Corey Rosenbloom : What I like to do, starting with the bigger picture, is: I create the narrative, and that really comes down to different kinds of market profile principles or auction dynamics, which is just supply and demand.

FORBES: Are You Afraid to Trade?

High-profile Russian and Chinese collectors have been buying art at auction or from galleries and then donating it to Russian and Chinese museums.

FORBES: The New Breed

Shaw, head of Impressionist and Modern Art at the auction house, said the picture's status as a high-profile target for thieves had only boosted its popularity.

CNN: April 12, 2012 -- Updated 2054 GMT (0454 HKT)

"The Coachman, " which has never appeared before at auction, was part of the 1924 "Russian Art Exhibition" in New York, the first high-profile showing of the country's art after the 1917 revolution.

WSJ: Collecting: Rendezvous With Russia