Russian contemporary art, which brought 22 auction records. Artguide decided to find out which of our contemporary artists collected the largest sums at international auctions and, having compiled the top 10 most expensive living Russian artists based on the results of auction sales, discovered some curious patterns. All sales prices are given according to the auction houses, taking into account the buyer's premium.

Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky. Night fitness. Fragment. Courtesy authors (www.dubossarskyvinogradov.com)

Of course, there could be no doubt about who exactly became the leader of the auction race: the grandiose “Beetle” by Ilya Kabakov, sold in February 2008 at Phillips de Pury for almost £3 million, is probably remembered by everyone who is interested in contemporary art. A funny nursery rhyme, the text of which is written on a wooden panel with a beetle, even acquired a thoughtful intonation in the art criticism and market interpretation: “My beetle breaks out, jumps, chirps, it doesn’t want to get into my collection” - this metaphorically means the passion of a collector of contemporary art, for this same beetle trading. (The verse quoted by Kabakov, composed by the architect A. Maslennikova, an amateur poet from Voronezh, was published in the children's collection of poems, counting rhymes and riddles Between Summer and Winter, published in 1976 by the Children's Literature publishing house, and Kabakov illustrated this book True, that beetle was not in his black-and-white illustrations).

It should be added that if we did not make the top 10 most expensive living artists, but the top 10 of their most expensive works, then Kabakov's paintings would take the first three places on this list. That is, the three most expensive works of the now living Russian artist belong to him - in addition to the "Beetle", these are "Luxury Room" in 1981 (Phillips de Pury, London, June 21, 2007, £ 2.036 million) and "Vacation No. 10" in 1987 (Phillips de Pury London, 14 April 2011, £1.497m). On top of that, the generous Kabakov "gave" another record to the Vienna Dorotheum auction - a year ago, on November 24, 2011, the painting "At the University" went there for €754.8 thousand, becoming the most expensive work of contemporary art ever sold on this auction.

The silver medalist, probably, many will also easily name - this is Eric Bulatov, whose canvas "Glory to the CPSU" was sold for a record amount for the artist at the same Phillips de Pury auction as Kabakov's "Beetle".

But the third place of the non-conformist Yevgeny Chubarov, whose late work "Untitled" went in June 2007 to Phillips de Pury for £ 720 thousand, could be called a surprise, if not for the fact that a few months earlier, in February of that the same year, Chubarov had already made a splash at Sotheby's in London, at a specialized auction of Russian contemporary art, where his work with the same name (or rather, without it) was sold for £288,000 (with an upper limit of the estimate of £60,000), not only beating the alleged top lot of that auction, Bulatov's painting "Revolution - Perestroika" (sale price £ 198 thousand), but also becoming the most expensive work of the living Russian artist at that time. By the way, here it is, the irony of currency fluctuations: in November 2000, Grisha Bruskin's polyptych was sold in New York for $424 thousand, and then in pounds sterling it was £296.7 thousand, and in February 2007, when it was installed Chubarov's first record is already only £216.6 thousand.

The works of fourth-place winners Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid are frequent and quite successful lots in Western auctions, although their estimates rarely exceed £100,000. The duo's second most expensive work is Yalta Conference. The Judgment of Paris "- was sold at Macdougall's in 2007 for £ 184.4 thousand. But it should be noted, of course, that the painting that brought them fourth place belongs to rather early and rarely appearing works at auctions and that it was exhibited in 1976 at the first (and very loud) foreign exhibition of Komar and Melamid at the Ronald Feldman Gallery in New York.

Following Komar and Melamid, Oleg Vasiliev and Semyon Faibisovich consistently hold a high bar at auctions. Vasilyev was third in that extraordinarily successful 2008 Phillips de Pury auction, which brought records to Ilya Kabakov and Erik Bulatov, while Faibisovich was fourth. Then Vasiliev's painting "Variation on the theme of the cover of the Ogonyok magazine" in 1980 was sold for ₤356 thousand with an estimate of ₤120 thousand, and Faibisovich's "Another look at the Black Sea" in 1986 - for £300.5 thousand with Estimate £60,000-80,000. Works by both artists often fetch six-figure sums at auction.

True, it was not the record-breaking “Soldiers” that brought fame to Faibisovich at auction, but the painting “Beauty”, sold at Sotheby’s on March 12, 2008 - this was the auction house’s second auction of contemporary Russian art, except for the Moscow auction of 1988. The painting (its other name is “The First of May”) then went for £264 thousand with an estimate of £60-80 thousand, a real battle unfolded between buyers for it. Another painting by Faibisovich “On a Moscow street” at that auction exceeded the estimate twice and was sold for £126,000 2011-2012.

Roughly the same can be said about Oleg Tselkov, who is eighth in the top 10. Having found his style and theme half a century ago, a recognizable and authoritative artist, he regularly supplies auctions with his fluorescent round faces, which have continued success. The second most expensive painting by Tselkov "Five Faces" was sold in June 2007 at MacDougall's for £223.1 thousand, the third, "Two with Beetles", - in November of the same year at the same auction (MacDougall's always put up for auction several Tselkov different price range) for £202.4 thousand.

Grisha Bruskin has had a special role in the auction history of Russian contemporary art since 1988, from the Moscow auction of Sotheby's under the name Russian Avant-Garde and Soviet Contemporary Art, where his "Fundamental Lexicon" was sold for a sensational £ 220 thousand, 12 times higher estimate. Approximately the same, and perhaps even more sensational, happened with the polyptych “Logii. Part I" in 2000 at Christie's in New York: the polyptych sold for $424,000, exceeding the upper limit of the estimate by 21 (!) times - this alone can be considered a kind of record. Most likely, this extraordinary purchase is due not least to the significance of Bruskin's name as the hero of the legendary Sotheby's Moscow auction, because no other auction sales of Bruskin even come close to these amounts.

The price of Oscar Rabin does not fluctuate, but grows steadily and very noticeably, especially for the works of the Soviet period - all the most expensive works of this master sold at auction were painted in the late 1950s and early 1970s. These are (besides his record "Socialist City") "Baths (Smell the cologne "Moscow", 1966, Sotheby's, New York, April 17, 2007, $ 336 thousand) and "Violin in the cemetery" (1969, Macdougall's, London, November 27 2006, £168.46).

The top ten is closed by representatives of the younger generation - Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky, whose most expensive paintings were sold at Phillips de Pury (the second most expensive is The Last Butterfly, 1997, Phillips de Pury, New York, $181,000). These artists, in general, continue a trend that is quite clearly visible in the ranking of the most expensive paintings by living artists. We will talk about it a little lower, but for now, finally, here is a list of the most expensive works of living Russian artists.

Top 10 works of living Russian artists

1. Ilya Kabakov (b. 1933). Bug. 1982. Wood, enamel. 226.5 x 148.5. Auction Phillips de Pury & Company, London, February 28, 2008. Estimate £1.2-1.8 million. Sale price £2.93 million.

2. Erik Bulatov (b. 1933). Glory to the CPSU. 1975. Oil on canvas. 229.5 x 229. Auction Phillips de Pury & Company, London, February 28, 2008. Estimate £500-700 thousand. Sale price £1.084 million.

3. Evgeny Chubarov (b. 1934). Untitled. 1994. Oil on canvas. 300 x 200. Phillips de Pury & Company auction, London, June 22, 2007. Estimate £100-150 thousand. Sale price £720 thousand.

4. Vitaly Komar (b. 1943) and Alexander Melamid (b. 1945). Solzhenitsyn and Bell meeting at Rostropovich's dacha. 1972. Canvas, oil, collage, gold foil. 175 x 120. Phillips de Pury & Company auction, London, April 23, 2010. Estimate £100-150 thousand. Sale price £657.25 thousand.

5. Oleg Vasilyev (b. 1931). Before sunset. 1990. Oil on canvas. 210 x 165. Sotheby's auction, London, March 12, 2008. Estimate £200-300 thousand. Sale price £468.5 thousand.

6. Semyon Faibisovich (b. 1949). Soldiers. From the series "Stations". 1989. Oil on canvas. 285.4 x 190.5. Auction Phillips de Pury & Company, London, October 13, 2007. Estimate £40-60 thousand. Sale price £311.2 thousand.

8. Oleg Tselkov (b. 1934) Boy with balloons. Canvas, oil. 103.5 x 68.5. Auction MacDougall's, London, November 28, 2008. Estimate £200-300 thousand. Sale price £238.4 thousand.

9. Oscar Rabin (b. 1928) City and moon (Socialist city). 1959. Oil on canvas. 90 x 109. Sotheby's auction, New York, April 15, 2008. Estimate $120-160 thousand. Sale price $337 thousand (£171.4 at the dollar to pound rate in April 2008).

10. Alexander Vinogradov (b. 1963) and Vladimir Dubossarsky (b. 1964). Night workout. 2004. Oil on canvas. 194.9 x 294.3. Auction Phillips de Pury & Company, London, June 22, 2007. Estimate £15-20 thousand. Sale price £132 thousand.

It is known that auction prices are an irrational thing and one cannot judge the true role and significance of the artist in the artistic process by them. But on the basis of them and the top lots, one can roughly judge the collector's preferences. What are they? You don't have to be an expert to answer this question. They are obvious. Firstly, all artists (except perhaps Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky) are “living classics” in years, and very solid ones at that. Secondly, almost all of them set records not by works of recent years, but by much earlier ones, that is, the pattern “the older, the better” is also relevant here. Thirdly, without exception, all works from the top 10 are easel paintings. Fourthly, these are all large and very large paintings. More or less "standard" in this respect can only be considered "The City and the Moon" by Oscar Rabin and "Boy with Balloons" by Oleg Tselkov, all the rest are great in height (not even in width) human height. Finally, for all these artists, in one way or another, the theme of the Soviet (in particular, nonconformist) past is relevant, in many cases accentuated in their works. It seems that our collectors are experiencing acute nostalgia for this same Soviet past (it is common knowledge that it is Russian collectors who buy Russian art in the West).

Younger than the rest of the auction sales leaders, Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky are somewhat stubbornly trying to break out of the dozens of harsh nonconformists, but this is only at first glance. In fact, if you imagine which of the next generation after Kabakov, Bulatov, Rabin, Vasilyev, Tselkovym can best meet the above criteria of purchase (large-sized easel paintings, rehashings of Soviet genres, motifs and stylistics), then it will probably turn out to be Vinogradov and Dubossarsky, worthy heirs of the masters of previous decades. At least judging by the auction sales.

How much does contemporary art cost? Which of the living artists enjoy the greatest recognition, the measure of which is banknotes? Artnet answered this question by analyzing auction results from 2011 to 2015 and listing best selling contemporary artists. Alas, there were no creators from Russia on the list.

10 Ed Ruscha

In the 60s of the last century, Ed, along with now famous artists such as Andy Warhol and Jim Dine, took part in the historical event "Re-imaging ordinary objects." It was one of the first exhibitions in the emerging pop art style in America. To an unenlightened look, Rushei's paintings are most reminiscent of a stenciled inscription against the backdrop of landscapes or a cheerful splash of flowers. However, over 4 years of his creations were sold for a total amount of $129,030,255.

9. Richard Prince

Richard made a name for himself by re-photographing images from print ads, arranging them in random order and embellishing them with scathing slogans. Marlboro cowboys, celebrities, porn stars, nurses and biker girlfriends suffered at his hands. He also paints the hoods of cars. The public appreciated his work in $146,056,862- it was for this amount that several works of the artist were sold.

8. Yayoi Kusama

The mentally ill artist loves to cover surfaces with dots of paint - it's called "infinity nets". She managed to trademark both this polka dot and her own illness and is now the best-selling contemporary artist in the world ( $152,768,689).

7. Peter Doig

One of the representatives of traditional landscape painting. His work is invariably popular with the viewer, who is tired of the hyper-ironic postmodern, because after the inscriptions, collages of photographs and polka dot chairs, it is so nice to stop your eyes on the tropical night landscape. For 4 years, paintings have been sold for $155,229,785.

6. Fan Zeng

Calligraphic lettering, transparent watercolor landscapes and portraits in traditional Chinese style are also selling well - $176,718,242 from 2011 to 2015.

5. Cui Ruzhou

This contemporary Chinese artist is famous for his ink paintings of flowers, birds and landscapes. However, ordinary people are unable to understand the mighty power of art - and in 2012, the cleaner of the Grand Hayatt hotel accidentally threw one of his works worth $ 3.7 million into the trash. Cui Ruzhou's work over the past 4 years has been sold for $223,551,382.

4. Zeng Fanji

Complex multi-colored works by another Chinese artist, where living beings and objects are either entangled in the web, or lost in the winter forest, as well as sinister pioneers with bloody hands from 2011 to 2015, were also sold well - for $267,949,220.

3. Christopher Wool

Christopher's trademark is huge white canvases with black lettering. Four of these letters, which form the word Riot ("uprising"), were sold at Sotheby's for $29.9 million. And in just 4 years, the artist's works were sold in the amount of $323,997,854.

2. Jeff Koons

Former husband of porn star Cicciolina prefers to work in the neo-pop genre. He is especially famous for his steel sculptures imitating oblong balloon toys. For one of the works (a steel orange dog), Christie was paid $ 58.4 million at the auction. Jeff also plans to install a crane in front of the Los Angeles Museum of Art, on which he will hang a steam locomotive so that it puffs and emits clouds of smoke. From 2011 to 2015, Koons sold works for a total of $379,778,439.

1. Gerard Richter

In the first place in the ranking of artists with the best-selling paintings is a master who does not even consider himself such. According to Gerard, for a long time he created something that was not related to art, composition, color, creativity, etc. Namely, he covered canvases with paint stains using scrapers and spatulas. One of these paintings, called "Abstract Image", most of all reminiscent of a watermelon that died in agony, was priced at Sotheby's for $43.6 million, and the artist's works for four years were sold for a modest amount of $1,165,527,419.