MOSCOW, September 18 (RIA Novosti) - An art collection amassed by cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and his wife, which was bought by Kremlin-friendly tycoon Alisher Usmanov, will not be given to the state, an art consultant said Tuesday.
"The collection will definitely remain with Usmanov, there is no talk of it being presented to the state," said Marina Loshak, owner of Proun Gallery, who advised the federal culture agency and Sotheby's Russia and CIS office chief on the collection.
The collection of the famous musician, who died in April, and his wife, soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, was built up after they were forced out of Russia in 1974 to create a "Russian atmosphere" in their homes abroad, and was due to be sold Tuesday-Wednesday. But Sotheby's cancelled the auction Monday after it had been "acquired privately in its entirety."
A source in the businessman's circle questioned Loshak's statement later Tuesday: "Alisher Usmanov made an official statement yesterday saying the collection would be handed over to the state. He has not changed his decision since then."
Usmanov, a Kremlin-friendly billionaire who co-owns major steel factories, heads a subsidiary of state-controlled energy giant Gazprom and has invested in media, telecoms and banking, told Kommersant daily he had sought to preserve the collection in its entirety for Russia.
"My aim was to return the large collection of Russian art to Russia. This helped persuade Sotheby's to sell it in full... I am by no means going to keep the collection in my possession. Museums will decide its fate," Usmanov told the paper.
The paper also quoted Tuesday the head of Sotheby's office in Russia and the post-Soviet CIS, who said Vishnevskaya's family had used its right to withdraw 450 pieces of art from the auction largely because Usmanov had pledged to donate it to the state.
Mikhail Kamensky also said "the proposal enjoyed the support and was guaranteed by the Russian government, which played a decisive role for Vishnevskaya."
Experts said a museum to exhibit the collection, which comprises paintings by Nikolai Roerich, Valentin Serov, Ilya Repin and Karl Bryullov and was estimated at about $40 million, was being chosen at the moment. They suggested it could be split into porcelain, which could be displayed in the Kremlin museum, and paintings and sculptures to go to museums in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The Russian billionaire increased his stake in Arsenal soccer club to 21% Tuesday, becoming its second largest shareholder. In August, he acquired 14.65% in the Premier League club.
