“Trouble” to return large Russian art collection from Paris to Moscow

The repatriation to Russia of the Morozov brothers' art collection, currently on display in Paris, will be difficult because of transport restrictions caused by the Ukrainian conflict, Russia's ambassador to France said on Tuesday.

“Given the current situation and all the drastic measures that have been taken, including for example flights between Russia and France, it is no secret that there are problems,” Alexei Mechkov explained at a press conference in Paris.

“We are working on logistics modalities to ensure the safest possible return of this collection to Russia,” he added.

In the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Westerners took a series of sanctions against Russian leaders and interests.

Flights were suspended between Russia and most European countries, and road transport has also been disrupted.

The Morozov collection is one of the most important in the art world. It consists of some 200 works by Van Gogh, Gauguin, Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse, Bonnard, Monet or Manet, accumulated by two wealthy Russian industrialists, Mikhail and Ivan Morozov, who particularly love impressionism, between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.

The exhibition has been a great success with the public in Paris. The Louis Vuitton Foundation extended the closing date from February 22 to April 3, coinciding with the invasion.

The collection “is protected and unconfiscable,” said the Vuitton Foundation.

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