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 period.) Among Shilov’s fans is one Yury Luzhkov, who oversaw the opening of this gallery in 1997. At that time the artist donated 355 paintings to the museum, and he continues to make donations of new paintings – every year on the anniversary of the opening – so the collection continues to grow.