Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow

The Moscow Tretyakov Gallery is located in Zamoskvorechye, in Lavrushinsky Lane. Its founder was the merchant Pavel Tretyakov, who together with his brother Sergei turned a private collection into a national treasury of Russian art. Today it is the main art museum of Russia and one of the largest museum complexes in Moscow.

The history of the Tretyakov Gallery began in 1856, when the Moscow merchant Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov acquired his first painting by a Russian artist — "A Skirmish with Finnish Smugglers" by Vasily Khudyakov. Today the collection numbers more than 190,000 exhibits, spanning the period from the 11th to the 21st century.

Despite the fact that the Tretyakov Gallery displays exclusively Russian painting, it is one of the most visited art museums in the world. The value of this collection goes far beyond national borders. The Tretyakov Gallery can be included among the most important art museums in the world precisely because it offers a complete, continuous panorama of the development of a national school of painting from the Old Russian icon to the avant-garde and modernity. If the Louvre, the Prado or the Uffizi assembled universal collections, the Tretyakov Gallery is the history of one school, traced with unique completeness.

History of the Tretyakov Gallery

From merchant Zamoskvorechye to a national museum 
Pavel and Sergei Tretyakov were born and grew up in Zamoskvorechye, in a small wooden house in the Golutvin lanes. The brothers received a home education and read a great deal. From an early age Pavel was interested in engravings and drawings and visited the Sukharevsky Market. His first purchases were works by 17th-century Western European masters, but he soon realised that in collecting the old masters it is easy to make mistakes. And he decided to buy works by contemporary Russian artists — directly from exhibitions and from their studios.

1860: the testamentary letter 
In 1860, at the age of 27, Pavel Tretyakov was setting out on his first trip abroad. In case of unforeseen circumstances he drew up a will in which he clearly set out his dream: to create in Moscow, with the money he had earned, an "art museum or public picture gallery" consisting exclusively of works by artists of the Russian school. This was an unprecedented document for the merchant milieu — even then the young collector was thinking not of a private collection, but of a national museum.

1887 and the Society of the Peredvizhniki 
Tretyakov was incredibly active. He corresponded with artists in Italy and France and knew what works were being created and what was being sold at auctions. From the First Travelling Exhibition he acquired several landmark works at once: "The Rooks Have Come Back" by Savrasov, "The Hunters at Rest" by Perov, and Nikolai Ge`s historical canvas "Peter I and Alexei".

1892: the gift to Moscow 
On 31 August 1892 Pavel Tretyakov wrote a statement to the Moscow City Duma on the transfer as a gift to the city of his collection together with the collection of his brother Sergei and the house in Lavrushinsky Lane. Thus a city public gallery appeared in Moscow. In 1896 Tretyakov became an honorary citizen of Moscow, and in 1898 he died.

The 20th century: reforms and expansion 
After the founder`s death the gallery was headed by Igor Grabar, and the "period of reforms" began. In 1918 the gallery was nationalised. In 1902, to a design by Viktor Vasnetsov, the famous façade in the style of an Old Russian terem was created — it became the emblem of the museum for many years.

The building in Lavrushinsky Lane 
The main building of the gallery is located in a mansion of the second half of the 18th century, acquired by the Tretyakov family in 1851. When the collection ceased to fit, extensions began to be added to the house. At the beginning of the 20th century the whole complex was united by a common façade after a drawing by Viktor Vasnetsov. The reconstruction of 1986–1995 increased the exhibition space by roofing over the inner courtyards. At present the Main Building has 62 halls, displaying more than 1,300 works of the 12th to the early 20th century.

The chief treasures of the Tretyakov Gallery

"The Trinity" by Andrei Rublev 
The most famous and valuable relic of Old Russian art in the collection. The icon was painted in the first quarter of the 15th century and was formerly kept in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. After the revolution it entered the Tretyakov Gallery. "The Trinity" is one of the few works reliably attributed to the legendary Andrei Rublev.

"The Appearance of Christ to the People" by Alexander Ivanov 
A monumental canvas measuring 5.4 × 7.5 metres, on which the artist worked for almost 20 years (1837–1857). The painting depicts the moment of the appearance of Jesus Christ before the people, John the Baptist and the future apostles. A separate hall was built for it in the gallery. The painting was bought by Emperor Alexander II and transferred to the Rumyantsev Museum, from where it entered the Tretyakov Gallery in 1924

"The Horsewoman" by Karl Bryullov 
A ceremonial equestrian portrait, painted in 1832 in Milan to a commission from Countess Yulia Samoilova. Bryullov was the first to dare to paint a young noblewoman in the style of the ceremonial portraits of emperors. The painting shows Samoilova`s wards: Giovannina on horseback and Amacilia coming to meet her. Tretyakov bought the painting at an auction where Samoilova`s property was being sold off.

"Morning in a Pine Forest" by Ivan Shishkin 
One of the most recognisable landscapes of Russian painting, which has become a symbol of Russia — it was printed on sweets, dishes and furniture. Interestingly, Shishkin painted only the forest landscape, while the bears were depicted by his friend Konstantin Savitsky. When Pavel Tretyakov learned of this, he erased Savitsky`s signature from the canvas.

"Boyarynya Morozova" by Vasily Surikov 
A historical drama depicting the boyarynya Feodosia Morozova and her sister Evdokia Urusova, who refused to accept the church reform of Patriarch Nikon. They faced confiscation of property, arrest and death by starvation. The artist searched for a long time for a prototype for the heroine — it was Anastasia Mikhailovna, who had come to the Old Believer community.

"Girl with Peaches" by Valentin Serov 
Painted in 1887 at the Abramtsevo estate. The heroine is Vera Mamontova, the daughter of Savva Mamontov, with whom the artist often stayed. The girl posed for the painter for two months. Together with "Girl Lit by the Sun", the painting was shown in 1888 and brought Serov recognition.

"The Demon Seated" by Mikhail Vrubel 
The image of the Demon, based on the poem by Mikhail Lermontov. Vrubel made illustrations for it. In the painting the Demon sits pensively, clasping his knees, against a background of sunset. The artist uses an unusual mosaic manner of painting. Art historians believe that the figure forms the shape of a heart.

Layout of the gallery: how to find your way around

The exposition of the Main Building is arranged on a chronological principle: 
• Halls 1–7 — painting and sculpture of the 18th century: portraits by Ivan Nikitin, Dmitry Levitsky, Vladimir Borovikovsky 
• Halls 8–15 — the first half of the 19th century: "Portrait of A. S. Pushkin" by Kiprensky, "The Horsewoman" by Bryullov, "The Appearance of Christ to the People" by Ivanov 
• Halls 16–31, 35–37 — Russian realist painting of the second half of the 19th century: Perov, Savrasov, Shishkin, Kuindzhi, Surikov, Repin, Vasnetsov 
• Halls 32–34 — Mikhail Vrubel: "The Princess of Dreams", "The Demon Seated", "The Swan Princess" 
• Halls 38–48 — the turn of the 19th–20th centuries: "Girl with Peaches" by Serov, sculptures by Anna Golubkina 
• Halls 56–62 — Old Russian art: Theophanes the Greek, Andrei Rublev, Dionysius

Main routes 
Express route (2–3 hours): "The Trinity" by Rublev → "The Appearance of Christ to the People" by Ivanov → "The Horsewoman" by Bryullov → "Morning in a Pine Forest" by Shishkin → "Boyarynya Morozova" by Surikov → "Girl with Peaches" by Serov → "The Demon Seated" by Vrubel 
Extended route (4–5 hours): add the portraits of the 18th century, the Peredvizhniki, the Vrubel halls, as well as Old Russian icon painting

Practical information

• Opening hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday — 10:00–18:00; Thursday–Saturday — 10:00–21:00; Monday — closed 
• Tickets: it is recommended to buy them in advance online in order to avoid queues 
• Free admission: students of universities and colleges — on the first Sunday of each month; the "Pushkin Card" is also valid 
• Time: allow at least 2–3 hours; a full tour may take a whole day 
• Photography: permitted without flash and tripod in most halls 
• Address: 10 Lavrushinsky Lane. Nearest metro stations: "Tretyakovskaya", "Polyanka", "Novokuznetskaya".

The Tretyakov Gallery is not only a collection of masterpieces, but also a monument to Russian history and culture. It remains an obligatory stop for any traveller interested in art, and one of the main symbols of Moscow.