Amid it all she has continued to build her collection of vintage pieces from all corners of the globe. The author and broadcaster invites us on a brief tour of the London home she created with interior design firm Colefax & Fowler, introducing some of the beautiful and eclectic items now being offered in a special online sale. Offered in Alexandra Tolstoy: An Interior by Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, 4-25 November, Online, Their bedroom was like a little world of its own, full of imagination and toys and pictures and books, she says. This led to her being gassed and admitted to hospital herself. It was also life-changing: a book deal soon followed, as did a brief marriage to an Uzbek showjumper. Being in these places is, to me, the ultimate luxury. As well as her own pre-loved pieces, there are also bargains from some of her fashionable friends, including Cond Nast Traveller's fashion director Martha Ward and chic interiors store owner Alex Eagle. Theres nothing phoney about it I keep it authentic. Like how she began wearing blingy designer trainers. Her connection to nature and rusticity, a love of . Tolstoy is the daughter of Count Nikolai Tolstoy and Georgina Brown. Alexandra is cheerfully conversational, and I congratulate her on the release of the recent BBC documentary about her and her husbands complex relationship (The Countess and the Russian Billionaire); its hard not to be compelled by the remarkable situation of her marriage to one of the worlds richest men, and we soon discuss the astonishing details: While living in London with Sergei, the couple became aware of surveillance placed upon them by the Russian state; Sergeis security company found GPS trackers planted under their cars (which were initially suspected to be explosive devices), including the car used exclusively by Alexandra and the children. [4] Her father having been excommunicated from the Russian Orthodox Church for his teachings, she commented: .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, I don't believe in everything the Orthodox Church says, I don't believe in miracles, but want the people to go to church. I slightly lost myself thinking [the Pugachev-era clothes] were beautiful and actually its extraordinary how your vision can get warped and distorted. I love this because its on a grand scale but informal and pretty too - I chose antiques that work in modern as well as traditional interiors, and this is a prime example. The Russian authorities froze his assets, put him on Interpol's wanted list and obtained a court order in Britain forcing him to hand over his passports. Riding the length of the Silk Road in 1999, from the ruins of Merv, in Turkmenistan, to Xian, in China, set off this whole apocalyptic adventure or perhaps I should say misadventure. Tolstoy is alluding to the discomfort which these indulgences eventually came to signify for her, leading her away from her instinctive style and appreciation for tradition towards a struggle to fit in and conform to being the sort of woman Pugachev and his circle expected. The sale runs until November 25 on christies.com. organisation After nearly 11 years, however, Tolstoy is moving on from the home she has so lovingly put together, and is now offering some of its contents for sale at Christies. I very much hope that these pieces will find a new home and be equally enjoyed.'. Its not even like I was that good at riding, recalls Tolstoy of the nine-month, 5,000-mile journey from Merv in Turkmenistan to Xian in China. Her travel business leading expeditions through the former Russian empire is on hold at the moment because of coronavirus and she has no help from Pugachev. The next year, I took a trip to Kyrgyzstan, which is better suited to riding because its mountainous and beautiful, and the horses are wonderful. Compare Standard and Premium Digital here. Leo Tolstoy with his daughter Alexandra Lvovna Tolstaya But even more interesting to me is the life of his youngest surviving daughter Alexandra Tolstaya (1884-1979). Some people dont care about aesthetics, but for me, to be creative is really part of my DNA. Alexandra tells me how her appreciation for books and visual arts were completely crushed: I couldnt do anything; the luxury afforded to her nevertheless impeded her fundamental desire to be productive and freedom to explore creatively. Simon Brown 3/8 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. They had three children together - Alexei, known as Aliosha, Ivan and Maria. Tolstoy was educated at Downe House, [2] and then studied for a Master of Arts degree in Russian at the University of Edinburgh, during the course of which she spent a year in Russia. Alexandra said: 'The sale of the interiors from my Chelsea townhouse at Christies London marks a new chapter in my life. Estimate: 2,000-3,000. Since the breakdown of her relationship with Sergei Pugachev, who was accused of fraud by the Kremlin in 2015, she has rediscovered her sense of style, favouring pieces that celebrate homegrown traditions and fashions, as evidenced on her popular Instagram account, @alexandratolstoy, where she often documents her wardrobe choices. It was a real adventure. One Countess's trash is another woman's treasure, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex step out for Hollywood date night at exclusive private members club as Harry announces major live event, In Queen Margrethe II of Denmarks last interview before her extensive surgery, she spoke of the royal title drama and Crown Prince Frederiks future on the throne, The Princess of Wales wears delicate brooch with touching connection to the late Queen, Wearing a Dolce & Gabbana dress in Monaco 2011, During Russian Easter wearing a skirt that is a play on Russian traditional shawls. In the propertys light, lofty rooms, vibrant contemporary pieces sit in happy juxtaposition with 19th-century works of art, fabulous curiosities and treasures from Tolstoys globetrotting adventures. Talking about her pursuit of an exquisitely domestic lifestyle, Alexandra says that its not just aesthetic, it does also go with a kind of freedom of thought, doesnt it? After teenage years spent living mostly in one army surplus shirt and a pair of jeans, Tolstoys style horizons were expanded when she began her adventures in Russia, living like a heroine conjured from the imagination of her distant relation, the Nobel Prize-winning author Leo Tolstoy. university Its the reason shes been selling off many of the fashion relics of her old life, first with a sale at her Chelsea home, and now with a newly launched website where her own cast-offs will be sold alongside those of other stylish women including stylist Martha Ward and creative director and store owner, Alex Eagle. They were symbols of a bad time so it doesnt matter.. The mansion was purchased by her ex-partner and the father of her children, Sergei Pugachev, 57, who was once dubbed 'the Kremlins banker' and was close to Vladimir Putin but fell into disfavour and was labelled a traitor by the Russian president. In the February 2016 High Court judgment, no ruling was made on the allegations of embezzled cash and Pugachev told the court he had not stolen any money. ", The house, though small, was designed to work well for entertaining, but also as a space where Alexandra's children could play and be comfortable. [1][2][3], The youngest daughter of Leo Tolstoy (18281910) and of his wife Sophia (18441919), Alexandra was close to her father. Countess Alexandra Tolstoy whose oligarch ex was known as 'Putin's banker' auctions off 250,000 of antiques that decorated her 12million London home before she was evicted after he fell foul. I led them, with Shamil, from Bukhara to Samarkand, and it was a success. Authorities froze his assets, put him on Interpol's wanted list and obtained a court order in Britain forcing him to hand over his passports. I never failed to fill one. With the help of Emma Burns and Daniel Slowik of Londons longest established interior decorating firm, Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, the Anglo-Russian author and broadcaster created an interior that was warm, welcoming and a reflection of her unique sense of style. [4] Although Alexandra shared her father's belief in non-violence, she felt it was her duty to take part in the events of the First World War and served as a nurse on the Turkish and German fronts. I never failed to fill one. Now, Alexandra has reclaimed her creative autonomy and a certain intellectual freedom which was repressed during her years spent with the billionaire: We all have different tastes, but if our taste isnt reflecting who we are or where we are in life, that lack of harmony can make you feel not very happy. Her Instagram page has allowed her to present her own image to the world, one which she finds to be truly representative, unlike that of the media which is seemingly always speculating. Each 18 x 14 in (47 x 35.5 cm), framed. How Alexandra Tolstoy made a rental house her own | House & Garden House & Garden 176K subscribers Subscribe 12K Share 617K views 1 year ago Behind the neat red-brick faade of a classic. Now she still has use of their home in Chelsea, a converted artist studio, but she could be thrown out at any moment by the Russian government. Tolstaya became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1941, abandoning the use of the title of countess. But its absurd Putin just wouldnt care about that. Having once enjoyed an intensely close friendship, even spending many holidays together, by the time Alexandra met Sergei, he had only seen Putin once, in all those years., Alexandra asks if Ive watched Dirty John on Netflix, and compares theirs to the romance underpinned by the manipulation of the sociopathic significant other: I just find the psychology of being a sociopath or narcissism so fascinating; this creating of narratives that are literally just complete lies, but I think they end up half-believing them She later asks if Ive read And Quiet Flows the Don, saying that the relationship at the beginning is very, very similar; it just feels so full of danger and its very raw, and often angry, but then very passionate to me, it felt really like I was so in love. Reflecting on their marriage, and his moments of physical violence and control over her, she says that there were signs there, but she just didnt know how to read or understand them., I think the real truth was that, yes, he wasnt bowing down to Putin, but he also had a business partner who he was very close to for years, and that business partner left [and it was at this point that Sergei began having business difficulties]; Sergei himself was no kind of businessman. Countess Alexandra Tolstoy was known for her remarkable calmness and dignity. I went on to take groups every year between 2002 and 2009, and was leading a tour the week before my wedding. The pinnacle of Tolstoys new fashion life was dressing for Prince Albert of Monacos wedding in July 2011, an occasion which called for two new couture dresses: a yellow Fifties-style Princess Grace look dress by Giambattista Valli for the day ceremony, followed by Valentino for the evening. Were Russian Orthodox, which is why we have a lot of icons, Tolstoy explains. Leo Tolstoy's life", 1953 and others). By 2015, he was dividing his time between France and the family home in London and claimed to be number 3 on Kremlin's hitlist. When I came back, I switched my university course from philosophy to Russian at Edinburgh. Among Alexandra's favourite pieces are a pair of white upholstered sofas by Katherine Pooley, which are expected to fetch between4,000-6,000, and two pairs of 20th century Indian palace paintings which are expected to fetch1,000-2,000 a pair. When he fled to France in 2015, I ultimately felt such relief. It took me two years to really look at these things, and think this was really not you and I dont even like these things, she explains, switching in a breath from cheerfully recounting her incredible memories to her voice crackling with the stress and anxiety of rebuilding her life. 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