Russian pop icon Alla Pugacheva has $20 million worth of antiques confiscated. Among the ancient artifacts are works by Rembrandt and Leonardo da Vinci. The singer attempted to transport them abroad. According to experts, Pugacheva’s collection includes museum exhibits from the 16th and 17th centuries that could be put up for auction, and one of the paintings, “Madonna and Child with Two Angels” by Domenico Puligo, is priced at 1 million. It starts with dollars. , reported in “Komsomolskaya Pravda” on October 10.
When the star came to Russia last year, her representatives compiled an inventory of antiques. Documents include a 19th-century French chandelier, a 19th-century fruit stand, and 16th- to 19th-century sculptures and paintings. They were all scheduled to be transported from Sheremetyevo Airport, but transport was refused because star representatives did not provide all documents to customs.
In March of this year, Russian prosecutors asked the Justice Department to declare Alla Pugacheva a “foreign agent” after she criticized the war in Ukraine. As the conflict began in February 2022, Pugacheva and her husband Maxim Galkin flew to Israel, where the family owns expensive real estate. After Galkin publicly criticized Russian special operations, he was declared a “foreign agent” and Russian services began investigating the singer on charges of discrediting the Russian military.
A producer with knowledge of the situation told the KP.RU website: “Foreign agent Galkin came up with a hobby for himself. He decided to build a castle and fill it with antiques, imagining himself a collector. He and his wife bought paintings, jewelry, doors, lamps, chests of drawers, etc. at auctions. Prices are often inflated. They often do not actually represent artistic value. Now experts who have studied the catalog of their collections say there are no outstanding works of museum art there. There are many expensive old paintings, dolls, etc. On birthdays and anniversaries, friends would gift me something for their collection. Pugacheva and Galkin* have a large collection of objects purchased indiscriminately at auctions at inflated prices for amateurs. Last year they decided to export part of their collection. The law prohibits export from the country without a special permit. Firstly, it is an antique made more than 100 years ago, and secondly, it is an item of considerable value, classified as cultural heritage and included in a special register. In order to export, you must submit an examination order and customs declaration. All this work was completed in 2023, but customs refused the collection. Some ancient exhibits did not have the necessary export permits.” What did they want to export? Many works of painting, slightly fewer works of decorative and applied art.
– 118 modern volumes of books by various authors.
– 7 sculptures. Among them are four 1889 French sculptures by Jean Baptiste Gustave Deloy. and three contemporary works – “Seated Minotaur” (2022, Russia, E. Pylnikova), “Bull Hunt”, and “Lion Hunt” (2018, Russia, A. Krasov and A. Kryukov).
– 2 tables from Artem Stepanyan’s workshop, 2019. Materials – wood, gold.
– Set of 2 fruit vases in trachea, crystal, decorative stones, gilded, silver-plated, blackened, cast, embossed, inlaid, painted. 1840-1842, France.
– 2 chandeliers. 19th century. france.
– Mirrors in neo-Renaissance style (bronze, cast, embossed, carved, gilded). Ferdinand Barbedienne factory, sculptors Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse and Louis-Constant Seven.
– Two consoles – “Triton” and “Pan” (wood, stone, joinery, wood carving, stone carving, staining, varnish). Mid-18th century, Venice, Italy.
– Pair of mahogany consoles with Medici rings. Mid-19th century, Western Europe.
– 2 table decorations. A pair of candlesticks. 19th century. france.
– Frame. 8. 19th and 20th centuries. Italy, Western Europe.
– painting. 21. The oldest canvas in this collection is dated in the catalog as follows (Italy 1520s): Domenico Puligo “Madonna and Child with Two Angels”, wood, oil, 72.5 x 51.7 cm, framed 101.5 x 80.1 x 8 cm. At auction, paintings by this Italian Renaissance artist were sold for an average price of 3 million rubles. The price of this painting may be higher.
Illustration: Domenico Puligo, “Madonna and Child with Two Angels”
