Young acrobat on a ball		Vollard's portrait

Morozov’s paintings collection, built up at the beginning of the 20th century by Ivan Abramovitch Morozov is, with those of Serguei SHCHUKIN, one of the most prestigious in the world. It is composed of 240 impressionist masterpieces (Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Bonnard, Denis, Renoir …) and 430 masterpieces of Russian art (Levitan, Repin, Korovin…).

On December the 19th, 1918, Lenin nationalises by decree the whole collection under the slogan “property is robbery” and this without any compensation to the owner or his heirs! Since 1948, the paintings are exhibited in the Moscow Pushkin museum and in the Hermitage.

For 90 years, the Morozov’s and Shchukin’ collections are illegally confined by Russian museums in collusion with the government who, putting forward his sovereignty and the legitimacy of Lenin’s decrees, exerts the property rights prerogatives and ensuing collects billions of euros profits

At the same time, the Russians require that all the countries in which the paintings are temporary exhibited should adopt a law of non-seizability of the despoiled works thus implicitly recognizing the property rights of collector’s heirs.

In 1993, the Russian parliament ratifies the new constitution which article 35 (“A forced alienation of a property on state-approved account can be carried out only under the condition of a prior and fair compensation…”) shows a real willingness to break with the former communist system, a nation desire to adhere to international laws and to the European Convention on Human Rights (ratified by Russia on the 5th of May, 1998).

This political evolution allowed me to hope for a just compensation for the despoilment suffered by my grandparents. Unfortunately, as until now, my demands went unheeded, I consider carrying the matter before the competent legal authorities.

Private citizen without any personal fortune, alone in face of the Russian government and exception laws, I’m forced to part with my property rights over two Picasso’s paintings « Vollard’s portrait » and « Young acrobat on a ball” in order to finance the continuation of legal procedures in my fight for justice.

For any information, please contact Mr. Pierre KONOWALOFF,
Ivan Morozov’s grand grand son and heir

morozov.shchukin@gmail.com         http://www.morozov-shchukin.com