Miracles of Photography. Recreating the photographic heritage of Sergei Prokudin-Gorsky

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. Saint Petersburg

12 april 2003—15 june 2003

Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorsky was born in Saint Petersburg in 1863. Having got perfect education as a chemist in Russia and abroad he devoted all his life to photography. His research in this field brought him several patents on production of colour transparencies and colour film projection. At the beginning of the 20th century Prokudin-Gorsky worked out a daring plan to make a photographic overview of the Russian Empire, which was supported by Nicholas II. Travelling by a train fitted out with special equipment and a darkened room, also having a permission guarantying him access to restricted areas, he visited eleven regions of Russia. Photographs taken by Prokudin-Gorsky give us a vivid picture of the bygone days - the Russian Empire on the eve of WWI and impending revolution. The mastery of the photographer and his thought out methods are still remarkable in their laconic accomplishment. Alongside his professional work Prokudin-Gorsky carried out extensive educational activities. His ultimate goal was to acquaint Russian schoolchildren with the enormous and diverse history and culture of the epoch of modernization of Russia through 'optical colour projections'. In 1919, after the revolution, Prokudin-Gorsky left Russia for good to reside in Paris where he died in 1944.Unique works of the master of photography were sold by his heirs to the Library of Congress in 1948. The current exhibition has the same name with the last exhibition of the photographer, which took place in the Nikolaevsky Hall of the Winter Palace in 1918. The display presents images in the form of colour photographs made by means of modern leading technologies. The exhibition of photographs by Sergei Prokudin-Gorsky was prepared by the members of the Library of Congress of the USA

Exhibitions

Pavel Zhukovsky. On the 175th Anniversary of Birth

17 march—7 june 2021

The artist Pavel Vasilyevich Zhukovsky (1845-1912) was the son of the great Russian poet Vasily Zhukovsky. His work is little known to art lovers today. But in the last third of the 19th century Pavel Zhukovsky was quite well known in social and cultural circles. The works of Pavel Zhukovsky bear the stamp of his passion for Italian Renaissance painting, religious and antique themes. Their execution and figurative interpretation allow us to refer the artist's work to the academic style of late European Romanticism and Symbolism.

A Meeting of Friends by Alexander Samokhvalov

20 august 2020—15 january 2021

On the 75th anniversary of Victory Day, the Russian Museum shows the work by Alexander Nikolaevich Samokhvalov "A meeting of friends" (1945). Despite the fact that the artist's heritage has been studied almost completely, this painting was a real discovery for researchers of his work. The exhibition for the first time will present the history of creation, restoration and attribution of the painting "A meeting of friends".

Also in the Russian Museum

22 april—29 june 2021 > Marble Palace Ivan Lubennikov: Paintings. Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Artist’s Birth
5 march—21 june 2021 > Benois Wing Nature Reimagined

The Russian Museum recommends

Prev. Next

Collection highlights

The collection of masterpieces, chosen by the Russian Museum will allow you to make a first impression of the collection of the Russian Museum.

Start

Virtual tours

Russian Museum - one of the world's largest museums and is perhaps the only country where such a full treasure of national culture are presented.
Virtual tour of the museum complex. 2009 (Rus., Eng., Ger., Fin.)

Details

Online Shop

In the online shop of the Russian Museum presented a huge range of souvenirs, illustrated editions and multimedia disks.

Go to store

Mobile Apps

Details