NEW YORK, N.Y.- Sotheby’s New York auction of Important Russian Art on 1 November 2011 will feature three paintings by Russian-American artist Nicolai Fechin, offered on behalf of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. The group will be led by Bearing Away the Bride, the most significant and monumental canvas by the artist ever to appear at auction (est. $3/5 million*). Founded in 1955, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is America’s premier institution of Western history, art and culture. Proceeds from the sale of the three canvases will help fund future acquisitions of Western materials. “The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum has been the proud home for Bearing Away the Bride and the two smaller works being offered in this auction for several decades,” commented Chuck Schroeder, President of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. “They are