The magic of painting: Muscovites invited to local art galleries

Moscow-based art galleries under the Moscow Department of Culture house absolute treasures of Russian painting, and visitors can immerse themselves in art and experience its magic. In addition to permanent expositions, they host a range of themed exhibitions, guided tours, and other events.

From sketches to monumental canvases

Spanning four floors, the spacious halls of the Vasily Nesterenko Moscow State Art Gallery showcase a collection of the master’s paintings and graphic works dedicated to the country’s past and present, nature, people, spiritual life, and cultural traditions. Visitors will enjoy large-scale historical canvases, landscapes of Russia and various corners of the globe, religious art, and lyrical portraits; the artist paints with oils and watercolors and also creates graphic and mosaic works. In particular, guests will see how a monumental canvas takes shape from a drawing or a sketch and how it acquires depth and color. The gallery also hosts tours, concerts, and lectures.

Where: 1a Butyrskaya Street

 

Over 700 paintings by Ilya Glazunov

The Ilya Glazunov Moscow State Art Gallery displays over 700 of the master’s paintings, which were created between the second half of the 20th century and the early 21st century. Having grown from the vast collection that the artist donated to Moscow, the museum invites visitors to trace his creative journey through his historical canvases, illustrations, and portraits. The collection also includes graphic works and archival photographs. The latter are displayed on the lower ground floor. Arranged in chronological order, the photographs narrate the artist’s life story, from birth to worldwide acclaim. The gallery also offers a range of themed tours.

Where: 13 Volkhonka Street

 

The history of Russia through its figures

The paintings and drawings housed in the Shilov Moscow State Art Gallery carry on the finest traditions of classical realistic art. People’s Artist of the USSR A.M. Shilov reflected the history of Russia through the faces of its people—through portraits of soldiers, intelligence and counterintelligence agents, doctors, scientists, members of the clergy, cultural figures, and villagers, through images of women and children. In addition, the artist’s body of work includes landscapes, still lifes, and genre paintings.

Spanning twenty-two halls, the gallery grows constantly, expanding with new works by the artist, particularly with portraits of heroes of our times. It also invites guests to join one of its themed tours, concerts, or creative evenings.

Where: 5 Znamenka Street

 

Magical illustrations

Meanwhile, at the Kitay-gorod Gallery, part of the Exhibition Halls of Moscow Association, visitors can view the book illustration exhibition titled “Brush-Equipped Wizards: Who Are Contemporary Children’s Book Illustrators?” This exhibition features 29 works by acclaimed artists, such as Tatyana Nikitina, Irina Petelina, and Anastasia Kovalenkova, as well as by young artists Elena Abdulaeva and Katya Chizhma.

Visitors will see illustrations for six original books and classic literature, which involve using a variety of techniques, from watercolor, ink, and pencil to digital graphics and oil pastels. On top of that, the exhibition has a historical section highlighting several 20th-century illustrator artists.

Where: 4 Ilyinka Street

 

Art in a merchant’s mansion

The Museum of Tropinin and Moscow Artists of His Time was founded in 1969 when art collector Felix Vishnevsky donated his art collection to the city along with a historic mansion in Zamoskvorechye. Since then, the collection has grown from 250 to 3,000 items, including Russian and Western European paintings and graphic works, decorative and applied art objects, and pieces of furniture.

The gallery’s intimate halls preserve the atmosphere of an old merchant’s estate. At the heart of its exhibition are however works by portraitist Vasily Tropinin and other prominent Russian artists of the 18th and 19th centuries, including portraits of the master’s contemporaries, from aristocrats to ordinary folk, which provide insight into the aesthetics of urban life, tastes, and traditions of the era. The museum also invites visitors to join thematic tours.

Where: 10/1 Shchetininsky Pereulok