Walking along the picturesque Vasilyevsky Island in St. Petersburg, you should definitely look into the Museum of the Academy of Arts, which houses the richest collection of paintings and sculptures. For 260 years, this institution has been open to the public - and this is a long time.
History of the museum
The existence of the museum is inextricably linked with the activities of the Russian Academy of Arts.
The educational institution was founded by the nobleman Ivan Shuvalov in 1757. Almost immediately, Shuvalov donates his own collection (more than a hundred paintings by European masters of painting) to the newly created museum. Only one painting survived from this collection - A. Celesti "The Massacre of the Innocents".
The date of birth of the Museum of the Academy of Arts is 1758
Building on University Embankment
Even the museum premises are historical. It was built at the behest of Catherine II. The Empress granted privileges andapproved the charter, personally determined the states. After all, the Academy was supposed to educate Russian masters of fine arts.
During the reign of Catherine II, in 1764, a complex of academic buildings was laid in the then fashionable style of early classicism. The project was prepared by the outstanding architects of those years, who determined the face of St. Petersburg - A. F. Kokorin and J. B. Vallin-Delamot.
The Academy building is built in an interesting shape - round, as if drawn with a compass. Previously, only the second floor was reserved for the art gallery, pupils lived on the third, classes were held below.
Replenishment of the collection fund
The museum was started by Count I. Shuvalov. Many valuable works were donated to the Museum of the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg personally by Catherine II.
The nobles, imitating the Empress, considered it their duty to contribute to the replenishment of the museum's collection fund. Many donated their own collections of paintings, engravings, sculptural copies.
Then the expositions began to be replenished with the best creations of students and teachers: their own and beautiful copies. Immediately there was a tradition to leave the best theses of students who became professors or received awards in the museum fund. Thanks to this, it is now possible to trace how the later famous masters began their creative path.
Modernity at the Museum of the Academy of Arts
Today, the premises of the Academy of Arts house not only a museum, but also a library, archive, creativelaboratories and workshops, as well as the State Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. Permanent exhibitions of the Museum of the Academy of Arts are located on 3 floors of the building.
Immediately from the threshold the visitor of the museum enters the realm of antiquity. Most of the copies from the surviving ancient Greek and Roman sculptures were made by students starting from the 18th century. Many casts are the only confirmation of the existence of sculptures in ancient times. There are also cork models of ancient architectural monuments created in the 18th century. hands of the Roman sculptor Kiki.
Second floor
The exposition on the second floor was named the Academic Museum. The art gallery of eight halls exhibits the best paintings that served as a role model for more than one generation of artists.
Here you can observe the formation of Russian painting, starting from the 18th century. Genuine paintings by K. Flavitsky, I. Kramskoy, I. Repin, I. Shishkin, N. Roerich and other famous masters of the brush make an indelible impression on museum visitors. A large collection of artists of the Soviet period is exhibited. Of great interest are the sketches prepared for the murals of St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Tauride Palace.
In this museum, paintings by European artists fashionable in the 18th century, recognized at that time as a role model, hang on the walls, and today you can get an idea about these painters only here, at the Museum of the Academy of Arts.
On the secondfloor along the facade overlooking the Neva, there is a suite of so-called Ceremonial halls, which include:
- Ekaterininsky;
- Titianovsky;
- Conference room;
- Raphaelian.
The fancy rooms are now used for temporary exhibitions, concerts and other events. Copies of works by Italian artists of the 16th-18th centuries, including a lost painting by Titian, and a cycle of Raphael paintings from the Vatican are constantly exhibited in them.
Exquisite decor elements of the early 19th century have been preserved in the decoration of the halls.
Third floor
On the last floor there is a permanent exhibition that tells about the architecture of the Northern capital in drawings, drawings and models. Here you can see the design models of the famous St. Petersburg buildings - the Mikhailovsky Castle, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Smolny, Stock Exchange, Alexander Nevsky Lavra and others. There are more than 500 exhibits in total.
Those who have visited the Academy of Arts Museum reviews in the visitors' book and on the website are enthusiastic, and no one has yet regretted that they spent time visiting this amazing place.
In a small room with mezzanines, where the Ukrainian artist and poet Taras Shevchenko in 1858-1861. painted etchings, the memorial workshop was recreated.
Exhibitions
In the State Halls of the Museum of the Academy of Arts, exhibitions are held constantly, the dates of their holding can be found on the website of the institution.
2 exhibitions are held annually:
- Summer, where diplomas are shownstudent creations.
- Spring, with the work of teachers.
Music evenings with classical music are held in the conference hall on weekends.
The road to the museum
The Museum of the Academy of Arts is located in the center of St. Petersburg on Vasilyevsky Island. Address: Universitetskaya embankment, 17.
Near metro station, from which it is easy to get here by public transport:
- from art. m. "Sportivnaya-2" by buses No. 24, 3M, 3MA, 6, 47;
- from art. m. "Vasileostrovskaya" by buses No. 24, 3M, 6 or on foot 10-12 minutes;
- from art. m. "Admir alteyskaya" you can walk to the museum on foot across the Blagoveshchensky bridge or use buses No. 3 and 7, trolleybuses 11, 10.
Important for visitors
Museum opens its doors to guests:
- Wednesday and Friday from 12 noon to 8 pm;
- Sunday and Thursday from 11 am to 7 pm;
- Saturday from 11 am to 8 pm
When planning your visit, please note that the ticket office closes half an hour earlier. Closed on Monday and Tuesday.
To the Museum of the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, the cost of tickets is determined depending on the category of visitors:
- pensioners and children - 50 rubles;
- students - 100 rubles;
- the rest - 200 rubles
Museum Branches
The Russian Academy of Arts is not only the central building on Universitetskaya embankment. ToThe museum also includes the apartments of artists A. Kuindzhi, P. Chistyakov, I. Repin, I. Brodsky, who studied and worked at the Academy.
Each apartment-museum offers its own exhibition dedicated to the life and work of the painter. These branches host interesting temporary exhibitions and various cultural events.
