Russian Museum Tour - Icons, Repin, Aivazovsky and Avant-Garde

The State Russian Museum is one of the world's largest museums and is perhaps the only one in the country, where the treasures of national culture are presented so widely. It accommodates not only paintings, but also graphics, sculptures and works of decorative art. Today the museum collection comprises nearly 400 000 exhibits.

For the first time the doors of the Russian Museum were opened on 7 March 1898, three years after the decree of Nicholas II on the establishment of the Russian Museum named after Emperor Alexander III. The same decree assigned accommodation of Russian paintings and sculptures in one of the most beautiful buildings in St. Petersburg - the Mikhailovsky Palace constructed in 1825 by the famous architect Carlo Rossi There is no major Russian painter or sculptor, whose work is not presented in the Museum.

During the tour of the Russian Museum you will see the best creations of outstanding artists of the past and present, such as Karl Briullov, Ivan Aivazovsky, Viktor Vasnetsov, Vasily Surikov, Ilya Repin, Nicholas Roerich and many others. The museum constantly replenishes its collection through new acquisitions and gifts. Today the Russian Museum is one of the largest museum complexes in Russia.

It includes the Mikhailovsky Palace (the main building of the Russian Museum), the Marble and Stroganov Palaces, the Mikhailovsky castle, the Summer Palace of Peter I and Peter's Cabin and two landscape complexes: the Mikhailovsky and the Summer gardens.

In the majestic scenery of the Mikhailovsky Palace, your attention will be captured by the masterpieces of ancient Russian icon painting of the XII–XVII centuries as well as paintings and sculptures of the XVIII–XX centuries.

You will see "Last days of Pompeii" by Karl Briullov, "The Ninth Wave" by Ivan Aivazovsky, "The Volga Boatmen" and "The Cossacks Writing a Letter to the Turkish Sultan" by Ilya Repin, "The Knight at the Crossroads" by Viktor Vasnetsov and many other world-famous paintings of great Russian artists. Besides painting and drawings, you will get acquainted with the unique collections of decorative works and applied arts, one-of-a-kind collection of prints and rare numismatic collection.

Look forward to an exciting and informative excursion to the Russian Museum. The guide will tell you in detail the story of the creation and development of the museum, chronology of the appearance of each of the collections within the walls of the Mikhailovsky Palace. You will learn about the main directions of Russian painting and sculpture, which include a variety of periods: from the Orthodox canons to the avant-garde and impressionism.

The Benois Wing — the architectural extension in the neoclassical style situated to the West of the Mikhailovsky Palace - appeared in 1914 due to the rapid growth of the museum collection, and received its name from one of the authors of the project Leonty Benois. Initially, the new pavilion was intended for a special exhibition of Academy of fine arts, but now mainly so-called antiacademic art of the early XX century is exhibited here: the Russian avant-garde, as well as the predecessors, the symbolists and primitives. For example, here you can find an exhibition of paintings by Kazimir Malevich and form your own opinion about the work of the famous Russian artist. r

This tour can be customised with a visit to one or several of the Russian Museum branches. The Mikhailovsky Castle was the largest architectural monument that closed the history of the XVIII century architecture in Russia. Currently there are several permanent exhibitions operating in the renovated halls of the castle: the Antique subjects in Russian art, the Renaissance in the works of Russian artists, the history of the castle and its inhabitants The Marble Palace became the first building in St.

Petersburg that was decorated with natural stone. Marble was used not only for facade, but also for the interior of the building, hence the name. The exhibits, assembled in the palace, reflect the role of Russian art in the world. There is a permanent exhibition "Foreign artists in Russia of XVIII-XIX centuries" which tells about the relationship of artists of Russia and Europe. The Stroganov Palace in St. Petersburg was created by the greatest architect of the eighteenth century Bartolomeo Rastrelli.

The building is located in the heart of the Northern capital – at the intersection of the Moika river and Nevsky prospect. The palace hosts exhibitions of works from the Russian Museum and other major art collections. The Summer Palace of Peter I is situated in the Summer garden, which was founded in the early years of St. Petersburg by a large group of architects and landscape artists. The original layout of the palace and mostly original interior, created by Russian artists, was preserved up to the present day.

The Cabin of Peter the Great in St. Petersburg was the first home of the emperor and the first civic building in the city on the Neva. In 1930 the historical museum was opened onsite, where, apart from personal belongings and furniture, the materials, that told the history of the Petrine era, were stored.