The Market for Russian Contemporary Art: An Historical Overview and Up-to-date Analysis of Auction Sales from 1988 to 2013

This study presents Russian contemporary art as the product of a definite cultural identity with circulation on the global market. This study makes use of quantitative and qualitative data to investigate the sources of Russian contemporary art and the success of Russian contemporary art on the global market. Major players and trends in the Russian contemporary art scene are indicated and analyzed with attention to historical changes leading to the present. The current study provides a definition of Russian contemporary art and identifies artists by age groups. A general overview of the historical milieu of Russian contemporary artists, the process of artistic development and recent changes in the Russian contemporary art market are given. The major players of the international art market for Russian contemporary art are revealed, with particular attention given to the evolution of their market shares. The direct correlation between the development of artistic trends within Russian contemporary art, the socio-cultural background of the local market and the performance of Russian contemporary artists on the global art market is analyzed.