Russian with Royal contact owns a priceless Guarnerius
NewsThe shadowy businessman Maxim Viktorov, who reportedly used his contact with Prince Michael of Kent to obtain a UK visa, has an interesting sideline in violins.
Viktorov, 50, founded a Paganini Competition in Moscow in 2003. The winner gets to play a pedigree Guarnerius violin formerly owned by Henri Vieuxtemps and sold to Viktorov to Sotheby’s, outside of auction, for a supposedly record price. He has claimed to own Russia’s largest collection of precious violins.
As with many Russian businessmen, the precise facts of his dealings are difficult to ascertain.
He holds a medal ‘for military cooperation’ and, according to Wikipedia, has commendations from Putin’s FSB.
His CV shows: From 2006 – member of the Foundation of His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent. Chairman of the Board of the Investment Program Foundation. Since 2006 – member of the Board of Trustees of the Moscow Suvorov Military School. From 2007 till 2009 is a member of the Board of Trustees of the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Russia.
Shades of that multimillionaire cellist Sergei Roldugin – also a great friend of Putin.
Yes, precisely. They should all be banned from the West.
Is he the Russian oligarch that also bought Aaron Rosand’s ‘Kochanski’ Guarnerius?