This grandiose exhibition of the celebrated painter Vasily Surikov (1848–1916) is timed to coincide with the 175th anniversary of his birth.

The exhibition presents over 120 paintings and graphic works by Surikov from the museums in St Petersburg, Moscow and Krasnoyarsk, including the famous historical paintings Yermak Conquering Siberia, Taking a Snow Town, Suvorov Crossing the Alps, Stepan Razin, Boyarynya Morozova (Tretyakov Gallery) and Menshikov in Beryozovo (Tretyakov Gallery), remarkable portraits, paintings on religious subjects, masterfully executed watercolours and fine examples of book illustrations.

At the exhibition, visitors will see not only famous figures of the past – Alexander Menshikov, Alexander Suvorov and Stepan Razin – but also Surikov’s contemporaries who often served as prototype images for the artist. Surikov’s studies for his historical paintings capture portrait features of the models and convey their emotional state in certain extreme situations. These studies and portraits create a unique gallery’s worth of vibrant images of people close to the artist revealing different aspects of the Russian national character.

A separate section of the exhibition is dedicated to the outstanding paintings based on subjects from the Bible and the history of the Church. Worthy of special attention are the artist’s large canvases – The Good Samaritan and The Annunciation – brought from Krasnoyarsk, the artist’s home town, and to Healing of the Man Blind from Birth from the collection of the Church and Archaeological Museum at the Moscow Theological Academy. This unique and tragic-sounding work, virtually unknown to the general public, was created by the artist as a result of the shock caused by the untimely death of his wife.

For the first time after an extensive restoration, the exhibition shows Surikov’s famous monumental canvases Yermak Conquering Siberia and Stepan Razin from the collection of the Russian Museum, which makes it possible to see these works in their original state as the artist created them.

The exhibition is complemented by items of folk applied art, as well as diverse and fascinating media content.

Age limit: 6+

VTB Bank, general sponsor of the exhibition, has long been a supporter of the Russian Museum's exhibition projects.  

The exhibition is held in the Benois Wing until May 13, 2024.