Permanent and temporary exhibitions

Ancient Art of XIV-XVII Centuries

Permanent exhibition

Collection of the Old Russian painting of the Russian Museum is one of the largest and most significant in Russia. It includes around six thousand icons. The permanent exhibition housed in the first four halls of Mikhailovsky Palace represents a part of this collection, the most valuable works of XII-XVII centuries created in the major art centers of Old Russia: Novgorod, Pskov, Vladimir, Suzdal, Moscow, and Yaroslavl.

Russian Art of the XVIII Century

Permanent exhibition

The exposition of Russian art of XVIII century is chronologically organized and presents the main stages and trends of Russian art of this time. One part of the display is dedicated to the time of Peter I and focuses mainly on the names of Ivan Nikitin and Andrei Matveyev, the greatest portraitists and leaders of the secular Russian art of this time. Genre of portrait of the middle and second part of XVIII century is presented by such artists as Ivan Vishyakov, Alexey Antropov, Ivan Argunov, Fyodor Rokotov.

Russian Art of the First Half of the XIX Century

Permanent exhibition

The exhibition shows masterpieces representing the variety of trends in the Russian art of the time (classicism, romantism and beginning in the second third of the XIX century realism). The works by academic school masters are also widely represented: the canvases by Karl Brullov (the famous «The Last Days of Pompeii», religious compositions and portraits of the artist’s contemporaries), historical paintings by Grigory Ugryumov, Alexander Ivanov, Alexey Egorov, Fyodor Bruni.

Russian Art of the Second Half of the XIX Century

Permanent exhibition

Even when it first opened back in 1898, the Russian Museum owned many canvases painted by such masters of the second half of the nineteenth century as Ivan Aivazovsky, Konstantin Makovsky, Ilya Repin, Vasily Polenov and Vasily Surikov. Although the selection of works before the revolution was often hampered by the conservative tastes of museum officialdom, the collection nevertheless grew in breadth thanks to the efforts of Alexander Benois, Albert Benois, Igor Grabar and Pyotr Neradovsky.

Folk Art of the XVII-XXI Centuries

Permanent exhibition

Permanent exhibition of Russian Folk art of XVII-XXIth centuries includes some 1,500 exhibits. Arranged chronologically, they show history of the development of Peasant art and of local centres of artistic crafts, all their main kinds and genres.