Rossica 16
you are here: Журнал Rossica > Rossica 16
Tretyakov Gallery
Summary / Contents / View articles
Order now
This issue is dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the Tretyakov Gallery, Russia’s most famous art museum which contains the national collection of Russian art. Here the story of the collection is told, beginning with how it was founded by Moscow merchant Pavel Tretyakov in 1856, when he, just 23 years of age, announced his vision to create a gallery of national art open and free to all. Tretyakov spent the rest of his life acquiring and commissioning new works of art and making friendships with the great artists of the day (Tireless Devotion by Tatyana Yudenkova).
Tretyakov’s influence on Russian art was enormous, his example was followed by the Tsar, whose patronage of the arts led to the creation of the Russian Museum in St Petersburg. The collection Tretyakov presented to the City of Moscow continued to grow and gain influence despite the tragic events of the early 20th century.
Articles written by experts from the Tretyakov Gallery itself trace how the now world famous collection of icon paintings was acquired following the Bolshevik anti-religious campaign (The Icon Collection by Lev Lifshits), and the many works of Russian avant-garde and underground art from the 1960-70s were rediscovered.