The State Tretyakov Gallery is one of the greatest museums in the world. It is fabulously popular. Every year hundreds of thousands of people come to the quite Lavrushinsky Lane, situated in one of the oldest districts of Moscow — Zamoskvorechye, to see the Gallery's treasuries.
The Gallery's collection consists entirely of Russian fine art and works by artists who have made а contribution to the history of Russian art or been closely connected with it. The founder of the Gallery, the Moscow merchant and manufacturer, Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov (1832–1898) laid down for himself the aim of creating a Russian national gallery and it has survived in the same form till nowadays.
The year of 1856 is considered to be the date when the Gallery's history started. The young Tretyakov acquired works by Russian artists of his day with the aim of creating a collection, which might later grow into a museum of national art. "I am a person who truly and fervently loves painting. And my dearest desire is to start a public storage of art that would be accessible to all, useful for many people, and give pleasure to everybody", the collector wrote in 1860 and added, "…I would like to establish a national gallery, in other worlds the gallery comprising works by Russian artists."
Years went by, and good intentions of the young collector were brilliantly embodied. In 1892, Tretyakov donated to Moscow and the whole Russia his large (about 2000 paintings, drawings and sculptures) and already famous gallery of original masterpieces of national art. And the thankful Russia represented by its leading painters said to the donator, "…The news about your donation has quickly gone the round of Russia. And everybody, who values interests of Russian enlightenment, has brightened up and been surprised with significance of your efforts and sacrifice."
Also the collection of Sergey Mikhailovich, the Pavel's brother, who died a few days before, was donated to Moscow. In 1880s, he was a Moscow mayor and collected works of art by West-European painters of the mid and second half of the 19th century. Today, these works of art are kept in the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts and Hermitage.
Who was Pavel M. Tretyakov? What did guide him in his actions and initiations? Tretyakov was a big businessman all his life. Being either famous or unknown, he properly continued the business of his grandfather, a Moscow merchant of the third guild, the lowest one in the table of merchants' ranks. Tretyakov died being an honorary freeman of Moscow, who greatly helped the capital of his ancestors grow.
But "…from my youth up, my idea was," he said at the close of his days, "to acquire property from people so that it returned to people again in some useful institutions; this idea has not left me for all my life…" As we can see, he understood the idea of public service, typical for his era, in his own way and it inspired him.
The collector Tretyakov was a kind of phenomenon. His contemporaries were very astonished at mother wit and perfect taste of this third-generation merchant. The painter Ivan Kramskoy wrote in 1873, "I must admit that this man should have some demonic intuition." He had no special education (the brothers Tretyakovs were educated at home) but was a widely read man especially in literature, painting, theatre, and music. "Tretyakov was a scientist in his nature and knowledge," the painter and art critic Alexandre Benois said in his "The History of Russian Art" in 1902.
Tretyakov had never worked with "prompters". He well knew a lot of painters, writers, musicians and was friends with many of them. Tretyakov listened to their advice and comments but always got his own way and usually did not change his mind. He hated when somebody meddled in his business. Kramskoy, who undoubtedly was held in high respect and in favour with Tretyakov, had to say, "I have known him long and am convinced that nobody has influence over Tretyakov either in choice of paintings or his personal opinions. If there had been some painters who thought they could influence over him, they would later renounce their delusions." Over the years, his good taste, strict choice, and purity of the intents gave Tretyakov the deserved and undeniable prestige and "benefits" that no other collector had. Tretyakov had a right to be the first who could look at new works of painters either in their studios or at exhibitions before they were opened for public.
All artists, both experts and beginners, excitedly and anxiously waited for the visit of Pavel Mikhailovich and his quite words "Please keep the painting for me", which were equivalent to the public acceptance. In 1877, Ilya Repin, the leading Russian painter, wrote to Pavel Tretyakov, "I must frankly admit that if I sell the painting (it was about "Protodeacon"), I will sell it to you, since I have nothing against your gallery and am honored to see my things there, and I do not flatter." Often the painters took off for Tretyakov, since he never bought without barging. So they supported his undertaking. However, it was the mutual support.
Artists and historians of art have noticed that "if it were not for Pavel Tretyakov and his big idea, if he did not start his collection of Russian art, it would had another destiny and we may know neither "Boyarynya Morozova" nor "Crucession", neither large nor small paintings exhibited today in the famous State Tretyakov Gallery" (M. Nesterov). Or "…Russian painting would never take to the open and free way if it were not for his help. Tretyakov was the only person (or about the only), who supported everything new, fresh, and sensible in Russian fine art" (A. Benois).
The Tretyakov's scope of collecting activity and breadth of vision were really amazing. Every year since 1856, dozens and hundreds of new works appeared in his gallery. Despite his prudence, Tretyakov thought nothing even of big spending if it was for the good of the business.
He bought the paintings in contempt of criticisms and censorship as in the case of "Easter Procession in a Village" by Vasily Perov or "Ivan the Terrible" by Ilya Repin. He bought even if a painting did not meet his idea but was in time with the times as in the case of the Repin's painting "Religious Procession in Kursk Province", the social penetration of which did not impose upon the collector. He bought even if very powerful and respected people argued against, like Lev Tolstoy, who repudiated the religious paintings by Viktor Vasnetsov. Tretyakov clearly understood that his museum should not reflect his personal (or some other's) tastes and preferences but the actual pattern of development of Russian art. It might be the reason why Tretyakov had taste that was not as narrow and limited as other private collectors had. Every new decade brought new names and ideas to his collection. Taste of the museum founder had been developing and evolving along with the art.
Whether intentionally or not Tretyakov preferred the modern art; however, he insistently traced and acquired all the best of the works of art by Russian artists of the 18th to the first half of the 19th century and even the old Russian paintings. He established the first Russian museum showing the progress of Russian art. But this does not mean that Tretyakov had no mistakes and fails. Pinning his hopes on great future of Russian school and the Itinerants, Tretyakov almost did not purchase academic paintings of the 19th century. And this style is still poorly represented in the museum. Also Tretyakov paid too little attention to the famous Ivan Aivazovsky. At the end of his life, the collector was cautious about new art trends of Russian art of 1890s. Loving painting intensely, Tretyakov created the picture gallery first and rarely acquired works of sculpture and graphics. These sections were significantly enlarged after death of the founder. Till now, everything purchased by Pavel Tretyakov is the real gold reserves of the Tretyakov Gallery and the whole Russian art.
At the beginning, the acquirements were kept in the Tretyakov's house on Lavrushinsky Lane, bought by the Tretyakov family in early 1850s. But at the end of 1860s, there were so many pictures, that it was not possible to hold them in the rooms.
After the big collection of Turkestan paintings and sketches by Vasily Vereshchagin was bought, it was decided to construct a special building of the picture gallery. In 1872, the construction was started. In spring of 1874, the paintings were moved to the first building of the Tretyakov Gallery with two stories and two large halls (today, these are rooms No. 8, 46, 47, 48). The building was erected upon a project of the Tretyakov's brother-in-law, the architect A. S. Kaminsky, in the garden of the Zamoskvorechye estate and connected with their mansion but with its own entrance for visitors. However, since the collection grew rapidly, the number of gallery halls increased up to 14 at the end of 1880s. The two-storied gallery rounded the mansion from three sides, from the garden to Maliy Tolmachevsky Lane. After the special building for the gallery was constructed, the Tretyakov's collection got the status of a real museum, private in possession but public in nature, free of charge and opened seven days a week for all visitors of any family and rank. In 1892, Tretyakov donated his museum to Moscow.
Under the decision of the Moscow City Council, that now owned the Gallery legally, Pavel Tretyakov was assigned to be its life trustee. As before, Tretyakov had an exclusive right to choose the paintings, and bought with the funds appropriated by the Council and his own money. Then he donated the purchased paintings to the Pavel and Sergey Tretyakov City Art Gallery (nowadays Tretyakov Gallery). Tretyakov continued expanding the building and added 8 more spacious rooms to the existing 14 halls in 1890s. Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov died on the 16th of December, 1898. After his death the Gallery was managed by the Board of Trustees elected by the Council.
In different years the Board included eminent artists and collectors such as Vladimir Serov, Ilya Ostroukhov, Ivan Tsvetkov, Igor Grabar. Alexandra Pavlovna Botkina (1867–1959), the daughter of Pavel Mikhailovich, was an eternal member of the Board for about 15 years (1899 to the beginning of 1913).
Between 1899 and 1900, the empty house of the Tretyakovs was reconstructed and adopted for the Gallery (now these are the rooms No. 1, 3 to 7, and lobbies of the ground floor). In 1902 to 1904, the buildings on Lavrushinsky Lane were joined together with a facade built upon a project of Viktor Vasnetsov and making the building of the Tretyakov Gallery unique architecturally that still marks it out from other Moscow sites.
In the beginning of the 20th century, the Tretyakov Gallery became one of the largest museums in Russia and Europe. It was rapidly replenished with works of modern and old Russian art. Between 1913 and 1918, Igor Grabar, the painter, art historian, and trustee of the Tretyakov Gallery, initiated a program of reform. Before, the recent acquisitions were exhibited separately and not mixed with the basic collection of Tretyakov. But then the paintings hang in accordance with the historical, chronological and monographic principle that is still followed.
A new period in the history of the Tretyakov Gallery began after it was nationalized in 1918 and became the government but not municipal property, and nationally important.
Due to nationalization of private collections and centralization of museum collections the number of exhibits of the Tretyakov Gallery became more than five times greater by the early 1930s. Several small Moscow museums were joined to the Gallery such as the Tsvetkov Gallery, the Museum of Icons and Paintings of Ivan Ostroukhov, and partially the Rumyantsev Museum. At the same time a collection of Western European art, donated by S. M. Tretyakov, M. A. Morozov, and others, was given to the other museums.
In the past fifty years, the Tretyakov Gallery became not just a huge museum know all over the world but also a large scientific centre that stores and restores, researches and promotes museum values. Scientists of the Gallery diligently work at questions of the history and theory of Russian art, arrange numerous exhibitions both in Russia and abroad, deliver lectures, guide tours, do much work on restoration and expertise, and introduce new forms of museum computer science. The Tretyakov Gallery has one of the richest specialized libraries in Russia that numbers over 200,000 books on art, the unique collection of photographs and slides, and restoration studios fitted with the up-to-date equipment.
In 1930s, the rapidly growing collection of the Tretyakov Gallery required more rooms. New halls were added where it was possible; also the adjusting houses and other buildings were reconstructed and added to the Gallery. By the end of 1930s, the exposition and working spaces were almost doubled. However, it was not enough for the fast-growing and developing museum. Development of reconstruction projects was started including a project on demolishing of all neighbouring buildings and enlarging the Gallery to the embankment of Obvodny Canal (the project by the architects A. V. Shchusev and L. V. Rudnev, 1930s) and a project on constructing a new building in another place and moving the collection of the Gallery there (the building in Krimsky Val projected by the architect N. P. Sukoyan and others in 1950s to 1960s). After long discussions it was decided to save the historical building of the Tretyakov Gallery on Lavrushinsky Lane. At the beginning of 1980s, the reconstruction and expansion of the building began. It was supported by the manager of the Tretyakov Gallery O. K. Korolyov (1929–1992). In 1985, the first building was commissioned. It was a depositary where the large storages for different kinds of works of art and restoration studios were placed. In 1989, the second or so called Engineering building appeared. It had rooms to hold temporary exhibitions, lecture and conference rooms, children's studio, information, computer and other engineering offices. Reconstruction of the main building started in 1986 and finished in 1994. The Gallery was finally opened for visitors on the 5th of April, 1995.
During the reconstruction years a new conception of the Tretyakov Gallery appeared. It was a single whole museum situated in two areas: on Lavrushinsky Lane, where expositions and storages of old art from the earliest times to the beginning of 1910s were located; and in Krimsky Val that housed expositions of the 20th century. Exhibitions of old and modern art are arranged in both areas. While the Gallery building on Lavrushinsky Lane was being reconstructed, many nearby historical and architectural monuments found a new life and were added to the Gallery. For example, after the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi (16th to 19th cc.) was devastated in 1930s, it was then reconstructed and restored and got a status of a family chapel by the museum, in other words it was the church and museum simultaneously. The additional museum expositions of Russian graphic art and old Russian art were placed in the old city building of the 18th and 19th centuries on Lavrushinsky Lane (buildings No. 4 and 6). New projects to build another exposition hall at the corner of Lavrushinsky Lane and Kadashevskaya Embankment were being developed.
The current collection of the Tretyakov Gallery numbers over 100,000 works of art and has several sections. The section of Old Russian art of the 12th to 18th centuries includes icons, sculptures, small plastic, applied art (about five thousand exhibits); paintings of the 18th to the first half of the 19th centuries, the second half of the 19th century and the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries (about seven thousand works); Russian graphics of the 18th to the beginning of the 20th centuries (more than 30,000 works); Russian sculptures of the 18th to the beginning of the 20th centuries (about one thousand exhibits); collection of old antique frames, furniture, applied art and a large section (more than a half of the collection) of post-revolutionary paintings, sculptures, and graphics that is situated in Krimsky Val.
The country estate Arkhangelskoye is a wonderful monument of Russian culture from the end of the 18th to the beginning of the 20th century. The estate is widely known for sublime beauty of the palace and park ensemble and its splendid collections of paintings, drawings, sculptures, pieces of applied art, and also rare books.
In 1820s, the Arkhan...
The Moscow Zoo has come a long way from small zoological gardens to a large scientific, cultural, educational, and nature-oriented organization.
The Zoo (then called the Moscow Zoological Gardens) was founded by the Russian Imperial Society for Plant and Animal Acclimatization in the middle of the XIX century. On the 13th February, 1864, it was ...
The museum was opened in 1970. In 1955, the first exhibits (the Church of the Transfiguration built of wood in 1713 and pillar-based baths) were brought here from the Kostroma Lowlands.
This most interesting open-air museum presents 16th to 19th century churches, bell towers, cottages and household outbuildings brought from different districts c...
WorldWalk.info
en
info@worldwalk.info