The Russian Museum shows 10 unknown Bryullov paintings

The exhibition, which presents 10 works by Karl Bryullov, who were in private collections around the world and previously inaccessible to a wide audience, opened in the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg on Tuesday, RIA Novosti reports with reference to the curator of the exposition Grigory Goldovsky.

"The uniqueness of this exhibition is that for the first time in such a mass, genuine, considered disappeared and unknown works by the great Russian artist Karl Bryullov, now in private collections of Moscow and St. Petersburg," Goldovsky said.

None of the 10 works presented in the exposition were never demonstrated to the broad masses. Eight of them are portrait works, among which there are two self -portraits of the artist dated to 30 years of the XIX century and 1849. Two remaining canvases - "taking the prophet Elijah to heaven" and "Mass in the Cathedral of Santa Maria Majore on the occasion of the return of Pope Pius IX to Rome."

"In these 10 paintings, you can see the entire evolution of the artist. From the earliest things of 1824 to the last work of 1852. Even during the time of Bryullov, they fell into private ownership in Russia and only recently appeared on the market," the curator said.

All exhibits have recently been purchased at international auctions. Five of them were bought by one collector. The remaining five belong to four more people. But these works have no material value, according to Goldovsky. "Another thing is that they have an incredible scatter at auctions. From 50 thousand euros to half a million," he said.

For a wide audience, the exposition will open on Wednesday, August 28, and will last until the end of September.