Russian Art Opens

Plastics magnate Igor Markin opens Russia's first private museum for postwar art to the public today - Bloomberg reports - after stealing a march on rival art ollectors in one of the fastest growing art markets in the country. "Art4.Ru," a 10-minute walk from the Kremlin, will display about 100 art works, chosen by Markin from his collection of post-1945 Soviet and Russian art. The list of artists reads like an encyclopedia: Vladimir Nemukhin, Vladimir Ovchinnikov, Komar and Melamid, Vladimir Weisberg, Dubossarsky and Vinogradov, Ilya Kabakov, Oscar Rabine and Mikhail Schwartzman. Markin, 39, began his art collection in 2002, when most other Russian art buyers, such as oil billionaire Viktor Vekselberg, concentrated on pre-Revolutionary works such as the eggs of imperial jeweler Faberge. Now, more collectors are turning to contemporary Russian art works, pushing up prices. (For full source and article click the Headline). Irish ArtGallery