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JamesYarosh, gallery owner, likens the historic upward trends experienced in the Russian art market in the last decade to past trends involving the works of artists from the French Impressionist period. It's been such an amazing time for Russian art and really a dream for me as an art dealer and collector to be part of the beginning of a movement that only recently has received international recognition, he said.

Sales totals of major auction houses echo Yarosh’s enthusiasm. 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.

The Russian Realist Movement has also recently been featured in national art publications. 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. 

Yarosh admits that upon delving into the very private world of Russian Realist art, he was not sure if he would find only politically-motivated pieces. When I first became aware of the government approved artists of such famed institutes as the Repin and Surikov, I was skeptical of only finding propaganda paintings and happy worker subjects, but what I discovered was like the Russian Ballet and theater. These are very gifted artists who are tested and recognized at a young age,” said Yarosh. 
In addition, Yarosh reported that Russian art students are schooled for their artistic vocations at two-year preparatory colleges followed by fewer than 3 in 100 being selected for “studio residences” with master artists where they spend 6 hours each day painting and drawing. The pedigree of the student-teacher relationship offers direct apprenticeship to the greatest painters in Russian history,” he said.;
Yarosh also noted the vast differences in American and Russian cultures. “Here in the U.S., some may consider the arts to be a questionable career choice, however in Russia artists such as Zabelin where awarded studio space with views of the Kremlin and held celebrity-like notoriety,” he said.

Yarosh feels the show is a unique opportunity for both art investors and collectors. “With the world getting so much smaller with technology, I can't imagine too many more opportunities to discover three generations of famous artists like the Kugach Family who are being recognized for the first time by the western world. With every gallery show I try to create new art opportunities for my clients, however, now hosting the ten year anniversary of my bi-annual trunk-show event, I can’t help but be enthused by the magic of putting togetherthis particular show. Sometimes, I have to admit, I don’t know who is more excited with the prospects of the new art coming in for preview, my clients or me?”

James Yarosh Associates Fine Art Gallery is located an hour outside New York City in the Design and Fine Arts Building at 55 EastMain Street, in Holmdel, NJ. The nationally-recognized gallery provides personalized fine art services to individuals and professional design firms for both corporate and residential projects. For more information about the gallery or upcoming events, visit www.jamesyarosh.com.