Stolen Painting Saved from Moscow Auction Block Storm at Rocky Shores, an 1875 painting  by Ivan (Hovhannes)  Aivazovsky  and estimated at around $200,000, was scheduled for sale  at the  Gelos auction house in Moscow on February 26. This canvas by the famed artist went missing in suspicious circumstances from the Armenian Cultural Relations Society in 1990. The painting was pulled from the auction block after employees of the RA Central Department of Investigation, accompanied by art critic Shahen Khachatryan, followed the trail leading to Moscow. Mr. Khachatryan told the newspaper Azg that, “When we got to Moscow, we supplied convincing evidence that the painting had indeed been stolen. We showed where the canvas had been cut with a knife. I also presented my five books on Aivazovsky that included information on the theft. We saw how the canvas was restored and placed on a new background. The size of the original had gotten smaller as well.” The painting is now in the possession of the Moscow Police Investigative Unit. Storm at Rocky Shores was transferred to Armenia in 1957 in a collection of other Aivazozsky works held by the famous French-Armenian art lover Abraham Zintchian that were donated. It was shipped by the organization J.A.F (Jeunesse Aménienne de France) as a gift to the Cultural Relations Society Shahen Khachatryan told Hetq that they came upon the painting by chance in the auction house’s catalog a mere three days before the bidding was to start. “It was a great help that the books published 15 years back mention that the painting had been stolen. I was able to verify without any doubt that it was the original. It should be returned home to Armenia in 2-3 weeks. There have been four Aivazovsky works stolen in Armenia in recent decades. We’ve found one, and with God’s help we’ll locate the others,” says Mr. Khachatryan. The art expert says that the painting was crunched up a bit when stolen and that it was touched up a bit here and there. For a time, Storm at Rocky Shores was on display at the National Picture Gallery and that’s where it’s destined to stay once returned. The Cultural Society no longer enjoys its former clout. RA Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan also assisted in the painting’s return to Yerevan. She used to head the Cultural Society, founded in 1944, before becoming minister. We read in the minister’s biography that: “Mrs. Poghosyan started working at the Armenian Cultural Affairs and Cooperation Society with Foreign Countries back in 1986, first as an expert and later a senior expert. She worked her way up the ladder to become council president. During her tenure at the Society, numerous international cultural programs and scientific conferences were organized. The “Dialogue of Cultures” informational center was also founded at the time.” This Aivazovsky canvas was the first on the list of Russian art works to be auctioned off at Gelos. There are about 800 items slated for auction. For years, the whereabouts of Storm at Rocky Shores remained a mystery and was thought to be lost forever. That’s how it was listed in all Aivazovsky art catalogs. According to the Gelos website, the painting was examined by Vladimir Petrov, the 19th century Russian art specialist at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, The Gelos Auction House was founded in 1988 and today annually organizes around 120 auctions with more than 50,000 items on display. Recently, prices for Aivazovsky’s work on the international market have climbed drastically. Some of the Russian-Armenian’s works have recently sold in the $1 - $2.8 million range. Experts argue that it won’t be long for the seascape painter’s works to rival those of the French impressionists in terms of price.