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Soumak khorjin; published Soumak

Kelim Carpet and Cloth: Classic Weaving of

the Caucasus; Weaving Art Museum; RK

Collection

RK has written about mitchell and rosalie

rudnick several times before, and we are

sure our readers know we are no fans nor do

we believe all the hype and accolades

certain people have voiced in their direction.

Recently RK had the opportunity to read the

latest New England Rug Society(NERS)

newsletter where a glowing tribute to the

rudnicks and their collection was published.

Undoubtedly, their collection is a good one,

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but it should be after all the time and money

they have spent.

But calling it one of the great

collections in this country is nothing

but senseless hype. And considering those

words were uttered by Mr Lawrence

Kearney, who as it is gossiped sold them anumber of pieces and has acted as their

consigliore and waterboy for decades, they

surely are questionable.

We had to chuckle when the reporter for the

NERS newsletter mentioned being

enthralled by Mitchells tales of

acquiring them. Who but a pathetic

rug sycophant could possibly be enthralled

by tales of going to sotheby, or other

actions, visiting rug dealers shoppes or

fellow collectors and flashing a checkbook?

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RK doubts, and doubts highly, the rugnick

ever discovered anything worthwhile ontheir own outside a shoppe, auction gallery

or bedroom of some New England dealer?

Which bring us to the point that prodded RK

into turning our keyboard in the rudnicks

direction.

Soumak khorjin front, formerly on the

cover of an Ebberhart Hermann catalog;

rudnick collection

RK readers know there is always a story

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behind every notable rug and theres one

here that doesnt break that mold.

At the time the rudnicks, (and we have truly

have trouble not type rugniks as it should

really be this ruggie possessed couples

name) purchased this soumak RK was on

friendly terms with them.

And when weheard they paid 15,000 dollars for it we

decided to offer them a soumak bag from

our collection.

We only did this because it was one of a

pair, and having one was more than enough

for us, and our collection.

So we offered it to them, and they bought itpaying the same price to us they paid to

Hermann.

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Here is the picture:

Soumak Khorjin, ex-RK collection; now

presumably still rudnick collection

This happened sometime in the late 1980s.

Before we get to the punch line it might

interest readers to know when we offered

them the khorjin it was complete including

the original back and center kelim wovenstrip.

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Someday well tell the story of how we

acquired it but that is really not germane to

this story.

Anyway, when the rudnicks saw it they

instantly said OK well buy it, incorrectly

believing RK was offering the complete

saddle bag set.

We even more instantly told them only a

half was for sale for the 15K, and big-mouth

rosalie then chirped-in well how can we buy

one half when the two haves are connected.

Got a scissor? RK replied.

They gasped, and then Rosalie stammered

You cant do that.

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RK said Why not, its mine, and

anyway these khorjin were not originallymade to be viewed together but rather one

side at a time. Remember, they are

saddlebags, each side made to be seen on

one side of the saddle.never together.

After realizing the sense of that logic, she

then petulantly asked Well wholl get

the center kelim strip

You can have it was RKs answer,

as it is far less interesting than the soumak

work.

Good story but like all RKs it doesnt end

there.

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Soon after they bought the soumak, they

exhibited it in the Collectors Eye show at

the Rhode Island School of Design. It is alsoillustrated in that catalog.

RK heard from many people it was their

favorite piece in the show and what they

thought was the best piece in the rugnickcollection.

So youd think the rudnicks should have

been pleased as punch with it. Fat chance

for those rug-whiners.

Several months later RK was in New York

City, at a Sotheby auction. Lo and behold,

rosalie rudnick came marching up to us andin her obnoxious, high pitched, chirpy voice

loudly announced We need to talk to

you

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At that moment RK was standing around

with some rug acquaintances but regardlesswe said Go ahead, Rosalie, we have no

secrets, whats the problem

No she insisted We need to

talk in private

So we left the saleroom, went into a corner

in the foyer and ms rudnick then stated

We paid too much for that soumak!

RK then coolly said You paid too

much, really now, did you say the same

thing to Hermann after you bought his?

But before she could answer RK then

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continued What the fuck are you

saying? Do you expect me to give you a

discount?

And again before she could open her fat yap

RK said No problem I will write you a

check right now for the 15K and give me

back my soumak.

Well, no, I didnt mean that she

sheepishly, now deflated sails and all said.

Then what the fuck did you mean,

Rosalie. and RK walked away and

since then have only once spoken to either

of them again.

We only recount this to demonstrate what

sniveling, bullshit, cry-baby people with a

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checkbook, mitchell and rosalie rudnick

truly are.

RK cannot help but also comment on Mr

Lawrence Kearneys misplaced praise for

the rudnicks Star Kazak, which is probably

60 plus percent restoration.

Even wide-

eyed Kearney knows that, so why try toavoid saying the truth instead of hiding

behind falsity?

And calling it full of barbaric

splendor? Please now, Kearney, get

a grip and get real, or get off the stage, bub.

Same goes for calling the somewhat insipid

animals in the border of the Hermannsoumak bag heraldic birds and

dragon-like beasts.

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Please now, lets all come back to reality.

RK has already critiqued the Hermann

soumak and direct readers here to read our

commentary Cute Animals Dont A Great

Soumak Make. (You will need to cut and

paste the URL below into your browser

window as RugKazbah.com does not

support live links. We do this purposely to

prevent miscreants from posting links to

obscene nonsense and worse.)

http://rugkazbah.com/boards/records.php?

id=279&refnum=279

But Kearneys closing comments take the

cake for the most over-the-top sycophanty

we have ever read in anything rug-related:

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There is more to the collection we

celebrated this evening than just greatcolors, striking designs and fabulous wool

quality. It has coherence, scope, soulfulness

and moments of real magic that is hard to

define. Creating a collection of great rugs is

an artistic endeavor, and the Rudnickcollection is among the best, reflecting their

talent and devotion and good fortune

What a crock of shit, Kearney, you should

be embarrased.

Let RK now translate Kearneys words for

those of you who are not familiar with

rugDUMB speak:

There is more to the collection the owners

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want us to celebrate this evening, and

tomorrow evening, and tomorrow evening

It is seemingly coherent only because these

collectors could not get past the easily

understood 19th century Caucasian rug

aesthetic and move onto the far more

intellectually challenging and rewardingweavings of Anatolia and Turkmenistan.

Their effort appears soulful solely when

someone, like Kearney, waxes poetic but in

fact it has about as much soul as the Village

People singing group had when compared to

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.

And any moments of real magic arenothing but cheap slight of hand tricks

preformed by a circus magician before a

group of country-bumkin rubes.

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Finally, creating a rug collection like the

Rudnick have done required only onequality a well-stuffed wallet and the

willingness to open it when told to.

Only a pair of starved for approval nobodies

like them would pay 250K for a Star Kazak

that had more work done to it than LornaHelmsleys face.

And calling what they did an artistic

endeavor demeans to the ground the word

artistic and turns the hard work and struggleimplicit in the word endeavor into what a

five second sound-bite of the Gettysburg

Address or M.L. Kings I Have A Dream

Speech could convey.

No, No, only in rugDUMB would a brain-

dead audience lap up the incredible

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nonsense, drivel and worthless palaver a

Lawrence Kearney spills, or a know-nothing

commentator like Ann Nicholas dares topreserve in a newsletter.