Still, doing business with any powerful company based in Russia is outrageous, Andy Hall, a retired hedge funder, oil trader, art collector and philanthropist told The Post. NEW YORKRussian luxury-goods company Mercury Group has acquired auction house Phillips de Pury & Company for an undisclosed price. Mr Fridlyand and Mr Strunin are also owners of Mercury Retail Group, one of the largest retail conglomerates in Russia with 125,000 employees, according to its website, mainly in supermarkets and convenience stores. It did feel quiet, said one attender at the preview, where viewers sipped espressos as vintage German-made Lange watches, labelled with six-figure prices in dollars and Swiss francs, lay behind display cases for an exhibition next month. On his request, some bank`s transaction receipt was given to him, which later he brought to Skuratov. Leonid Friedland and Leonid Strunin, owners of Mercury Group, Leonid Friedland (right) and Leonid Strunin (center) / Source: PhotoXpress. Mercury Group was established in 1994 by Friedland and Leonid Strunin, who are known to be its principal owners. His face expresses ultimate self-sufficiency. Russian mogul Leonid Friedland, who runs Moscow luxury retail company. Matthew Girling has also urged collectors to boycott Phillips. Deputy Head of Moscow City Government Iosif Orjonikidze, head of Sobinbank Alexander Zanadvorov, show-biz entrepreneur Boris Zosimov with his wife Polina, Chairman of Mercury Leonid Strunin, president of the BIN bank Mikhael Shishkhanov and head of SVA bank Sergey Kovanda. He is not stingy at all and easily gives a discount to people whom he finds agreeable. Feeling responsible for the expenses incurred by the firm, Borodin asked Bhegjet Pacolli to pay for Skuratov. He called Borodin on it, then gave him $10.000, requesting a receipt to prove the payment for suits. Tax-back claims made against TSUM totalled $69 roubles. In 2003, the Central Customs Administration took an inventory of Armani, Gucci, Zegna and Dolche&Gabbana stores owned by Mercury in Moscow. Kawakubo not only dedicated a corner of her cult Dover Street Market in London to his sweaters and sweatpants with Cyrillic writing but also helped him with just about everything else: from sewing prototypes to promotion to selling in her Paris showroom. In an interview with The 'Russian owned' Art Newspaper he suggested that it "will get the attention of the world and the owners . Although Friedland does not give figures, sources in Moscow suggest that Mercury's annual turnover is $300 million outstripping its competitors in the luxury field. Only a boycott of Phillips sales will get the attention of the world and the owners of Mercury to hopefully influence Putin to change his current chosen course of action. In February 2016 she worked on Sander Lak's debut with the brand Sies Marjan. The artist always plays a prominent role in the twice-yearly contemporary sales in New York, but this season his work saw a phenomenal turnover of $181m, almost a third of the week's total proceeds. Previously, de Pury was the majority shareholder. In November 2011, committee for the administration of state property hesitated to approve the new deadline, suspecting that the company would sell the DLT to Gasprom as the office space. In January 1998, the Swiss attorney general Carla Del Ponte informed Scuratov about Behgjet Pacolli`s testimony that Mabetex had paid for tailoring. While last months EU sanctions led to the French government seizing a yacht belonging to another oligarch, Igor Sechin, Avens work does not appear to be at risk of being confiscated by the UK government at least for now. He is also the founder of TSUM Art Foundation. Mercury also holds the Moscow Central Universal Department Store (TSUM), a chain of boutiques and stores in Moscow and regions. All Rights Reserved. Hailed as the czars of Russian retail, the business duo brought brands like Gucci and Brioni to their native country. The holding company runs a chain of luxury stores across the country,. Anyone can read what you share. I am glad he [Stephen Brooks] has said this but at the end of the day it is just words. Mikhail Kusnirovich and Ekaterina Moiseeva, owners of Bosco di Ciliegi. Friedland and Strunin have not been named among the people whose assets are being frozen by the US and UK, though even businessmen who are not being hit with sanctions could face difficulties. With reported annual revenues of more than $8 billion, the company operates high-end department stores and shopping centers, including the prestigious TsUM . Leonid Strunin. The list includes a number of Russians but who are they? 2023 Art Media, LLC. Neither Fridlyand nor Strunin is on a US or UK sanctions list and Phillips told The Art Newspaper it wouldnt do business with anyone who was on a sanctions list. The holding company runs a chain of luxury stores across the country, including the Moscow department store Tsum. Hall, whose collection of more than 5,000 pieces includes noted works by Ed Ruscha, Barbara Kruger and Julian Schnabel, told The Post he bought something from Christies another competing auction house on Wednesday, but wouldnt buy from Phillips. Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe said they would not comment when asked by WATCHPRO about their position on Russian invasion of Ukraine. Friedland and Strunin also own the Mercury Retail Group, one of Russia's largest luxury goods retailers. The Russian group has owned Phillips since 2008, when it acquired the company from Simon de Pury for an estimated $60 million. Today she continues to publish the magazine and also works as creative consultant for clients such as Kanye West. Born in 1969. Set in grounds of over 80,000 square metres complete with hotels, spas and a concert hall, the village also boasts a dedicated shopping street lined with brands such as For example, the billionaire Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea football club, placed the club under the stewardship of a trust over the weekend, no doubt a defensive measure given his reportedly close relationship with the Russian president Vladimir Putin. Despite Phillips CEO condemning invasion of Ukraine, some argue that only a boycott will force owners to put pressure on Kremlin. All rights reserved by Rossiyskaya Gazeta. Aside from its owners referred to in the art world as the two Leonids the other most visible Russian in the British art world is Peter Aven, a UK-based oligarch who stepped down from a London-based investment conglomerate and a prestigious Royal Academy position after he and other oligarchs were hit by EU sanctions. One cannot imagine a list of world-famous Russians without top model model and mother of four Natalya Vodyanova. Ironically, or so it would seem, Phillips also announced on Monday that it would be selling Jean-Michel Basquiats massive Untitled painting from 1982 from the collection of the Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa in its 20th century and contemporary art sale in May in New York . Neither Mr Fridlyand nor Mr Strunin is on a US or UK sanctions listand Phillips told The Art Newspaper it wouldnt do business with anyone who was on a sanctions list. But some art watchers say thats not good enough. Mr Fridlyand and Mr Strunins connection to the watch and jewelry world has not been widely reported but the art world has reacted strongly and is calling for collectors to boycott Phillips auctions, which has flagship operations in Geneva, New York and London. Moscow was literally springing back to life, with new galleries and glimpses of hope. Earlier this month, Matthew Girling, the former CEO of Bonhams, told the Art Newspaper that people should boycott Phillips, which is owned by Russians Leonid Friedland and Leonid Strunin. Also up for auction, according to Londons Telegraph newspaper, are five Monets from the collection of Daniel Snyder, the American owner of the Washington Commanders, formerly known as the Washington Redskins. Friedland denied that, and Sberbank refused to comment on the situation, referring to trade secrets. We want to hear from you! Friedland and Strunin also own the Mercury Retail Group, one of the largest luxury goods retailers in Russia. The duo also currently operate franchises for luxury car makers such as Ferrari, Maserati and Bentley and in 2008 acquired art auctioneers Phillips de Pury & Company, further expanding their extensive luxury portfolio. Litvinova is often called the "Marlene Dietrich of today" and the "Russian icon of style." Having created from a rundown arcade, the Tretyakov Projezd, a mall of brands that Friedland describes as "Moscow's Via Montenapoleone" (referring to the upscale Milan street), Friedland has discovered more fertile areas to seed with its luxury brands from Fendi furs through Tod's shoes. Everybody knows about a $40 million buyer`s loan received from Sberbank, when Mercury purchased a building complex in Tretyakovsky proyezd. At the time of the major private deal, Russia had recently emerged as a key art market player. Owned by Leonid Friedland and Leonid Strunin, the Moscow-based Mercury Group is the largest luxury retailer in Russia. Friedland and Strunin have not been named among the people whose assets are being frozen by the US and UK, though even businessmen who are not being hit with sanctions could face difficulties going forward. We at Phillips unequivocally condemn the invasion of Ukraine. After Borodin had left, Skuratov counted the money to realize that he was given back the same $10.000. Friedland says that he is mulling expansion to St. Petersburg and also of rolling out department stores across the former Soviet Union. He is also the founder of TSUM Art Foundation. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, powerful sanctions against Putins oligarchs, When disinfo specialists lie, Gray Ladys DeSantis frustration and other commentary, Putins former spin doctor-turned-critic dead, Ukraines northeastern front could decide new battle lines, Biden needs to step up military aid for Ukraine fast, unplugged from the SWIFT payments apparatus, said Wednesday that hed sell the Chelsea soccer team. All rights reserved. Phillips, of course is owned by Mercury Group, founded in 1993 by the Russian entrepreneurs Leonid Friedland and Leonid Strunin who acquired the auction house in 2008, when it was known as Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg, for a reported $60m. But there is one Western element that he does not yet see. Earlier this month, Matthew Girling, the former CEO of Bonhams, told the Art Newspaper that people should boycott Phillips, which Russians Leonid Friedland and Leonid Strunin own. Source: Komsomolskaya Pravda, 15 November, 2002. May 15, 2012 | 4:00am Not even a billionaire can rent out the Four Seasons Hotel's luxe Ty Warner suite for a party. "Around 50 %" of the figure went to cover Phillips's liabilities. According to a report in the Russian newspaper Kommersant, the groups 2006 turnover was estimated at $850 million. The combination of Phillips's recent move uptown from its . After Rei Kawakubo (Comme DesGarons) took the young Russian designer and photographer under her wing in 2010, he became a household name among the world's fashion buffs. MILAN None of the buzz at Prada's show last Friday included the thirty-something man in the dark suit and sunshine yellow tie sitting front row. Earlier this month, Matthew Girling, the former CEO of Bonhams, told the Art Newspaper that people should boycott Phillips, which is owned by Russians Leonid Friedland and Leonid Strunin . Over lunch in Milan, he and Alexander Reebok, Mercury's general manager, described their ambitious project to bring a purpose-built wood and steel luxury shopping village, with spa, restaurants and a hotel, to Zhukovka, an area where the dachas are a playground for the new super-rich. Subscribe today and save! Its holdings include the Tretyakov Projezd and Barvikha Luxury Villageboth high-end shopping centersand TSUM, its flagship department store, next door to Moscows Bolshoi Theater. Its holdings include the Tretyakov Projezd and Barvikha Luxury Villageboth high-end. Mercury's growth parallels the development of post-Communist Moscow, from its big bang of glitz-and-glam new money to the more normal if fragile existing economy. All bets are off now. We want to hear from you! Swatch Group has already said it has stopped exporting watches to Russia, but its affiliate in the country will continue to trade. Mercurys properties house boutiques for such fashion brands as Gucci, Prada and Giorgio Armani, as well as showrooms for Ferrari, Maserati and Bentley automobiles. With questions lingering about how businesses of all kinds will be impacted, the auction house Phillips, which is owned by Russian luxury retailer Mercury Group, has said it doesnt expect sanctions to affect its operations. A day after the horrific bombing of a Ukrainian maternity hospital, visitors to the Mayfair offices of the Russian-owned auction house Phillips could not help but wonder if an event preview seemed subdued. Earlier this month, Matthew Girling, the former CEO of Bonhams, told the Art Newspaper that people should boycott Phillips, which is owned by Russians Leonid Friedland and Leonid Strunin.. Other groups and brands, including LVMH, Richemont and Richard Mille have not replied. Meanwhile, Hall said that even if people didnt want to boycott Phillips for moral reasons, practical reasons should stop people from placing bids: the risk is that Phillips accounts could be frozen and consignors find they dont see their sales proceeds. For instance, a men`s Zegna wool costume was declared as worth $100, but in Moscow its sale price soared over $3,000. Yesterday, the Russian-owned auction house Phillips (which last year realised a best ever $993.3m in auction and private sales) attempted to clear the air on Instagram by posting a statement in support of Ukraine, also posted by Jean Paul Engelen, the firms recently appointed president, Americas and co-head of 20th century and contemporary art. She has opened several Babochka multi-brand boutiques, which represent brands such as Stella McCartney and Valentino, as well as mono-brand boutiques selling merchandise by Chanel, Fendi, Giorgio Armani and others. "People already had a great sense of taste and quality; it has always been there and how could luxury die?" Phillips, Sothebys and Christies are expected to generate more than $800 million in sales this week up 35% from last year. Phillips runs a good operation, but so did German companies during WWII who were intimately involved with the Nazis, Hall wrote on his Instagram account. 2023 Art Media, LLC. 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