|
The State Tretyakov Gallery is the foremost depository of Russian fine art in the world.
The gallery's history starts in 1856 when the Moscow merchant Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov (1832-98) acquired works by Russian artists of his day with the aim of creating à collection, which might later grow into à museum of national art. In 1892, Tretyakov presented his already famous collection to the Russian nation.
The gallery building was designed by the painter Viktor Vasnetsov in a peculiar Russian fairy-tale style. It was built in 1902-04 to the south from the Moscow Kremlin. During the 20th century, the gallery expanded to several neighbouring buildings, including the 17th-century church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi. A new building, located in the Krymskiy Val, is dedicated to promoting contemporary Russian art.
The collection contains more than 130000 exhibits, ranging from Our Lady of Vladimir and Andrei Rublev's Trinity to the monumental Composition VII by Wassily Kandinsky and the Black Square of Kazimir Malevich.
External links
|
