This is one of the central places to enjoy classical art in Moscow. In 2012 the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts marks its 100th anniversary. In these hundred years the museum hosted an impressive array of exhibitions of international artists – Andy Warhol, El Greco, Rembrandt, Salvador Dali, Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne, and many others. There are currently exhibitions of Caravaggio and William Blake.
The permanent collection boasts true gems of world art. There are impressive rooms of antique sculpture and architecture, as well as a collection of Mesopotamian and Egyptian remains. A unique selection of early-Byzantine icons and mosaics morphs into Medieval and Renaissance European paintings, that later change to 17-18th cc. paintings and sculptures. Speaking of sculpture, in one of the halls you will see full-size copies of the famous interpretations of David: one by Donatello, and another by Michelangelo.
Still, the centrepiece of the collection at the Pushkin Museum is a selection of French Impressionists, painstakingly and lovingly assembled by the 19th c. Russian businessmen. These include Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne, Auguste Renoir, and Pablo Picasso. Speaking of Picasso, Ivan Morozov personally went to Paris to purchase the Portrait of Ambroise Vollard; and in the museum you can see The Girl on the Ball and several other “blue period” paintings.
The museum has long explored the connection between art and fashion. In the early 2000s they hosted an exhibition of sculptures by Gina Lollobrigida. Recently there was an exhibition of Christian Dior dresses.
The building in classical style can be reached from Kropotkinskaya or Borovitskaya metro stations; it stands right across the road from the rebuilt Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. It is flanked by the Museum of Private Collections where visitors are treated to a beautiful selection of engravings and etchings; the Gallery of the 20th c. art of Europe and America; and the State Nicholas Roerich Museum.
The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts has a cozy, if small, cafe, and a bookshop with a wide selection of exhibition catalogues, information booklets, art books, and souvenirs. The entry normally costs 300RUB (around 10EUR).
Unfortunately, for all the great things mentioned above, there is one drawback. Due to the ticketing system and the cloackroom size, the museum is notorious for serpentine queues around its building during the high-profile exhibitions. Such exhibitions tend to break visitor records: the recent Dali exhibition attracted nearly 300 thousand people. They also produce the mentioned serpentines that make the Russians appear no less fond of queueing that the Brits. Regardless, hundreds of people still mark time in the street for a chance to visit the museum. Back in 2002, I personally spent 5.5 hours in the February cold to see the Rouen Cathedral series by Claude Monet…
