Explore 21st Century Russian Art at the Tretyakov Gallery

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Located in Moscow, Russia, the State Tretyakov Gallery boasts the best collection of Russian fine art in the world. While the museum may be primarily dedicated to the history of Russian art, they have recently opened up a new branch that focuses on Russian modern art, with several exhibits that focus on Russian art from the 21st century.
The Tretyakov Gallery
The Tretyakov Gallery is known and loved for its incredibly rich collection that focuses on Russian art. In addition to preserving and representing Russian art, the gallery also aims to help to form a sense of Russian cultural identity, drawing attention to the importance of art in general. By providing a way in which locals, as well as tourists, can access Russian masterpieces, as well as other important pieces of world art, the museum hopes to enrich peoples’ lives and make Russia a better place.
The Modern Art: 1960-2000. Restart
The Modern Art: 1960-2000. Restart is an exhibition that began in April 2016, and will be running until December 2017, so you only have a few months left if you are hoping to catch it. This is a fascinating exhibition that addresses the mistrust that the public tends to have towards modern art. It does this by portraying the incredible diversity of some of the artistic trends that emerged after the 20th century, acquainting viewers with some of the most interesting works from this spectacular cultural period that we are now living in.
Still-Life. Metamosphoses. Dialogue Between Classic and Contemporary Art
There have always been some interesting contrasts between classic and contemporary art, and the Tretyakov Gallery is trying to explore this further. In order to ensure that as wide an audience as possible can experience this exhibit, they have made it into a virtual one, with the link available on their website. The exhibit features around 200 pieces of artwork from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, which are either from major museum collections or donated from private collections.

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Tours of the Tretyakov Gallery
With so much art on display, dating back many years, a guided tour is often the best way to really explore the Tretyakov Gallery. The guided tours are carried out in English, French and German, but do not worry if you speak a different language, as group interpretors are available too. The knowledgable guides will take you through the highlights of the museum’s collection, but, if it is just modern art that you are interested in seeing, a tailored tour can also be arranged. If you do want to arrange for a special tour, make sure that you do this more than three days in advance of your visit, otherwise the price for your tour will significantly rise.
Modern Russian art is something that is being nurtured all across Russia, and the country’s art scene is now really thriving because of this. While the Tretyakov Gallery may be primarily focussed on historical art, their modern art exhibits are still definitely worth checking out, and their collections are constantly expanding, so you never know what you may end up seeing.