To the shores of Antarctica and Arctica. To the 200th anniversary of Antarctica discovery
January 2020 marks the 200th anniversary of Antarctica discovery by Russian navigators F. F. Bellingshausen and M. P. Lazarev. The exhibition timed to coincide with the Year of Antarctica in Russia presents about 100 works of painting, graphics, sculpture, numismatics, decorative and applied arts and folk art from the collection of The State Russian Museum. The core of the exhibition is formed by sections devoted to the discovery of Antarctica and the exploration of the Arctic by Russian travelers, sailors, and scientists.
The exposition includes unique materials related to the history of the discovery of the sixth continent: drawings and watercolors made by P. N. Mikhailov - participant of the round-the-world voyage of sloops "Mirny" and "Vostok" in 1819-1821, and also geographic maps from the collection of the Russian State Archive of the Navy (RGAVMF).
A significant section of the exhibition is represented by the works devoted to the study of the Russian Arctic and polar regions (sheets from the album of lithographs for "Baer's Journey to Novaya Zemlya in 1837", works dedicated to the feat of the steamship "Chelyuskin" crew, and to the legendary drift on the ice floe by members of the Papanin expedition). The exposition will also include portraits of famous sailors and polar explorers, images of Indigenous Peoples of the North and unique pieces of Chukotka bone carving, landscapes and animalistic compositions, as well as medals and commemorative signs related to the history of travels to the two poles of the globe.
