Throughout the history of the Russian Museum the most important role in the forming of its collection belongs to the donors. Among them are artists, collectors and other people who care about art and its preservation. Since the 1980s, the Russian Museum has gratefully acknowledged the contribution of donors in new acquisitions exhibitions, annual reports and publications. However, the museum has never shown to the viewers the artworks donated from the moment of its foundation till the end of the twentieth century, though they formed the core and glory of the collection of the first museum of national art in Russia.

To mark the 125th anniversary of the Russian Museum, such an exhibition will be shown in all of its palaces, bringing together items of different epochs and donors, including the imperial family (Alexander III, Nicholas II, Grand Dukes), famous patrons of the arts (M. K. Tenisheva, D. N. Tolstoy, V. N. Argutinsky-Dolgorukov and many others), artists (I. E. Repin, V. A. Serov, I. I. Shishkin and others). The artworks will be shown in chronological order of their creation (from ancient icons to works of the twentieth century) in four palaces of the museum: in the St Michael's Castle, Marble Palace, Benois Wing of the Mikhailovsky Palace and in Stroganov Palace.

The works on the museum's permanent exhibition donated between 1895 and 2019 will be marked with special signs associating them with the temporary exhibition in the palaces. The exhibition will display about 1000 works of painting, 300 drawings and watercolors, 80 sculptural works, 100 items of decorative-applied and folk art. The exhibition in many ways will be unexpected for the viewers: for example, many people will probably be surprised to learn that the famous work "Barge Haulers on the Volga" by Ilya Repin, which clearly expressed the social protest of the artist against the exploitation of labor, was acquired by Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich.


General sponsor of the exhibition - VTB Bank www.vtbrussia.ru

We would like to remind you that we have a new offer! You can buy a Full ticket with an open date, valid for 3 calendar days from the date of the first visit, which provides visiting the exhibition in the Benois Wing, Stroganov Palace, Marble Palace and St Michael's Castle. We will be glad to see you in the museum after the end of the self-isolation period! We hope to meet you soon, wish you and your relatives good health!