The Research Museum of Russian Academy of Arts
Historical background The Research Museum of Russian Academy of Arts (The Museum of the Academy of Arts)
is the first Russian museum of fine arts. It is located in St. Petersburg in the building of the Academy of Arts which was designed by the architects A. Kokorinov and J. Vallen de la Mothe in the second half of the 18th century. 1758 is considered to be the year of the Museum's foundation. Since that time the collection of the works of fine art essential for the education of future Russian artists started. By the end of the 19th century the Museum had already possessed the biggest collection of Russian and West European art; copies of the world's masterpieces of the plastic art; models of famous architectural monuments; copies from the works of Italian Renaissance artists. Its richest collections always served as an inexhaustible source of knowledge for many generations of Russian artists. It was the first Russia's museum opened for public. At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries its collections were partially transferred to the largest museums of the country. At present as before the Museum occupies the qallar halls of the building of the Academy of Arts. Its centre is the Conference hall decorated with the plafond "The celebration on the Olympus of the foundation of the fine arts in Russia" created by V. Shebuev. In Titian and Raphael halls decorated with copies of frescoes by Titian, Raphael, Gvido Reny and other masters of the Italian Renaissance fulfilled by the pupils of the Academy the temporary art exhibitions are held. And three permanent exhibitions are situated in the anfilade around the circular yard: the exposition of the department of copies from antique and West European sculpture is on the ground floor; of the history of Russian art school is on the first floor; and of the history ot Russian arcihitecture is on the second floor.
List of ready to be exhibited exhibitions from the collection of the Museum Research of the Academy of Fine Arts:
- "Russian style";
- "Soviet Man";
- "Nostalgia for communism";
- "Italy through the eyes of Russian Artists"
- Layouts outstanding architectural monuments of St. Petersburg (St. Isaac's Cathedral and A.Montferrand A. Rinaldi, VPStasov Trinity Cathedral, Cathedral of Alexander Trotsikogo Nevsvoy Laura I.E.Starova, Smolny Convent Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli)