The State Russian Museum (Russian: Ð"оÑударÑтвенный РуÑÑкий музей), formerly the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III (Russian: РуÑÑкий Музей Императора ÐлекÑандра III) is the largest depository of Russian fine art in Saint Petersburg. It is also one of the largest museums in the country.
Creation
The museum was established on April 13, 1895, upon enthronement of Nicholas II to commemorate his father, Alexander III. Its original collection was composed of artworks taken from the Hermitage Museum, Alexander Palace, and the Imperial Academy of Arts. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, many private collections were nationalized and relocated to the Russian Museum. These included Kazimir Malevich's Black Square.
Architecture
The main building of the museum is the Mikhailovsky Palace, a splendid Neoclassical residence of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich, erected in 1819-25 to a design by Carlo Rossi on Square of Arts in St Petersburg. Upon the death of the Grand Duke the residence was named after his wife as the Palace of the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, and became famous for its many theatrical presentations and balls.
Some of the halls of the palace retain the Italianate opulent interiors of the former imperial residence. Other buildings assigned to the Russian museum include the Summer Palace of Peter I (1710â€"14), the Marble Palace of Count Orlov (1768â€"85), St Michael's Castle of Emperor Paul (1797â€"1801), and the Rastrelliesque Stroganov Palace on the Nevsky Prospekt (1752â€"54).
Exhibits
The Ethnographic Department was originally set up in a building specially designed by Vladimir Svinyin in 1902. The museum soon housed gifts received by Emperor's family from representatives of peoples inhabiting various regions of the Russian Empire. Further exhibits were purchased by Nicholas II and other members of his family as State financing was not enough to purchase new exhibits. In 1934, the Ethnographic Department was given the status of an independent museum: the Russian Museum of Ethnography.
Málaga branch
The city of Málaga, home to thousands of Russian expats, has signed an agreement to host the first overseas branch of the State Russian Museum. Works displayed in Malaga will range from Byzantine-inspired icons to social realism of the Soviet era. They will be on display in 2,300 square metres (25,000 square feet)yards) of exhibition space in La Tabacalera, a 1920s tobacco factory. The new museum is scheduled to open in early 2015.
Gallery
See also
- Collections of the Russian Museum
- Art Culture Museum
- Fine Art of Leningrad
References
External links
- Russian Museum website (in English)
- Russian State Museum at Encyclopædia Britannica
- Interiors of the Michael Palace I (in Russian)
- Interiors of the Michael Palace II (in Russian)
- Interiors of the Michael Palace III (in Russian)
