A major influence on Chinese artists in recent year's is Western art. In Russia, Christie's International, the world's largest auction house, has opened an exhibition of 40 premiere artworks in Moscow. It includes paintings by old masters such as Vermeer and Rubens as well as works by Faberge. The high-profile exhibition, opened last Thursday in a 19th century mansion opposite the Kremlin. Organizers hope the showing will capture the imagination of Russia's wealthy. Russia is in its ninth year of an economic expansion, driven in large part, by demand for oil, gas and metals. The country's newly affluent entrepreneurs are purchasing art for reasons ranging from financial investment, to home decoration, to art collecting. Jussi Pylkkanen, president of Christie's Europe, said, "We found that Russian buyers have been very interested in our post-war auctions, our contemporary art auctions and particularly our impressionist and old-master auctions in the past three years." Among the top attractions at the Moscow exhibition are "Liz" by Andy Warhol and an oil sketch by the 17th century Flemish painter, Peter Paul Rubens. An 1897 Faberge picture frame, a gift from Russian Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra to their godchild, Prince George, is also on display. It's expected to sell for up to 1.8 million US dollars.