21 August Tretiakov Gallery

The State Tretyakov Gallery is the foremost depository of Russian fine art in the world.

Its’ was opened in Moscow in 1856 by the Russian merchant Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov who dreamed of creating a national museum of Russian art. In 1892, Tretyakov gifted his collection of approximately 2,000 works (1,362 paintings, 526 drawings, and 9 sculptures) to the Russian nation.

The exterior of the gallery building was designed by the painter Viktor Vasnetsov in a Russian fairy-tale style. Built in 1902–04 to the south from the Moscow Kremlin it was subsequently expanded during the 20th century including the 17th-century church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi.

Now the collection is home to more than 130,000 exhibits, ranging from Theotokos of Vladimir and Andrei Rublev’s Trinity to the monumental Composition VII by Wassily Kandinsky and the Black Square by Kazimir Malevich.

This really is a must for any art lover or for those who want to have a greater understanding of the rich Russian culture.

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