Gallery sights in Moscow
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Tretyakov Gallery
The exotic boyar castle on a little lane in Zamoskvorechie contains the main branch of the State Tretyakov Gallery, housing the world’s best collection of Russian icons and an outstanding collection of other prerevolutionary Russian art. Show up early to beat the queues.
The building was designed by Viktor Vasnetsov between 1900 and 1905. The gallery started as the private collection of the 19th-century industrialist brothers Pavel and Sergei Tretyakov. Pavel was a patron of the Peredvizhniki, or Wanderers, a group of 19th-century painters who broke away from the conservative Academy of Arts and started depicting common people and social problems. Nowadays, these are…
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Pushkin Fine Arts Museum
This is Moscow’s premier foreign-art museum, showing off a broad selection of European works, mostly appropriated from private collections after the revolution. The Pushkin’s collections are located not only in this main building, but also in the Museum of Private Collections and the Gallery of European & American Art of the 19th & 20th Centuries. A collective ticket to all three museums is available for adults/students for R500/300.
To see the incredible collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist paintings, visit the Gallery of European & American Art. What’s left in the main building is still impressive, especially since the place has been revamped, with mor…
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Shilov Gallery
Shilov Gallery ‘What is a portrait? You have to attain not only an absolute physical likeness…but you need to express the inner world of the particular person you are painting.’ So Alexander Shilov described his life work as contemporary Russia’s most celebrated portrait painter. Indeed, Shilov is known for his startling realism. His paintings are so close to the truth that he is sometimes criticised for producing little more than photographs on canvas. But others claim that the artist provides great insight into his subjects, with some high-level political figures among them. (Shilov denies the rumour that he painted all the members of the Politburo during the Soviet per…
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Glazunov Gallery
This elaborate Russian 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 coming, due primarily to the artist’s own insistence on moulded ceilings, marble staircases and crystal chandeliers. But it was worth the wait, as the interior is impressive: three floors filled with fanciful illustrations of historic events and biblical scenes. Glazunov is famous for his huge, colourful paintings that depict hundreds of people, places and events from Russian history in one monumental scene. His most famous work is Eternal Russia (Bechnaya …
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Garazh Centre for Contemporary Culture
Dasha Zhukova has so many claims to fame. She is the gorgeous girlfriend of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, she is a successful fashion designer and she has her own inheritance. Now she is also a proud patron of the arts, with the 2008 opening of the Garazh Centre for Contemporary Culture. Known affectionately as Dashkin Garazh , or Dasha’s Garage, it is an old bus depot that has been converted into Moscow’s largest exhibition hall. It’s an incredible space, originally designed in 1926 by constructivist architect Konstantin Melnikov. It is not clear if the space will be used to show off pieces from the private collection of Abramovich and Zhukova. In the meantime, G…
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Winzavod
You might not expect to find a cutting-edge art gallery amid the semi-sketchy streets behind Kursky vokzal. Then again, considering Soho before the 1980s, maybe you would. This former wine-bottling factory was converted into exhibit and studio space for Moscow artists, and opened in 2007. The postindustrial complex is now home to Moscow’s most prestigious art galleries, including M&J Guelman, Aidan and XL. At the time of research, the complex also contained three photo galleries, as well as an avant-garde clothing store and a small café. This is the newest thing in the Moscow art world: it’s worth checking out even if you’re not in the market for the next Black Square.…
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New Tretyakov Gallery
The premier venue for 20th-century Russian art is this branch of the State Tretyakov Gallery, better known as the New Tretyakov. This place has much more than the typical socialist realist images of muscle-bound men wielding scythes, and busty women milking cows (although there’s that too). The exhibits showcase avant-garde artists such as Malevich, Kandinsky, Chagall, Goncharova and Popova. In the same building as the Tretyakov, TsDKh, or Central House of Artists, is a huge exhibit space used for contemporary-art shows. A number of galleries are also housed here on a permanent basis. The surrounding grounds contain the Art Muzeon Sculpture Park.
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Ice Sculpture Gallery
Ice sculpture has a long history in Russia, but it’s not usually a year-round attraction. Until now. Cool off in the first-ever year-round Ice Sculpture Gallery, which is housed in a refrigerated winter-wonderland tent at the west end of Krasnaya Presnya Park. The changing exhibit is small but spectacular – the frozen masterpieces enhanced by colourful lights and dreamy music. At the time of research, sculptures depicted elaborate scenes from Russian fairytales, but the exhibit is expected to change on a biannual basis. The admission price includes a special down vest and warm fuzzy foot-covers to protect you from the -10˚C climate.
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Moscow House of Photography
With impressive archives of contemporary and historic photography, the Moscow House of Photography organises occasional exhibits at its small on-site museum, often featuring works from prominent photographers from the Soviet period. You can also see its exciting and innovative contemporary exhibits around town, especially at Manezh Exhibition Centre and Winzavod. MDF is also responsible for several month-long photography festivals, Photobiennale (held in even-numbered years) and Fashion & Style in Photography (held in odd-numbered years).
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Manezh Exhibition Centre
The long, low building on the southwestern side of Red Square is the Manezh, housing art exhibitions. This neoclassical landmark was badly damaged by a fire in 2004, sparking much speculation that it was not an accident. It is newly renovated and reopened, and now with an underground parking garage. Exhibits range from contemporary art and photography to lingerie and lilies.
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Russian Academy of Art
Next door to the Tsereteli Gallery, the Russian Academy of Art hosts rotating exhibits in the historic 19th-century mansion of the Morozov estate. Despite the institutional-sounding name, this is part of the Tsereteli empire, but it still puts on inspired and varied shows featuring mostly contemporary Russian and foreign artists.
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Tsdkh
In the same building as the Tretyakov, TsDKh, or Central House of Artists, is a huge exhibit space used for contemporary-art shows. A number of galleries are also housed here on a permanent basis. The surrounding grounds contain the Art Muzeon Sculpture Park.
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Shalyapin Art Gallery
Next door to opera singer Fyodor Shalyapin's house-museum, the small art gallery holds temporary exhibits by local artists, most of whom have some historical association with Shalyapin or the surrounding neighbourhood.
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Tsereteli Gallery
Housed in the 18th-century Dolgoruky mansion, this is the latest endeavour of the tireless Zurab Tsereteli. The gallery shows how prolific this guy is. The rooms are filled with his often-over-the-top sculptures and primitive paintings. If you don’t want to spend the time or money exploring the gallery, just pop into the Galereya Khudozhnikov (the restaurant inside the gallery), which is an exhibit in itself.
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