Exhibition halls of the Russian Academy of Arts
21 Prechistenka str.
119034 Moscow, Russia
Tel: (495) 637-2569
Fax: (495) 637-4771
11 a.m.- 8.00 p.m.,
daily except Monday
The exhibition halls of the Russian Academy of Arts in 21 Prechistenka str. were
opened to the public in 1948. Located in the center of Moscow near such places of interest as Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts and Cathedral of Christ the Savior, they offer solo and group exhibitions of modern Russian and foreign artists representing a wide range of styles and directions as well as international and numerous theme exhibitions.
The exhibition space of more than 550 sq. m is housed in a mansion which history dates back to the 18th-19th century. In 1904-1906 its interiors were restructured to accommodate the modern art collection of Ivan Morozov, a Russian industrialist, philanthropist and far-sighted collector who became the owner of the mansion in 1899. The White Hall (Morozov’s former concert hall) and the Oak Hall (the former dining room) have retained the elaborate decoration of the turn of the 20th century.
Ivan Morozov’s collection of Arte Nouveau was one of the rare private European collections with its superb array of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings.
More than 100 canvases by C. Monet, O. Renoir, C. Pissarro, A. Sisley, P. Cezanne, V. Van Gogh, P. Gauguin were displayed on the first floor together with the only in Moscow collection of French sculpture – works by O. Rodin, A. Maillol, A. Bourdelle. The main staircase was flanked by decorative panels by P. Bonnard. The White Hall was adorned by “History of Psyche” panel by Morris Denis.
On the ground floor on show were 450 works by Russian artists. A special room was dedicated to M. Vrubel’s drawings and his “Lilac” picture. Canvases by I. Levitan, S. Vinogradov, S. Zhukovski, V. Vasnetsov, K. Yuon were exhibited in one of the central halls. Of big interest were paintings by K. Korovin, A. Golovin, K. Somov. F. Malyavin, M. Larionov, N. Goncharova, Marc Chagall.
After the October Revolution in 1918, paintings belonging to two great collectors Ivan Morozov (1871-1921) and Sergei Schukin (1854-1937) were nationalized by the State. Until 1948, their paintings were amalgamated and exhibited in Morozov’s mansion known as the Museum of Western Art. After this was closed down by Stalin their collection was divided between the Hermitage and the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. Since 1948, the mansion has been occupied by the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Arts and its Research Institute of Theory and History of Arts.
In the late 1990s, President of the Russian Academy of Arts Zurab Tsereteli initiated the restoration of the building including its façade and historical interiors. Now, the White Hall is decorated by the panel “History of Psyche” executed by Albina Acritas, the People’s Artist of the Russian Federation.
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