If you love art auctions as much as I do, you’ll appreciate this one at a recent Sotheby’s sale, Hovhannes Aivazovsky’s ‘The Survivors’ made quite a splash, going for an impressive £4.188 million.
This isn’t just any Aivazovsky painting; it’s actually one of the largest works by the legendary marine painter ever to appear on the market, measuring a striking 195 × 266 cm.
What makes this sale even more fascinating is the painting’s journey. Created in 1878, ‘The Survivors’ last appeared at Sotheby’s back in 2004, and until 2021,
it was proudly showcased on the Fabergé Museum’s social media as part of their Aivazovsky collection. Clearly, this piece has traveled both through time and between collectors.
When you look at ‘The Survivors,’ it’s impossible not to think of Aivazovsky’s iconic masterpiece, ‘The Ninth Wave.’
Both paintings tell deeply emotional stories of life after a storm at sea. Throughout the 1870s, Aivazovsky explored this theme over and over, creating a series of dramatic seascapes featuring survivors clinging to hope.
Some of these include ‘Stormy Seas’ (1872, now in the National Gallery of Armenia) and ‘The Rainbow.’ Beautiful works but much smaller in scale compared to the monumental presence of ‘The Survivors.’
This sale also marks a new record. Aivazovsky’s previously most expensive work was ‘View of Constantinople and the Bosphorus,’ which sold at Sotheby’s in 2012 for £3.2 million. ‘The Survivors’ now officially claims the top spot.
It’s no surprise, though. Aivazovsky, who created more than 6,000 artworks during his lifetime, remains one of the most celebrated marine painters of the 19th century.
His works continue to captivate audiences around the world whether hanging in major museums or cherished in private collections.