Usmanov Gives Collection to a Presidential Palace

When Peter the Great built the Konstantinovsky Palace in the early 18th century, he wanted it to be a "Russian Versailles." The ravages of WWII put an end to that illusion, but half a century, more than $100 million worth of renovations, and a 450-piece art collection later, the palace has a new luster.

Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov announced yesterday that he will donate the Rostropovich Collection to the Konstantinovsky Palace, which is part museum, part presidential residence. Usmanov bought the collection outright from Sotheby's two weeks ago for more than $40 million, canceling an auction of the work planned to begin on the following day.

When funds for the palace repairs were being raised around 2001, some people were reportedly unhappy about solicitations from the Kremlin. According to the Daily Telegraph, a businessman told a Russian newspaper, "To be frank, we need this about as much as a goat needs an accordion." Surely, though, a Russian Versailles needs a bounty of repatriated art.