The Museum of Fine Arts is a picture gallery where you can see the works of well-known painters of 19 century, a collection of the Old Russian art, and very interesting pictures of Soviet and Tatar painters.
In 1958 a picture gallery was opened at the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan. But later, with the extension of funds and the appearance of the collections of decorative and applied arts and sculptures, the gallery became a separate Museum of Fine Arts. Since 1967 its collections were stored at a mansion of the beginning of 20 century on Karl Marx street.
From the painters of 18 century you can see there the works of such famous portraitists as V. Borovikovsky, F. Rokotov, D. Levitsky, and V. Tropinin. They painted the portraits of tsars and well-known noblemen. Of a special interest are the pictures of the famous painters of 19 century, such as К. Brulov, I. Aivazovsky, I. Shishkin, V. Serov, and several works of V. Perov.
Several museum rooms are devoted to the Old Russian art, iconography and applied arts. There you can see many ancient icons, including those of 16 century from the Assumption cathedral of Sviyazhsk.
The modern art is presented by the works of Soviet painters, including natives of Tatarstan. At the museum there were also large collections of such famous Tatar painters as Nikolai Feshin and Baki Urmanche. But when the Khazine Gallery was opened at the Kazan Kremlin, most of these vast collections were moved there.
