Glazunov Gallery

Lonely Planet review

The elaborate empire-style mansion opposite the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum houses a new gallery dedicated to the work of Soviet and post-Soviet artist Ilya Glazunov. Apparently this gallery was a long time in coming, due primarily to the artist's own insistence on moulded ceilings, marble staircases and crystal chandeliers. But now it is open and the interior is impressive: three floors filled with fanciful illustrations of historic events and biblical scenes.

Glazunov is famous for huge, colourful paintings that depict hundreds of people and places and events from Russian history in one monumental scene. His most famous work is Eternal Russia (Bechnaya Rossiya), while more recent examples are Mystery of the 20th century and the Market of our Democracy . Such social commentary is a rather recent development, of course, as the artist's earlier work tended to focus on medieval and fairytale themes.