Russian Oligarch Halts Auction to Buy Complete Rostropovich Art Collection

A spectacular sale of Russian art was canceled last night, on the eve of the London auction, when a Russian billionaire stepped in to buy the entire collection of the late musician Mstislav Rostropovich, promising to return it to Russia.

Alisher Usmanov, the 18th richest man in Russia, is believed to have paid more than £25m, well above the highest estimate of £20m, to stop the sale. Sotheby's, which initially refused to identify Mr Usmanov, later confirmed his name when the Russian news agency Inter fax identified him.

Only two weeks ago Mr Usmanov became the latest Russian tycoon to buy into English football, with a 15% stake in Arsenal acquired from the club's former vice-chairman David Dein for £75m. He has said he is keen to acquire more shares, up to a controlling interest.

The head of Roskultura, the Russian government agency for culture and cinema, Mikhail Shvydkoi, welcomed the news that the collection would return to Russia. "For Russian culture and Russia as a whole all things relating to the name of Mstislav Rostropovich are invaluable," he said.

Rostropovich, who died in April aged 80, was one of the most internationally beloved musicians of the 20th century. He was expelled in 1974 for sheltering the dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn. He left with his cello and dog, followed by his wife, Galina Vishnevskaya, with their children and two suitcases.

For 30 years they bought Russian art, long before the present sky high prices. The two-day sale was to include the entire contents of their homes in London and Paris, including paintings, furniture, porcelain and glass once owned by Catherine the Great.

Sotheby's considered it the most important Russian collection in private hands. The pictures included The Face of Russia, one of seven paintings by Boris Dmitrievich Grigoriev, described as the greatest work of art to leave Russia since the revolution and believed to be worth up to £2m.

There is also a monumental 1905 Byzantine-style painting by Nikolai Konstantinovich Roerich, The Treasure of the Angels, which the couple bought at Sotheby's nine years ago for £288,000. They had to cut a hole in the wall to get it into their flat. It is now valued at up to £1.2m.

Abandoning a major auction is highly unusual, leaving the buyer responsible for the costs of preparing the sale as well as the actual collection.

A Christie's auction was canceled at the last minute this summer when a consortium backed by Prince Charles bought Dumfries House, a Scottish mansion, and its contents.

Yesterday's purchase comes as Russia's oligarchs are keener than ever to demonstrate their patriotic credentials before parliamentary elections in December and a presidential poll in March.

Mr Usmanov has a lower public profile in Russia than some of his more flamboyant fellow billionaires.

But he is still a household name, according to the latest edition of Forbes magazine, with a fortune estimated at £2.75bn.

Mr Usmanov, 53, who is married with two children, has made his fortune from ferrous metals and investment. He is the majority shareholder in Metalloinvest and has a vast metals empire. He is also the owner of Russia's liberal business newspaper Kommersant. Despite enjoying friendly relations with Vladimir Putin's government, he has not tried to change the paper's independent and oppositional stance.

Since the jailing of Mikhail Khodorkovsky in 2004, Russia's oligarchs have learned to avoid politics and concentrate on making money. It is not clear where Mr Usmanov intends to exhibit his purchases.

The most obvious place would be Moscow's Tretyakov gallery, which has works by Ilya Repin and Alexander Ivanov, who feature in the Rostropovich collection, though a new gallery may be created in Moscow as a memorial to the exiled musician.

The stars

The Face of Russia, by Boris Dmitrievich Grigoriev, described by art historian Clare Sheridan as "the greatest work of art to come out of Russia since the revolution". Estimate up to £2m

The Treasure of the Angels (1905) by Nikolai Konstantinovich Roerich, showing the Holy City on the hills of northern Russia. Estimate up to £1.2m.

Portrait of Madame Bestuzheva (1806) by Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky, a favourite of Catherine the Great. Estimate up to £600,000

Porcelain from the Orlov service, made by the Imperial factory for Count Orlov, lover of Catherine the Great. Estimate up to £550,000

Gold-mounted porcelain snuff box, a gift from Catherine to Orlov. Estimate up to £200,000

Six porcelain dessert plates made for Prince Yusupov, director of the Imperial porcelain factory, who founded a private factory on his estate to manufacture gifts for the court. Estimate up to £20,000