Museum of Fine Arts. Pushkin. Interesting Facts

Have you ever visited the Museum of Fine Arts. Pushkin in Moscow? If you have never been there before, it's a pity, because This is one of the most interesting places in the capital! Today the expositions of the Pushkin Museum stand in line with the collections of such titans of the world cultural heritage as the Louvre or the Hermitage.

A bit of history

And it all began in 1898, on August 17. Museum of Fine Arts. Pushkin was laid exactly on that distant summer day. It was intended primarily for the dissemination and popularization of knowledge in the field of arts among wide sections of the Russian public, as well as for students studying sculpture. It must be said that the most educated people of that time worked on the museum project. Money for construction (most of them) was donated by the famous Russian philanthropist Yu.S. Nechayev-Maltsev. The project of the building itself was developed by the talented architect R.I. Klein. Before proceeding to a responsible assignment, Klein studied the museums of Egypt and Greece for a long time, as well as European experience.

When the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts was under construction, Klein was assisted by engineers Vladimir Shukhov and Ivan Rerberg. The first was the author of the original translucent overlaps of the main museum building, and the second was the deputy head of the project. For the construction of the complex Klein was awarded the high title of academician of architecture.

Amazing architectural style

Look closely at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, the photo of which is shown below, and you may notice that it is very similar to the ancient temple (Greek) from the times of antiquity, towering among dense trees. Like the ancient cult buildings, the building stands on a high stone podium and is surrounded by majestic Ionic columns.

This colonnade reproduces the exact proportions of the columns of the portico of the temple of the Erechtheion on the Greek Acropolis. Nevertheless, according to the architectural style of the Museum of Fine Arts. Pushkin is close to classicism. But it's only outside. Going inside, visitors get into spacious rooms, flooded with light, access to which provides a glass dome. Such an unusual ceiling testifies already to neoclassicism. By the way, when the museum was being built, electric lighting was not provided for in the project at all. It was believed that the sculptural compositions are best viewed by natural light.

Collections

It is interesting that the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts before the October Revolution, which struck Russia in 1917, was exclusively a museum of sculpture. Here were exhibited artfully executed copies of antique mosaics and statues. At that time, the originals were presented only with exhibits from the collections of the Egyptologist Golenishchev.

But after the October Revolution, museum exhibits were replenished with paintings confiscated from private collections of the Russian aristocracy and nationalized by the Bolsheviks. So, for example, the famous paintings "Girl on the ball" (Picasso Pablo) and "Red vineyards in Arles" (Dutchman Van Gogh) were in the Pushkin Museum from the collections of merchant Morozov.

Today the Museum of Fine Arts named after Pushkin proudly presents to its visitors the richest collection of French impressionism and post-impressionism. Here we can enjoy the canvases of Camille Pizarro, Arnie Matisse, Auguste Renoir, Pablo Picasso, Paul Cezanne, Sisley, Edgar Degas, Toulouse Lautrec, and still the unique Van Gogh and other great painters.

Also in the Pushkin Museum you can see Italian painting of 18-20 centuries, Japanese and British engravings, copies of masterpieces of ancient art, including a huge sculpture of David Michelangelo, and much more. Total Museum of Fine Arts. Pushkin stores 700 thousand exhibits, and for a year it is visited by almost one and a half million people.

Events and events held in the museum

On Thursdays in the evening and on Fridays in the afternoon, interesting lessons are held in the museum for everyone who wish to talk about "Conversations about art". Lectures are devoted to all main sections of the exposition, as well as various seasonal exhibitions, regularly held in this cultural center.

Since 2012 the Pushkin Museum annually takes part in the All-Russian cultural action "Night of Museums". Also the tradition of exquisite musical "Evenings of Svyatoslav Richter" - an international music festival, held under the arches of the Pushkin Museum every year in December, became a tradition.

To tourists on a note

If you are planning to visit the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts for the first time in your life, do not confuse it with another Moscow museum bearing the name of the great Russian poet who is located on Prechistenka. The main building of the Pushkin Museum is on Volkhonka in the house at number 12.

Tourists need to know that the Pushkin Museum is not allowed to smoke, use cellular communication (this is moveton), touch museum exhibits, photograph with a flash, bring flowers to the halls, eat outside the café area. Bags and large umbrellas should be left in the storage room.