Ten unknown works by Karl Bryullov at an exhibition in the Russian Museum

ST. PETERSBURG. On August 27, the Russian Museum opened the exhibition of works by Karl Bryullov. The uniqueness of this exposition is that of the thirteen paintings presented to visitors to the Russian Museum, ten works by the artist were not previously seen even by museum specialists.

Some of these works in the catalogs devoted to the work of Bryullov were marked with a note about the unknownness of their location. For several months, the paintings were under examination, undergoing a thorough verification of authorship. Only when experts confirmed that these paintings really belong to Bryullov’s brush, an exhibition was opened in the Mikhailovsky Palace.

At the opening of the event, Grigory Goldovsky, representing the painting department of the 18-19th century, said that before the appearance of these works, everyone believed that Karl Bryullov’s heritage was so well studied that there was no hope of finding anything new. However, even after this discovery, new discoveries are possible, since his watercolors are widely distributed in private collections.

Eight works, out of ten found new paintings by Bryullov, were in private collections of connoisseurs of painting in St. Petersburg. In November, after the exhibition closes, they will return to their owners. Unfortunately, the Russian Museum does not have the opportunity to purchase these paintings for its collection, but experts unanimously say that if there were funds to buy at least one painting, then the portrait of Princess Gagarina with her sons would be a priority.

This portrait is the main exhibit of the opening sensational exhibition, it was considered lost throughout the twentieth century. All works collected at the exhibition were purchased at recent foreign auctions by private collectors.

Ludmila Trautmane © Gallerix.ru