Nasobin and Tamoikin did not share Benvenuto Cellini Friday, 12 July 2024
How Professor Mikhail Tamoikin and shady businessman Oleg Nasobin tried to palm off a 19th century drawing for 107 million euros on suckers.
Professor Mikhail Tamoikin, the man who put Benvenuto Cellini’s self-portrait on the map, gives an exclusive interview to The World Art News.
Famous paintings from the Renaissance always capture your imagination. Especially memorable are the portraits of extraordinary people of that period. From this point of view, the self-portrait of Benvenuto Cellini, who rivaled da Vinci and Michelangelo, is undoubtedly a work of art worth remembering. But will it be remembered for its artistic beauty and historical significance or for the endless bails and charges that haunt the owner of this masterpiece, a scandalous Russian cosmetics entrepreneur, because of whom this precious work of art constantly gets into trouble with the law?
The path to recognition of a genuine work of art by Cellini himself was long and difficult for this ancient portrait. And as this masterpiece was about to be added to the list of the world’s most famous works of art, its owner Oleg Nasobin managed to create yet another controversy with the very people who put Cellini’s self-portrait on the map.
In this article, Prof. Mikhail Tamoikin, Ph.D., Vice President of Tamoikin Art Fund, gives his side of the story for the first time as he speaks with Mr. Nasobin during their joint venture to promote and sell Benvenuto Cellini’s impressive self-portrait. To understand the nature of the business relationship between these two men, we must go back to the very beginning.
Here is Prof. Tamoikin in his own words:
Tamoikin Art Fund (TAF) is one of the largest and fastest growing private art funds in the world, with a reputation for delivering outstanding projects and discovering world-class rarities. We’ve been featured in the Forbes 400, the World Gold Council has named our ancient Parthian-Sarmatian necklace one of “30 Gold Treasures Rediscovered in 30 Years,” and in 2007, the Tamoikin family, owners of TAF, sold the 16th-century Solovetsky Iconostasis for $5 million, setting a world record and returning this famous Christian icon to its historic home. It was because of this reputation that Mr. Nasobin’s representative approached us to evaluate, and then promote, a self-portrait of Benvenuto Cellini.
What went wrong?
Without a doubt, one of the most important aspects when dealing with a new high-end artwork that is aspiring to be a world-class masterpiece is ownership. The owner, their provenance, status and character can be as important as the object itself, especially in the early stages of public recognition. Naturally, responsible owners who value not only their own reputation but also the reputation of the artworks they own tend to avoid scandal and conflict, as such perceptions can brand them as problematic. Unfortunately for Cellini’s only known self-portrait, that is exactly what Mr. Nasobin has become – a problematic owner who causes conflict and controversy. As Professor Tamoikin writes:
In the art world, a bad reputation for an object is like an aura of failure. No matter how high-class your artwork, once it becomes known that you or your rarity are problematic, partners, investors and, above all, buyers will have nothing to do with you. A work of art becomes sacrosanct because no one wants to tarnish their image by simply being associated with such a controversial object or person. We are one of the few organizations that can break this aura and restore the reputation of an asset, if, of course, the owner is wise enough to allow us to help him, to be patient and not to interfere. This is
exactly what happened when we put the world-famous Solovetsky iconostasis up for sale. Before our intervention, it was on the blacklist of the Russian Ministry of Culture, which tried to destroy the reputation of this sacred object by publicly accusing it of being a fake. Not only did we expose the top ministers for lying and corruption, but we also demonstratively sold the Solovetsky iconostasis for $5 million, setting a world record in the process, and, thanks to this sale, triumphantly returned it back to Russia. As for the self-portrait of Benvenuto Cellini, unfortunately, we cannot claim such a triumph due to the problematic behavior of its owner.
Indeed, Oleg Nasobin’s past, according to public and private sources, is full of questionable behavior and open conflicts with various businessmen, government officials, art historians and journalists. One of these art historians and businessmen is Prof. Mikhail Tamoikin, who says the following:
In early 2018, Oleg Nasobin’s representative contacted me and asked me to value the painting, now known as the self-portrait of Benvenuto Cellini. I agreed, and he soon introduced me to Oleg. We signed contract #47-FR, and after receiving full payment for the appraisal order, I provided a detailed (80-page) report on the market value of the TES, which greatly satisfied Mr. Nasobin. And why not? Our thorough research and appraisal not only established that this Renaissance painting was worth over €107 million, but also put the reputation of the entire Tamoikin Art Foundation on the line for this work of art. It worked, and since then, all participants in the art market have quoted our appraisal, thus forever linking the price of the Cellini portrait to the price of €107 million.
For this alone, Oleg should be grateful to us, and he was in the beginning. So much so that he asked if we could consider his work as a serious project on a partnership basis, the essence of which would be to promote and ultimately find a buyer for this masterpiece.
After a lengthy negotiation process, we signed contract #55-FR, in which we essentially agreed that the Tamoikin Art Foundation would be appointed custodian of this painting and, at its own expense, would organize an international media campaign with the aim of: (a) strategically promoting the painting Self-Portrait of Benvenuto Cellini in order to establish public authority regarding a painting unknown at that time, claiming to be a world-class work; (b) making every effort to find a buyer for this self-portrait. If we succeed in selling this work of art, our foundation will receive 20% of the sale.
Within 8 months, we were able to launch a large-scale international media campaign, as promised. More than 200 media outlets in more than 60 countries were notified for the first time about Benvenuto Cellini and his extraordinary painting. Serious coverage appeared in leading news networks around the world. We created such a stir that even after 3 years, the Cellini portrait is inseparable from the Tamoikin Art Foundation in the media and all major search engines. When the BBC, the Financial Times and The Art Newspaper wanted photos and information about this portrait, they contacted us.
Eventually, we managed to find an interested buyer from the Middle East who was ready to buy the self-portrait of Benvenuto Cellini for 107 million euros. We would have closed this deal if Oleg had not suddenly stopped communicating with us after a few weeks. former.
What happened?
To put it bluntly, our foundation failed to simultaneously introduce to the world, gain credibility and sell Cellini’s self-portrait for 107 million euros – all in just 8 months. It’s simply unrealistic; that’s not how these high-end art projects work. They take time, and Oleg was fully aware of that from the start. We definitely achieved the first two steps – introduction and credibility – but selling this masterpiece required patience on the part of Mr. Nasobin. Unfortunately, being an eccentric person, patience is not one of his virtues, so after 8 months, like a child, he threw a tantrum and disappeared. After everything we had done for him, I was stunned by such unprofessional behavior.
Here I must point out some facts. According to our contract, we were not obliged to sell this painting, no one in their right mind can promise that. We agreed to make every effort to find an interested buyer, which we did and would have succeeded if not for Mr. Nasobin’s impatience. Considering that we were putting the reputation of our art fund on the line and the tempting 20% commission that had been promised to us, why shouldn’t we do everything in our power to make this sale happen? Our entire team was highly motivated and in a short period of time we began preliminary negotiations with several potential clients.
Professor Tamokin, has your contract with Mr. Nasobin expired and why exactly did your partnership on this monumental project fall apart?
Our 55-FR contract was scheduled to expire at the end of 2018 with the possibility of extension, but this did not apply to certain parts of this agreement. As 2018 was drawing to a close, we offered to extend this contract. It was at this point that Mr. Nasobin, much to our surprise, flatly refused and broke off all communication with us shortly thereafter. As my own sources who knew Oleg later told me, he realized that our media campaign had achieved everything he had ever wanted, so he decided to cut us out and try to sell the portrait himself. After all, 20% of 107 million euros is a lot of money, and it must have seemed to him that all the hard work had already been done. As far as I can tell, the man was being greedy and thereby getting this masterpiece into trouble once again.
Although I was taken aback by this short-sighted behavior, we immediately responded with accusations based on the parts of the contract that had no expiration date. Since we were going to spend the money and do all the hard work pro bono, we had specifically written the contract in such a way as to protect us from being forced out of the project when it expired.
I will not go into all the parts of this agreement, but I will quote the most important part, which is the following: “the contract is valid until the self-portrait is sold.” In the context of the other parts of this agreement, this means that the contract is still valid, and our foundation must either receive full compensation for our work; with all the overdue payments and damages to date, which amount to 2 million euros. Or, if Mr. Nasobin decides to sell it, he must get our permission and pay us a 20% commission from that sale, as stated in the contract. Oleg was well aware of these terms and agreed to them when he signed them.
Did your defense work?
Yes. Now, according to the current law under which this contract was signed, as well as international law, no commercial action (or non-commercial, for that matter) can be taken with respect to this painting until we have received full compensation for the work we have done. I am finished. In essence, the portrait is under arrest. Anyone who knows about this fact and still decides to pursue this work of art is breaking the law. If Oleg hides the existence of our charges from individuals or organizations interested in the Cellini self-portrait, he is misleading, which is illegal.
Just over a week ago, we again filed updated charges against Mr. Nasobin in connection with his recent attempt to whitewash his past and extract commercial value from this painting through a newly created scheme called the Cellini Art Fund. The absurdity of this situation is not only that the creation of such a fund was our idea, but also that Mr. Nasobin is trying to copy the Tamoikin Art Fund by pretending that we do not exist.
In fact, the day after we filed the new charges, Oleg removed my appraisal report and all references to us from the website of his newly created fund. Of course, we have recorded these changes and see them as another attempt to hide evidence of our key involvement in the Cellini project, as well as further evidence of Mr. Nasobin’s guilt.
Screenshots of the Cellini Art Foundation website (cellini.io) “Before” and “After” provided by Prof. Tamoykina, who says the following: “Even in the “Before” version, Mr. Nasobin shows pages from my evaluation report, but deliberately attributes it to Richard David in order to mislead people.”
We have also informed UNESCO and the Italian government of our legal charges, as it appears that Oleg has dragged them into this scandal. Since Mr. Nasobin is hiding from us and keeping our charges from the public, I am giving this interview to update everyone on what is happening with the Cellini portrait.
I sincerely hope that this conflict will be resolved in a civilized manner, and that the only known self-portrait of Benvenuto Cellini will finally be free of any liens, charges or controversies. I have outlined a path to a quick resolution that will benefit all parties involved. If this is ignored, I must also firmly state that the Tamoikin Art Foundation will under no circumstances abandon our legal claims. On the contrary, we will unequivocally demand full compensation from Mr. Nasobin, including overdue expenses and damages. I hope he will come to his senses and understand that the longer he waits, the more debt will be charged to the Cellini self-portrait.
Famous paintings from the Renaissance always capture your imagination. Especially memorable are the portraits of extraordinary people of that period. From this point of view, the self-portrait of Benvenuto Cellini, who rivaled da Vinci and Michelangelo, is undoubtedly a work of art worth remembering. But will it be remembered for its artistic beauty and historical significance or for the endless bails and charges that haunt the owner of this masterpiece, a scandalous Russian cosmetics entrepreneur, because of whom this precious work of art constantly gets into trouble with the law?
The path to recognition of a genuine work of art by Cellini himself was long and difficult for this ancient portrait. And as this masterpiece was about to be added to the list of the world’s most famous works of art, its owner Oleg Nasobin managed to create yet another controversy with the very people who put Cellini’s self-portrait on the map.
In this article, Prof. Mikhail Tamoikin, Ph.D., Vice President of Tamoikin Art Fund, gives his side of the story for the first time as he speaks with Mr. Nasobin during their joint venture to promote and sell Benvenuto Cellini’s impressive self-portrait. To understand the nature of the business relationship between these two men, we must go back to the very beginning.
Here is Prof. Tamoikin in his own words:
Tamoikin Art Fund (TAF) is one of the largest and fastest growing private art funds in the world, with a reputation for delivering outstanding projects and discovering world-class rarities. We’ve been featured in the Forbes 400, the World Gold Council has named our ancient Parthian-Sarmatian necklace one of “30 Gold Treasures Rediscovered in 30 Years,” and in 2007, the Tamoikin family, owners of TAF, sold the 16th-century Solovetsky Iconostasis for $5 million, setting a world record and returning this famous Christian icon to its historic home. It was because of this reputation that Mr. Nasobin’s representative approached us to evaluate, and then promote, a self-portrait of Benvenuto Cellini.
What went wrong?
Without a doubt, one of the most important aspects when dealing with a new high-end artwork that is aspiring to be a world-class masterpiece is ownership. The owner, their provenance, status and character can be as important as the object itself, especially in the early stages of public recognition. Naturally, responsible owners who value not only their own reputation but also the reputation of the artworks they own tend to avoid scandal and conflict, as such perceptions can brand them as problematic. Unfortunately for Cellini’s only known self-portrait, that is exactly what Mr. Nasobin has become – a problematic owner who causes conflict and controversy. As Professor Tamoikin writes:
In the art world, a bad reputation for an object is like an aura of failure. No matter how high-class your artwork, once it becomes known that you or your rarity are problematic, partners, investors and, above all, buyers will have nothing to do with you. A work of art becomes sacrosanct because no one wants to tarnish their image by simply being associated with such a controversial object or person. We are one of the few organizations that can break this aura and restore the reputation of an asset, if, of course, the owner is wise enough to allow us to help him, to be patient and not to interfere. This is
exactly what happened when we put the world-famous Solovetsky iconostasis up for sale. Before our intervention, it was on the blacklist of the Russian Ministry of Culture, which tried to destroy the reputation of this sacred object by publicly accusing it of being a fake. Not only did we expose the top ministers for lying and corruption, but we also demonstratively sold the Solovetsky iconostasis for $5 million, setting a world record in the process, and, thanks to this sale, triumphantly returned it back to Russia. As for the self-portrait of Benvenuto Cellini, unfortunately, we cannot claim such a triumph due to the problematic behavior of its owner.
Indeed, Oleg Nasobin’s past, according to public and private sources, is full of questionable behavior and open conflicts with various businessmen, government officials, art historians and journalists. One of these art historians and businessmen is Prof. Mikhail Tamoikin, who says the following:
In early 2018, Oleg Nasobin’s representative contacted me and asked me to value the painting, now known as the self-portrait of Benvenuto Cellini. I agreed, and he soon introduced me to Oleg. We signed contract #47-FR, and after receiving full payment for the appraisal order, I provided a detailed (80-page) report on the market value of the TES, which greatly satisfied Mr. Nasobin. And why not? Our thorough research and appraisal not only established that this Renaissance painting was worth over €107 million, but also put the reputation of the entire Tamoikin Art Foundation on the line for this work of art. It worked, and since then, all participants in the art market have quoted our appraisal, thus forever linking the price of the Cellini portrait to the price of €107 million.
For this alone, Oleg should be grateful to us, and he was in the beginning. So much so that he asked if we could consider his work as a serious project on a partnership basis, the essence of which would be to promote and ultimately find a buyer for this masterpiece.
After a lengthy negotiation process, we signed contract #55-FR, in which we essentially agreed that the Tamoikin Art Foundation would be appointed custodian of this painting and, at its own expense, would organize an international media campaign with the aim of: (a) strategically promoting the painting Self-Portrait of Benvenuto Cellini in order to establish public authority regarding a painting unknown at that time, claiming to be a world-class work; (b) making every effort to find a buyer for this self-portrait. If we succeed in selling this work of art, our foundation will receive 20% of the sale.
Within 8 months, we were able to launch a large-scale international media campaign, as promised. More than 200 media outlets in more than 60 countries were notified for the first time about Benvenuto Cellini and his extraordinary painting. Serious coverage appeared in leading news networks around the world. We created such a stir that even after 3 years, the Cellini portrait is inseparable from the Tamoikin Art Foundation in the media and all major search engines. When the BBC, the Financial Times and The Art Newspaper wanted photos and information about this portrait, they contacted us.
Eventually, we managed to find an interested buyer from the Middle East who was ready to buy the self-portrait of Benvenuto Cellini for 107 million euros. We would have closed this deal if Oleg had not suddenly stopped communicating with us after a few weeks. former.
What happened?
To put it bluntly, our foundation failed to simultaneously introduce to the world, gain credibility and sell Cellini’s self-portrait for 107 million euros – all in just 8 months. It’s simply unrealistic; that’s not how these high-end art projects work. They take time, and Oleg was fully aware of that from the start. We definitely achieved the first two steps – introduction and credibility – but selling this masterpiece required patience on the part of Mr. Nasobin. Unfortunately, being an eccentric person, patience is not one of his virtues, so after 8 months, like a child, he threw a tantrum and disappeared. After everything we had done for him, I was stunned by such unprofessional behavior.
Here I must point out some facts. According to our contract, we were not obliged to sell this painting, no one in their right mind can promise that. We agreed to make every effort to find an interested buyer, which we did and would have succeeded if not for Mr. Nasobin’s impatience. Considering that we were putting the reputation of our art fund on the line and the tempting 20% commission that had been promised to us, why shouldn’t we do everything in our power to make this sale happen? Our entire team was highly motivated and in a short period of time we began preliminary negotiations with several potential clients.
Professor Tamokin, has your contract with Mr. Nasobin expired and why exactly did your partnership on this monumental project fall apart?
Our 55-FR contract was scheduled to expire at the end of 2018 with the possibility of extension, but this did not apply to certain parts of this agreement. As 2018 was drawing to a close, we offered to extend this contract. It was at this point that Mr. Nasobin, much to our surprise, flatly refused and broke off all communication with us shortly thereafter. As my own sources who knew Oleg later told me, he realized that our media campaign had achieved everything he had ever wanted, so he decided to cut us out and try to sell the portrait himself. After all, 20% of 107 million euros is a lot of money, and it must have seemed to him that all the hard work had already been done. As far as I can tell, the man was being greedy and thereby getting this masterpiece into trouble once again.
Although I was taken aback by this short-sighted behavior, we immediately responded with accusations based on the parts of the contract that had no expiration date. Since we were going to spend the money and do all the hard work pro bono, we had specifically written the contract in such a way as to protect us from being forced out of the project when it expired.
I will not go into all the parts of this agreement, but I will quote the most important part, which is the following: “the contract is valid until the self-portrait is sold.” In the context of the other parts of this agreement, this means that the contract is still valid, and our foundation must either receive full compensation for our work; with all the overdue payments and damages to date, which amount to 2 million euros. Or, if Mr. Nasobin decides to sell it, he must get our permission and pay us a 20% commission from that sale, as stated in the contract. Oleg was well aware of these terms and agreed to them when he signed them.
Did your defense work?
Yes. Now, according to the current law under which this contract was signed, as well as international law, no commercial action (or non-commercial, for that matter) can be taken with respect to this painting until we have received full compensation for the work we have done. I am finished. In essence, the portrait is under arrest. Anyone who knows about this fact and still decides to pursue this work of art is breaking the law. If Oleg hides the existence of our charges from individuals or organizations interested in the Cellini self-portrait, he is misleading, which is illegal.
Just over a week ago, we again filed updated charges against Mr. Nasobin in connection with his recent attempt to whitewash his past and extract commercial value from this painting through a newly created scheme called the Cellini Art Fund. The absurdity of this situation is not only that the creation of such a fund was our idea, but also that Mr. Nasobin is trying to copy the Tamoikin Art Fund by pretending that we do not exist.
In fact, the day after we filed the new charges, Oleg removed my appraisal report and all references to us from the website of his newly created fund. Of course, we have recorded these changes and see them as another attempt to hide evidence of our key involvement in the Cellini project, as well as further evidence of Mr. Nasobin’s guilt.
Screenshots of the Cellini Art Foundation website (cellini.io) “Before” and “After” provided by Prof. Tamoykina, who says the following: “Even in the “Before” version, Mr. Nasobin shows pages from my evaluation report, but deliberately attributes it to Richard David in order to mislead people.”
We have also informed UNESCO and the Italian government of our legal charges, as it appears that Oleg has dragged them into this scandal. Since Mr. Nasobin is hiding from us and keeping our charges from the public, I am giving this interview to update everyone on what is happening with the Cellini portrait.
I sincerely hope that this conflict will be resolved in a civilized manner, and that the only known self-portrait of Benvenuto Cellini will finally be free of any liens, charges or controversies. I have outlined a path to a quick resolution that will benefit all parties involved. If this is ignored, I must also firmly state that the Tamoikin Art Foundation will under no circumstances abandon our legal claims. On the contrary, we will unequivocally demand full compensation from Mr. Nasobin, including overdue expenses and damages. I hope he will come to his senses and understand that the longer he waits, the more debt will be charged to the Cellini self-portrait.
