Why Russian Art

Established in 1996, James Yarosh Associates Fine Art Gallery
is located in the second floor loft space of the former 1917 firehouse
at 45 E. Main Street (Rt.520) in Historic Holmdel Village, NJ 07733
Entrance on the inside corner of building & additional parking lots in the rear.

Open Saturday 12-4pm. Weekday & evenings hours scheduled by appointment
732 993 5278 or 732 993 5ART



	WHATS NEW
WHY RUSSIAN ART?


Although Socialist Realism suppressed the influences of contemporary artistic movements within itself, Socialist Realism fostered its own unique diversity. Russian artists, like the masters before them, expressed themselves not by evolving to meet artistic movements of their time, but by becoming the absolute best within their specific painting genres. Russian Realism painting, based in part on the studied principles of French Impressionism, developed and honed plein-air academic painting ideals under a closed society for generations, and only now has been discovered and lauded by the western world. Achieving excellence through complete artistic integrity and ultimate devotion to their ‘Immortal Beloved’- the art of painting, artists of Moscow’s School of Russian Realism exhibit distinct perception of color and outstanding color relationships that trademark their pedigree of traditional Russian painting. These Russian artists have created a lasting legacy depicting beauty, truth, and perfection, which is considered to be one of the most important realism movements of the 20th century. This impressive legacy is most recently reflected in the values and demand for fine art of the Russian Realist movement in the last decade. For collectors and investors, the historic upward trend of this market seen in the sales totals of major auction houses simply cannot be overlooked. Sotheby’s New York reported more than $107 million in sales of Russian art for the first half of 2007, with an April 2007 sale passing the $46 million mark, breaking the auction house’s previous single sale record. Christie’s confirmed similar success, recently reporting a 700 percent increase in Russian art sales from 2000-2007. In addition to rapidly rising sales totals, the values of specific single pieces have risen dramatically, as evidenced by “Solomon’s Wall” a single piece by Vasily Vereshchagin which sold for more than $3 million in 2007. Also heralding these exciting avenues for collectors of the Russian Realist movement, national magazines Plein-Air and Fine Art Connioseur respectively featured a 2005 seven-page story and a 2007 eleven- page story highlighting specific artists of the Moscow School of Russian Realism. In the winter of 2008, Art & Antiques published an eight-page feature on James Yarosh’s own Russian art collection by gallery artists, crediting his early recognition of the potential of Russian art and shifting the direction of his gallery to follow. While the work of several artists originally offered through the gallery have soared in price and even become difficult to acquire, collecting the finest pieces still available by these sought after artists remains of interest to new collectors hoping to benefit from this second decade of collecting. As museum shows and interest begin to carry these works to the next level of notoriety, the enthusiasm surrounding the current Russian Art Movement continues to build. James Yarosh notes that even with the gallery’s location only one hour outside Manhattan, he strives to continue to represent accessible levels of fine art for his gallery and interior design trade clients. Luckily, many current generation artists and not- yet-discovered painters within the painting circles remain at comfortable price levels for casual collectors to enjoy. As we continue to witness this historic time in Russian art, James Yarosh Associates Fine Art Gallery invites you to join us for a one-weekend celebration show, Ten Years of Russian Realism. Co-hosted by art historian John Wurdeman, the show will feature more than 200 works by renowned artists including Zabelin, Kugach, Fedosov, Fomkin, Maltsev as well as current generation Russian artists receiving international critical acclaim. Ten Years of Russian Realism Evening Preview: Friday, June 20, 2008, 6-9 p.m. Show and Reception: Saturday and Sunday, June 21 & 22, 2008, 12-4 p.m.