Ivan Aivazovsky Painting Expected to Fetch $420,000 as One of Moscow Auction’s Biggest Sales

An iconic seascape by Hovhannes Ayvazian, the Armenian artist known around the world as Ivan Aivazovsky, is expected to draw significant attention at a major art auction in Moscow on July 26, reflecting the enduring international demand for the legendary painter’s work.

According to Interfax, Ayvazian's Off the Coast of Yalta carries an estimated value of about $420,000, placing it among the most expensive works in the Moscow Auction House sale.

Born to an Armenian family in Feodosia, Crimea, in 1817, Ayvazian became one of history’s greatest marine painters. Although he achieved worldwide fame under the Russified name Ivan Aivazovsky during the Russian Empire, he maintained strong ties to his Armenian heritage throughout his life. He supported Armenian churches, schools and charitable initiatives, created paintings inspired by Armenian history, and was laid to rest in the courtyard of the Armenian Holy Savior Church in Feodosia.

The July 26 auction will feature paintings by several renowned artists, including Konstantin Makovsky, Nicholas Roerich, Mikhail Nesterov, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Boris Grigoriev and Boris Kustodiev. Organizers estimate the total value of the collection at roughly 1 billion rubles, making it one of the season’s most significant art sales.

Another featured work is Roerich’s Idol Place (Idolskoye Mesto), a pastel from the early 20th century valued at 18 million rubles. Auction organizers describe it as a museum-quality piece because only a limited number of Roerich’s works created in Russia have survived.

The sale also includes Nesterov’s By the Skete (1925), estimated at about $200,000, and Pyotr Konchalovsky’s Pines in Autumn, a late-career landscape with an estimated value of 16 million rubles.

More than 125 years after his death, Ayvazian remains one of the world’s most sought-after artists. His paintings continue to command premium prices at major auctions, reflecting the lasting influence of an Armenian master whose work helped define marine art for generations.

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