Brenda: From Russia

On Monday, BBC London entertainment correspondent Brenda Emmanus reported from the Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, on its loan of 19th and early 20th century paintings to the Royal Academy of Arts, London, for a From Russia exhibition in January 2008. There is some dire tripe on offer, such as Henri Matisse's The Dance (1910). But I noticed behind Brenda, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin's Bathing of a Red Horse (1912), which is a cut above Matisse, probably less well known and Russian to boot. Will it turn up in From Russia? I hope so. I can't see the point of borrowing western daubs when there's a treasure trove of Russian art to explore. It's as pointless as wasting money sending Brenda to Russia to advertise the RA's show. Why not wait until it opens here?